EDITOR’S Note

Welcome to the Hotelier column which profiles the industry skills and personalities of the highly regarded professionals running major hotels in the Yangtze River Delta.

FROM the world famous Las Vegas Strip to Shanghai’s landmark magnificent Bund, Bellagio hotel, a synonym for luxury and elegance, is bringing its glitz and glamour outside of North America for the first time in its history.

The brand’s much anticipated Bellagio Shanghai, an investment by Suning Group, is scheduled to open in the third quarter of this year near the city’s iconic Waibaidu Bridge.

“Bellagio has never left Las Vegas and our new hotel in Shanghai is very different to the one in Vegas, in terms of room capacity and staff size,” said Ronald Kang, area vice president of Bellagio Shanghai. “However, the special positioning of the brand remains unchanged as we are always committed to creating welcoming, timeless, sophisticated and remarkable experience for our guests.”

Located on the bank of the Suzhou Creek, Bellagio Shanghai is built to impress and inspire an elite clientele accustomed to experience the best.

Room categories at the 162-key hotel starts from deluxe, with a minimum size of 60 square meters, while all suites at a 100 square meters are tended by personal butlers. Some rooms and suites boast stylish, private terraces, as spacious as 90 square meters, from which the spectacular view of the vibrant Lujiazui skyline can be appreciated without obstruction. A 400-square-meter Presidential Suite, with its very own home theater, marks the pinnacle of class and sophistication.

Built on the success of the Las Vegas hotel, which is the most recognizable with its fancy lobby ceiling, a world’s largest chocolate fountain, as well as a marvellous dancing water fountain in front of the hotel, Bellagio Shanghai aims to grab a decent share of the city’s highly competitive luxury hotel market with its “Nothing Short of Unforgettable” guest experience, an all-time belief by the brand.

Unlike its mega-size sister hotel in Vegas, the passionate culinary team at Bellagio Shanghai is dedicated to providing guests with tasteful and innovative dining experience at its four distinctive F&B outlets, among which LAGO by Julian Serrano stands out as an indisputable highlight.

Regarded as one of the finest culinary talents across America, the award-wining Chef Serrano brings his Italian restaurant and casual dining concept all the way to Shanghai. Authentic Italian cuisine is served in a contemporarily designed dining room with an expansive outdoor terrace and guests may choose the Cupola for an even more unique and memorable dining experience.

Located at a fully restored 1920s heritage building, the hotel’s Chinese restaurant — Mansion on One — pays sincere homage to Shanghai’s legacy. Authentic and classic Cantonese and Shanghainese cuisine are served to pamper guests’ discerning tastebuds, while 11 private dining rooms with their own distinct color and decoration style help evoke nostalgic memories of old Shanghai in its golden days.

A throwback to Las Vegas, Cafe Bellagio is designed to recreate the traditional American diner experience with modern sensibilities. Its contemporary art deco and seasonal menu make it a perfect venue for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Lounge, in the lobby, is the place where the Bellagio signature afternoon tea is served. Filled with an elegant and cozy ambience, it is ideal for both informal business meetings and light-hearted social gatherings.

“We are positioned to target mainly leisure customers and expect to hopefully have 60 percent local Chinese guests with the rest from overseas,” said Kang, a more than three-decade hospitality veteran. “With one of the biggest and best-looking ballrooms along the Bund, Bellagio Shanghai will become a new sought-after luxury address in the city that is suitable for various events and occasions including movie premieres, fashion shows, product launch, etc.”

Among the hotel’s over 1,800 square meters’ event and banquet space, the 700-square-meter, pillarless Grand Ballroom on the second floor, where natural light penetrates through windows, lives up to its name with a 7-meter-high ceiling. Besides, a 500-square-meter atrium equipped with huge-size, state-of-the-art LED screens and integrated audio system demonstrates perfectly how cutting edge technology meets with welcoming elegance.

“In that sense, we are actually bringing the kind of big and mega characteristics of Vegas into Shanghai,” Kang said.

For wedding planners, Bellagio Shanghai is also the new premiere address where 400 guests can be served simultaneously under a banquet-style setup. In fact, wedding banquet reservations at the hotel have already been hot.

While spacious rooms, an award-winning chef and an ultra-luxurious Grand Ballroom jointly make Bellagio Shanghai a new industry benchmark, Kang believes that the success of any hotel always lies in its staff.

“The hospitality business is all about how to impress the guests,” he said. “Therefore, I got myself involved in the interviews with every one of my staff because I have to select the right person with the right heart, the right mindset and the right energy.”

Embarking on his professional journey in 1985, from the laundry department, Kang’s hospitality footprint has so far covered Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, India and Hong Kong, as well as several Chinese mainland cities including Hangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai.

“What I enjoy most as a hotelier is that I can create memories that touch people’s hearts, and experiences that people will talk about,” the Singaporean hotelier said. “When people come to me and say ‘you’ve made my day,’ that will make my day.”

Best Deals

Celebrate the opening of Bellagio Shanghai, enjoy luxurious accommodations and choose two of the following benefits starting from 3,200 yuan (US$464) per night. For reservations, please email bgosh-reservations@bellagioshanghai.com.

• Daily breakfasts for two persons

• One way airport transfer

• Set dinner for two persons at Café Bellagio

• SPA treatment for two persons

GM’s Favorite

LAGO, by award-wining Chef Julian Serrano, serves Italian cuisines with a small plate menu in a contemporary layout. I loved Julian’s way of creating signatory flavors & sharing portions that makes your dining experience at Lago relax, casual and fun.

Footprint

May 2016–present:

Area vice president Bellagio Shanghai

2009–2016:

Beijing

2005–2009:

Shanghai

2004–2005:

Beijing

2002–2004:

Hong Kong, Tokyo, Goa

2000–2002:

Taipei