A Wharf Hotels boss has shared more details about the recent shakeup of Marco Polo Hotels, less than two months after unveiling its rebrand strategy. 

The Asian hospitality company announced in September that its premium collection would be undergoing a major visual transformation in 2024 and into 2025. 

There are currently 12 properties in the Marco Polo Hotels portfolio across Hong Kong, China and the Philippines, and all are designed to target corporate and leisure travellers. 

“The brand required a rethink,” Holger Jakobs, vice president of sales and marketing at Wharf Hotels, told TTG Luxury. “If the behaviour of travellers and guests changes, then your hotel will be empty because you’re not addressing the changes.” 

The rebrand of Marco Polo Hotels has been inspired by the rise of ‘bleisure travel’, which involves clients mixing business and leisure in the same trip. According to the 2023 GBTA Business Travel Outlook report, almost half of Asian Pacific-based business travellers extended their work trips in 2022 for leisure time - a higher proportion than any other region.

Also called ‘workcations’, this type of trip calls for hotels to cater to clients who may be booking a conference room one minute, and a spa treatment the next. 

“Guests are looking for work-friendly environments that also have a leisure focus - this is very important to understand,” Jakobs explains. “You need to plan for spaces that are conducive to productivity but also attractive to leisure and relaxation.” Marco Polo Hotels is now in the process of adapting its properties to accommodate this demand, investing in their interiors and facilities to improve guests’ experience. 

It will also enhance its culinary offerings, introducing a modern day-to-night restaurant called Savvy across all its hotels. The modern eatery, which is already open at Prince Hotel, Hong Kong, ‘reimagines the concept of blended spaces’ to offer three zones, a restaurant, a bar and a lounge. Marco Polo Hotels also plans to launch a new cafe and bar called Brew-d, which will host relaxing breakfast dishes and afternoon tea, before transforming into a lively haunt for evening drinks. 

The company has also committed to connect with other businesses as part of its rebrand, promoting its hotels as hubs that offer easy access to local attractions. It has already seen positive results from this strategy in its Niccolo Hotels collection, which has successfully partnered with a wide range of fellow luxury brands in the past.