MGM Hospitality to work with parent MGM China on cultural tourism, intl visitors: report

Mainland China-based hotel operator MGM Hospitality Group (Asia Pacific) Ltd is to strengthen collaboration with its parent, MGM China Holdings Ltd, to bring “new cultural tourism” experiences to Macau and the wider Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, as well as expand the region’s international visitor base. That is according to MGM Hospitality Group president, Fred Zhou Feng, in an interview with Chinese-language newspaper Macao Daily News, published on Thursday. MGM Hospitality Group was formerly known as Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality. The latter was a joint venture between China’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and MGM Resorts International, formed nearly two decades ago. Macau casino operator MGM China completed on June 30 the acquisition of the interest held by its U.S. parent, MGM Resorts, in Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality, in a US$20-million deal. Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of MGM China, MGM Hospitality Group could complement its parent’s operational strengths by bringing in more “cultural tourism resources”, said Mr Zhou in the interview with Macao Daily News. MGM Hospitality Group is adept at integrating local cultural features into each new hotel it develops, Mr Zhou told the news outlet. With nearly 20 years of experience operating in mainland China’s hospitality market, MGM Hospitality Group now has 1.6 million hotel members, mainly “young” consumers born in the 1980s and 1990s, Mr Zhou mentioned. Leveraging MGM Resorts’ international network, MGM Hospitality Group could also help explore international visitor markets for Macau and the wider Greater Bay Area, Mr Zhou remarked. MGM Hospitality Group promotes several hotel brands on the mainland: “Bellagio by MGM”, “MGM Reserve”, “MGM”, “Mirage by MGM”, “Mhub by MGM” and “mx by MGM”, according to the group’s corporate materials. Its hotels are located in mainland cities including Qingdao, Shanghai, Nanjing, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Sanya. MGM Hospitality Group’s latest hotel, MGM Shenzhen Prince Bay, was due to open on Thursday, reported Macao Daily News. MGM Shenzhen Prince Bay is the third hotel run by MGM Hospitality Group in the Greater Bay Area. The other two are MGM Shenzhen and MGM Reserve Zhuhai.