A business leader with a sprawling collection of interests across the region, Pansy Ho needs no introduction to the average reader. Yet what often impresses interviewers about the billionaire daughter of Stanley Ho are her poise, manners and wit. All three come to the fore as we sit down to discuss a wide range of topics in an exclusive interview, starting with the question of what might have been different if she had decided as a teenager to go against her father’s wish and attend the prestigious liberal arts college, Vassar College, in New York State.
Ho does not skip a beat, saying she never regrets having pursued a business education instead. And the proof of the wisdom of her choice is evident all around us, at the property she helped to create, MGM Macau, otherwise known as “the palace of art”.
“Almost every city in the world has one classic hotel, or what the French call an iconic hotel, which attracts people to visit even if they are not staying there,” she says. “The Peninsula Hong Kong, renowned for its historical heritage, architectural style and first-class service, is a fine example, a hotel which strikes a chord with anyone who visits. My wish, then and now, is to create such an iconic hotel.”
Ho is quick to pay respect to her partners in this effort, describing her relationship with MGM Resorts International as a “marriage made in heaven”. It is not difficult to see why. MGM is vastly experienced in such areas as gaming, MICE and entertainment, whereas Ho is very knowledgeable in management and marketing in an Asian environment, in addition to being well-connected in the artistic field. Together, they have already created one exceptional property that combines Western innovation and modernity with Eastern subtlety and service; early next year, they will create another benchmark for quality with the opening of MGM Cotai.
Over the course of the past eight years, since MGM Macau opened, Ho says she has been generally content with what they have done. This is despite the current difficult market conditions, which she clearly is looking beyond. “It is about time for the gaming sector to become more settled,” she says. “This is conducive to consolidating the market and improving services.”
Diversification is a key focus of Ho’s. She clearly relishes the opportunity to build more creative attractions and services into the new property, just as she has done with the current one. In fact, her artistic philosophy is already deeply embedded in her business. This much is evident in the Grande Praça, the atrium of MGM Macau, which was her brainchild.
“During its construction,” Ho recalls, “I insisted that Grande Praça must have its own character. Chinese and Portuguese cultures have been interacting with each other for centuries: on a Portuguese-style street, for example, there will always be a few elements that are distinctly Chinese, and some that are a fusion of the two cultures. We wanted Grande Praça to incorporate both Portuguese and Eastern elements. As extensive as it is, Grande Praça is not meant to be commercial; it is for leisure and romance. We would like visitors to know that, rather than shopping, Grande Praça is here as a public square for people to meet, enjoy and communicate with one another, thereby creating a collective culture.”
Few corridors, windows and corners of MGM Macau are without paintings or sculptures, many of which are artistic masterpieces. All this stems from Ho’s love of art. “We do not want to place artworks in any specific locations for exhibition,” she explains. “Even less do we wish to state who the artists are and their price tag. Visitors may notice the existence of artworks, and if they appreciate them, we are more than content. If they investigate deeper and realize that the artworks are masterpieces, we would be pleasantly surprised. Even if visitors simply pass by without paying any attention, that is fine with us, for this is the MGM style.”
MGM Macau’s branding strategy by way of interacting with film and art, according to Ho, has had a significant impact on promoting Macau as a world tourism and leisure destination as well. This was most obvious with the movie, “Look for a Star” [2009], starring Andy Lau and Shu Qi, which was the first to be shot at MGM Macau. “That movie allowed us to show that the era of ‘God of Gamblers’ [1989] was long gone, and that Macau has since become a prosperous city of charm and modernity,” Ho explains. “On that basis, we went on to have ‘Finding Mr Right 2 – Book of Love’ [2016], which showcased Macau’s unique function as the platform linking mainland China and the U.S. Coming up next this summer is Jacky Chan’s new film ‘Skiptrace’ [2016], which shows viewers that Macau is much more than gaming alone, as it is a dynamic and trendy city. Another way in which MGM Macau hammers this message home is by supporting the filming of TV and reality shows from mainland China and the U.S.”
Pansy Ho believes Macau is a city with great artistic and cultural heritage. In addition to promoting the UNESCO World Heritage and organizing art exhibitions, she also believes Macau needs to encourage creativity and combine local art with innovation in order to reach a higher level of development.
MGM Macau has helped in this effort. One example is the Biennial of the Lions, an event which saw 50 artists from Macau, mainland China and France creating environmentally friendly statues made of resin, which were then exhibited – and very well received – at not only MGM Macau, but also at venues such as the MGM Art Space, Macao Museum of Art and the Macau Tower.
“Local and foreign artists may have very different takes on the same subject-matter,” Ho notes, “and this kind of exchange is conducive to a city’s artistic atmosphere. By organizing similar events, MGM Macau hopes to partner with other institutions to promote art exhibitions and trade as well as the gathering of artists in Macau.”
What MGM Macau has done with cuisine is another example of this strategy, Ho elaborates. “Macau is endowed with every possible advantage of ‘haute cuisine’ from around the world,” she says. “So how do we make good use of this to attract visitors from abroad? This requires vision and patience. We ought to have our own, idiosyncratic style, built on the basis of diversity.”
Partnering with renowned chefs and restaurants from mainland China, last year MGM Macau launched the Huaiyang Epicurean Delights, in addition to hosting the MGM Oktoberfest for seven years in a row. These innovative events may have been transient, but they have been helping bring in new ideas to the local culinary scene. Ho firmly believes that cuisine is a pull factor for not only hotels, but also cities.
Pansy Ho knows what she is talking about. As Secretary-General of the Global Tourism Economy Forum for the past 4 years, Ho is focused on the practical realities of building a MICE industry here. Aware of Hong Kong’s success in the sector, she takes note of Macau’s advantages such as ample supply of hotel rooms, flexible and spacious venues and numerous culinary attractions.
“Hong Kong being the MICE capital,” she says, “and considering our geographical proximity, we should consider the feasibility of hosting one event in both cities,” Ho says. “One city can do the events and the other the forums, so that business travelers get the best out of both.”
While admitting that “Macau has to up its MICE capabilities and quality of human resources,” Ho is clearly confident about the city’s prospects. As she should be, with a new property opening in Cotai next year. She is somewhat coy about releasing details on MGM Cotai, yet it is clear she is focused on the longer term.
“We did not build this project for current customers,” she says. “We did this for the younger demographic, people who will be our customers in 10 years’ time. For now, these future customers are teenagers, and our goal is to keep up with their development and interests in the next decade. By encouraging creativity and endeavoring to offer guests a brand new experience through our diverse and interactive entrainment facilities, we aim to be the benchmark for customer experience in Asia.”
Ho did reveal a few juicy tidbits, however. These include that MGM Cotai will have its own atrium with cutting-edge technology. Visitors can also expect to experience the most astounding entertainment facility which would be a dynamic theater in a flexible setting, 14 seat configurations and a 180-degrees LED wall, capable of 4K content with 28 million Megapixels. Equipped with such cutting-edge features, this facility will serve as forum, banquet hall, concert venue or theater.
“For more details, please come and visit us when we open next year,” Ho says, with a smile. Grace Geng, MDT/Macau Inc., MDT/Macau Inc. Exclusive
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