The mainland Chinese market has an insatiable appetite for all things beautiful and bespoke. According to Dr. Daniel Langer, CEO of Équité (a luxury, lifestyle and consumer brand strategy firm), they are the Nouveau Riche and “disrupting (the) luxury (industry) the most.” He explains that “the youngest customers now have the highest expectations toward luxury brands...in China, more than 80 percent of luxury goods are bought by consumers under 40, including a rapidly increasing share of Gen Zers, who are all 20 years old or younger.” And nowhere is this more apparent than in Macao, China - the “Vegas of Asia”- and a vast playground for the wealthy Chinese.
According to Lily Cheng (Director of Public Relations for Sands Resorts Macao) the number one demographic for those seeking a “staycation/getaway” are from Mainland China, who apparently have plenty of hedonistic desires in need of satisfying.
In trying to navigate the future of luxury, it’s been the objective of Sands Resorts and its family of brands to carve out an enduring space in an otherwise volatile market; so they are not only appeasing needs, but attempting to anticipate and anchor them as well. With 8 hotels (and growing) to choose from and their combined 12,000+ rooms, properties are frequently upgrading their respective “luxe life” to remain top-of-mind, experiential and “Instagram-worthy”. Moreover, “because competition is so keen in Macao - and the standards of hospitality so high - in order to differentiate ourselves, we need buildings and properties that are iconic and easily identifiable,” explains Joyce Chiu, Senior Public Relations Manager for Sands China Ltd.
For instance, since The Parisian Macao unveiled its sparkling and newly renovated Champagne Suites, they have been the most requested room category for the hotel.
Meanwhile, The Londoner Hotel (with plans to open progressively over 2020 and 2021) has soccer-star-turned-stylish-celebrity/philanthropist David Beckham acting as the face of the brand; he is also currently the ambassador to all of Sands Resorts Macao properties. The celebrity element is another strategy to ensure that there is frequent buzz and to update otherwise stagnant spaces in need of a facelift.
