Spirited, stylish, edgy, and a little bit provocative – welcome to Wharf Hotel Groups’ new premium lifestyle brand Maqo.
Sister brand to the luxurious Niccolo Hotels and premium Marco Polo Hotels, and with the first property opening in Changsha on November 1, the Maqo brand will help Wharf Hotel Group realize their vision of '25 by 2025' – increasing its properties to 25 by the year 2025.
Offering vibrant spaces for inspiration and connection, central to the brand concept are its tailor-made collections, or ‘edits’ – at the Maqo, an ‘editor’ will meticulously refine the options to arrive at carefully curated and crafted art and culture programs, food and drink offerings, music playlists, wellness concepts and more – all designed to provoke and inspire guests with the unexpected on every stay.
We sat down with Holger Jakobs, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Wharf Hotels Group, to find out more…
On the Maqo ethos…
"More is not better, only better is better."
We often suffer from sensory overload. Let me give you an example: You walk into a bar, and there is this huge wall of bottles. And the first question is 'What would you like?'
Your natural reaction is to pull back a little bit, and nine times out of 10 you go with what you already know. You may have great decor, but you are overwhelmed, and – as a result – stay in your comfort zone... and in terms of a new experience it is probably zero.
So where do you go from there? We put a lot of thought into it, and decided you need an ‘edit’ – a tailored experience created for guests who appreciate quality over quantity.
On how an 'edit' works...
For example, the room – is the room edit for a family? For the business traveler? For a group on a night out? What three, four items can we provide?
For a family edit, we might put a small tent in the room, and you can order a movie night package.
For the group on the night out edit, maybe part of the edit is a couple of aspirin... we know what's going to happen, right?
Maybe the package doesn't even come with breakfast, because we know you're going to be sleeping in, so it comes with lunch instead.
We have this playfulness as an option in the edits. All too often, hospitality is very traditional and, I don't want to say boring... but perhaps stuck in its ways?
We want to push that a little bit, have some fun...
On the role of the ‘editor’…
For an 'edit,' by default you need an 'editor' – somebody to whittle down 500 bottles to three, from 10 menu pages to one.
We want to be local, so every edit should have a local component. And we also would like to be social – if you are with your family, with a group of friends, the social component should be there.
To go back to my bar example – so you can avoid just going with what you already know – of the three ‘edited’ choices, maybe one is a spirit from a local distiller in Changsha; the second could be that one hot item that everybody is talking about right now; and the third can be something a bit out there – a distinct flavor, something new that hasn't been done before, a certain unique ingredient combination.
And then, within your social group, you can all pick one – and already you have a talking point.
All of this is supported with a full website, with a dead center ‘what's on’ activation point where we have all the edits and events, and tell you what they are, along with photographs.
Chances are that, even if you are a regular in Maqo, you will always find something new.
On the mad science of Maqo’s signature spaces…
Every Maqo will have a key restaurant, which is also called E.D.I.T.; it will have a bar concept, called MiXR; and then it has the so-called 'third space,' which we call THE LAB.
It really is a laboratory, where you can put things together and experiment. It’s a space where you can cowork a little bit, sit together and talk, have a meal, snack or drink.
And then there is an area within THE LAB which we have reserved for collaborations – popups and exhibitions that hopefully can also be paired with workshops.
So these three spaces, they really are the facilitators, the footprint of where the edits and the experiences take place, and something you will eventually find across all Maqo hotels.
On local collaborations…
That’s where what we call the 'Creative Collective' comes into play.
We cannot do everything by ourselves; that would be boring. We want to have a constant influx from the outside, people that we collaborate with.
It might be the guy who produces his own local t-shirt brand who, rather than bringing 100 t-shirts, brings 10 and really showcases them, explaining the story behind them, maybe hosting a little workshop on how they are made.
This, once again, is where the editor comes in – somebody who is the overarching instigator and inspiring force, driving to always constantly have something new.
Someone who is open and out there looking for things, and is also the recipient of pitches; we envision – once we’re open – people coming to us saying, 'Hey, I really liked THE LAB, can I come and do something there?' And we can start creating even more winning collaborations.
So we'll always have this local aspect to help us raise the level of the Maqo experience.
On why Maqo is launching in Changsha…
One of the reasons why we went with Changsha was due to our very strong roots in the local scene. The hotel will open on brand, as our strongest representation.
Here, we know the market well. We have knowledge that we can bring across; our Director of Sales and Marketing from the Niccolo is now the Hotel Manager at Maqo. You need to be in the know, and she has the knowledge and she knows where to look.
We have been researching and having conversations all of this year, so there's quite a lineup of edits and experiences that we have prepared for the launch in November. We're excited.
On who is a Maqo guest…
The first question when it comes to lifestyle is ‘Is it me? ‘Am I cool enough?’ ‘Am I rich enough?’ ‘Can I afford it?’ ‘Do I have the latest?’ ‘Is it this?’ ‘Is it that?’ ‘At what point is the age threshold?’
To that, we say, ‘Look, this is our repertoire – if you like it, come and stay with us!’
We think this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to address everyone.
Theoretically, this is something that should appeal to a large variety of people. There should always be something guests can relate to, can learn about, and can enjoy.
Our guests – regardless of age, style, or nationality – are global travelers who will appreciate our blended and vibrant spaces and edited collections.
In comparison to other brands, it is very individualistic.
On future Maqo plans…
Our vision at Wharf Hotels is to have 25 Hotels by 2025. We’re at 17 right now, so eight more to go, and within that we should be good for two or three Maqos.
Starting in Changsha, I'm sure we can bring Maqo to at least one of the big four in China – be it Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Shenzhen.
And we certainly want to go international. Southeast Asia for starters – Singapore, Bangkok – and also Tokyo. And, of course, our home ground, Hong Kong – we'd love to do something there.
Growth is definitely a big focus for us going forward.
Want to be among the first to experience Maqo Changsha? The hotel is extending a special introductory offer featuring 15% off the Best Available Rate, two signature cocktails per stay and welcome amenities. Make a reservation at Maqohotels.com/en/maqo-changsha or call +86 731 8296 8888 three days in advance.
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