First announced on 12 September, Wharf Hotels has officially launched its new Maqo brand with the first hotel opening in Changsha today (1 November, 2023).
The Maqo Changsha is located in Tower Two of the International Finance Square (IFS) shopping mall, offering 286 rooms and suites.
Room categories include the M1 Deluxe Room (33-35 sqm), M2 Grand Rooms (38 sqm), M3 Grand Deluxe Rooms (45 sqm) and Premium Rooms.
All feature modern furnishings, island wash basins, light and temperature sensors, wireless charging points and complimentary wifi.
Other hotel facilities include the E.D.I.T. restaurant, MiXR bar, social area THE LAB for guests to co-work, socialise and relax, and PWR ZONE gym.
Billed as a premium lifestyle brand for modern travellers, the brand personality focuses on being “spirited, stylish, edgy and provocative”.
Design-wise, guests can expect “whimsical art installations, accent chairs and a spirited colour palette of red, blue, purple and green”.
Central to the brand’s appeal will be curated experiences for personalised stays.
“The whole idea is the art of selection” says Balwin Yeung, group director global sales. “Everything is curated from food and beverage offerings, to wellness, music lists and art and culture programmes. We will create personalised experiences called ‘edits’ by our team of ‘editors’.
“For every guest that arrives, we look at our records and booking information to see what kind of experience guests might want – so whether you’re on a business trip, with family, or having a girl’s weekend away – we will create certain edits for you.
“For example, if you’re having a girl’s weekend away – we will put face masks and beauty treatments in your room. If you’re travelling with kids, we might add tents and child-friendly decorations”.
The idea of offering edited choices will be present at every touchpoint, with a focus on promoting local experiences, cultivating social situations and facilitating new experiences.
Bartenders, for example, will proactively recommend spirits from local Changsha distilleries, highlight fashionable flavours, or suggest experimental cocktails to spark conversation among guests.
“You often go to hotel bars and there are lots of bottles, but in the end, you just choose the same gin and tonic that you always drink – nothing special, so the experience is zero”, says Yeung. “But if you go into Maqo, the bartender will give tell you all about the local Changsha spirits. At the end, you can still choose your gin and tonic, but you’ve at least had a memorable experience”.
Maqo has also been designed to offer plenty of social spaces for guests to mingle, and plans to host a regular calendar of pop-ups and art exhibitions promoting local brands and artists.
Explaining the choice of Changsha as a launch location, Yeung says: “Changsha is such a vibrant city. It’s the Hollywood of China, where all the TV stations and studios are. All the influencers in China either go to Shanghai or Changsha – it’s so Instagrammable.”
Maqo joins Wharf Hotels’ luxury Niccolo and premium Marco Polo Hotels brands, which offer 17 hotels located in Hong Kong, China and the Philippines.
The group plans to have 25 hotels by 2025 in key Asian destinations including Singapore, Shanghai, Tokyo and Bangkok.
