The St. Regis Zhuhai set to bring luxury to coastal city

Luxury hotels are changing their styles to provide more personalized services to meet the rising demands of guests, according to Juan Samso, general manager of The St. Regis Zhuhai.

His hotel will add a new twist to the luxury brand landscape of the tropical city of Zhuhai in Guangdong province, when it opens in mid-2018.

"Generally speaking, 20 years ago, luxury hotels were more business-style and formal, where service was delivered to a fixed standard," said Samso, who has just entered the 20th year of his hospitality career. "While now, we tend to provide more personalized and intimate services, creating exquisite experiences for our guests."

Citing the St. Regis butler service as an example, he said staff members always provide anticipatory service to fulfill guests' needs, and pay as much attention to every detail as possible.

Samso, who previously worked in the Macao Special Administrative Region as the general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, said he was familiar with neighboring Zhuhai but was still impressed by its fresh air and clean environment.

"Zhuhai is known as the 'Chinese Riviera' or 'City of Romance'. I enjoy my life here very much with my family," Samso said.

As a regular runner, Samso enjoys jogging along Lover's Road each morning, which is located in front of the hotel with views of the azure ocean and Macao in the distance.

His two children regularly visit Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, a local entertainment park, while the whole family shares a passion for fresh seafood from the local markets.

Zhuhai is a core city of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and a terminal of the mammoth Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which is expected to be put into operation this year.

"The city is attracting stronger attention and investment domestically and internationally," Samso said. "We are expecting an increasing number of business and leisure travelers to Zhuhai, mostly from the major cities in China like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen".

The hotel also targets the market for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, or MICE, as it is located just steps away from the Zhuhai Exhibition Center.

Situated on the 41st-72nd floors of the 330-meter Zhuhai Tower, The St. Regis has 251 guest rooms and suites.

chenhong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/10/2018 page10)