Brand Story of Metropole Hotel

Metropole Hotel

"Metropole" is a three-star hotel under Macau CTS Hotel Management (International) Limited. Over years of strict management, pioneering and innovation, Macau CTS Hotel Management (International) Limited has cultivated a large group of senior professional talent in hotel management. With a dedicated and competent hotel management and staff team, the hotels under the Company have successfully completed many tasks of receiving state leaders and VIPs of politics, business, culture and sports and are highly regarded by all parties. The Company is equipped with core competitiveness and profitability and its hotels are in a leading position among local hotels of the same grade in respect of comprehensive competence. The Company has gradually established the brand image of a Chinese-invested hotel in Macao.

The Return Journey of Macao to China amidst Nourishing Spring Breeze and Rain

When the Chinese mainland implemented the policy of reform and opening up in 1978, China Travel Service (Macao), which was mainly engaged in logistics and reception, was keenly aware that there would be an increasing number of tourists travelling to Macao with the opening up policy. As a result, it founded the first hotel under CTS – Metropole Hotel next to China Travel Service (Macao) Limited Seaside Branch. Metropole Hotel is located in the most thriving Praia Grande Business District with a glistening lake, beautiful scenery and bird view of the Macau-Taipa Bridge. It is only within steps from the Senado Square in the city center and can be called a golden place for shopping and leisure. Its advantageous location has been attracting numerous tourists. Metropole Hotel was established at a time when the hotel service industry in Macao was in the ascendant. The establishment of Metropole Hotel used to lead the early-stage development of the hotel industry in Macao. In the 1980s, many hotels in Macao and Zhuhai regarded "Metropole" as a reference blueprint. On February 8, 1979, China and Portugal officially established diplomatic ties. Macao, the child that had been separated away from her motherland for 400 years, finally started the journey of return and Metropole Hotel also entered its heyday in history.

The 1980s witnessed increasingly closer contact between China and Portugal. In March 1980, General Egídio, Governor of Macao, paid an official visit to Beijing upon invitation. In June of the same year, Mr. Xi Zhongxun, Governor of Guangdong Province paid a special visit to Macao for the first time. In October 1981, Costa, the new Governor of Macao paid a four-day official visit to Guangdong at the invitation of the Governor of Guangdong Province and dropped by Zhuhai Special Economic Zone. At the end of October, Mr. Ren Zhongyi, the first Party Secretary of Guangdong Province paid a two-day private tour to Macao...Macao entered a new historical mileage and took off on a journey of vast prospects with social stability and economic prosperity.

Due to the geological location and quality service of Metropole Hotel, many government officials from Portugal requested to stay in the hotel when they visited Macao. As recalled by Huang Liwei, the Deputy General Manager of Metropole Hotel, over 60% of the rooms used to be occupied by Portuguese government officials at the peak. The reputation of Metropole Hotel spread itself overseas. Many Portuguese tourists, having heard of it, came specifically to the hotel during their trip in Macao.

In the mid of the 1980s, the gambling industry became the pillar industry of tourist economy in Macao. On an ordinary day, seven foreign tourists with blonde hair and blue eyes mysteriously checked in Metropole Hotel. According to Huang Liwei, they would greet the receptionists whenever they passed the hall. They looked very polite. The staff were deeply impressed with them because they always appeared together for quite a long time. Subsequently according to newspaper, a group of foreign professional gamblers came to Macao, broke through baccarat(un.) in the casino with their wisdom and memory and won a big sum of prize. As they just used the technique of "memorizing cards" to win money, which was not in violation of laws, they became a legend in the gambling history of Macao. That group of professional gamblers were the very seven mysterious guests of "Metropole" then.

On April 13, 1987, the Prime Ministers of China and Portugal signed the Joint Declaration on the Question of Macao in Beijing. The People's Republic of China would resume its sovereignty over Macao on December 20, 1999. However, the public security in Macao before the return was very bad and Metropole Hotel underwent the most difficult period of development. As recalled by Huang Liwei, Macao was in a period of social unrest with revengeful gang murders from time to time. There was news of murders with blood on the newspaper almost every day. While citizens were in panic, the number of tourists in Macao decreased substantially. Metropole Hotel also suffered from a considerably declined occupancy rate. To guarantee the safety of guests, Metropole Hotel strengthened security and maximized the efforts of all its staff to provide guests with a safer experience. To attract customers, Metropole Hotel made full use of its close connection with the Chinese mainland to invite famous film stars from Hong Kong to give fashion and singing performances and culture and art groups from the Chinese mainland to perform in the Chinese restaurant of Metropole. In addition, at the end of the 1980s, its Chinese restaurant invited master chefs from Diaoyutai State Guesthouse to give impromptu performance of abalone cooking and hosted a state banquet that only central leaders may enjoy. Metropole Hotel was the only restaurant that had hosted a state banquet in Macao, which became a story on everyone’s lips there.

Years of Efforts Build Up a Famous Brand in Macao

Metropole Hotel looks simple and clean with ten floors. The building served for commercial purposes previously. After purchasing the building, China Travel Service (Macao) Limited has reconstructed it into a hotel while maintaining the original structure of a commercial building. The top floor was of duplex structure originally and considering that duplex suites may attract family guests, the owner has rebuilt all the rooms on the 10th floor into elegant Spanish style duplex suites. Metropole is the first hotel with duplex suites in Macao, which has become one of its highlights.

In the city with developed gambling, Metropole Hotel does not have luxurious casinos owned by other hotels or as trendy and sumptuous facilities as other hotels, but it still remains in an unshakable position in the blooming hotel industry in Macao by virtue of its superb geographical location, excellent and considerate service and scientific and standard professional management. According to Huang Liwei, most guests of “Metropole” are individual guests from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Japan and Southeast Asia. In recent years, with the boom of the convention and exhibition industry of Macao, the number of business tourists in Macao has increased quite a lot. Due to its relatively small number of rooms, Metropole Hotel will continue to give play to its own advantages and develop towards a boutique style hotel to attract more business guests on the current basis.

Another key feature of “Metropole” is its dense nostalgia, especially the great number of local die-hard “fans”. The Chinese restaurant of the hotel retains the atmosphere of Chinese restaurants of the 1980s and many regular customers drink tea every day in the restaurant for thirty years, rain or sunshine. The regular customer Uncle Huang said, "I come to 'Metropole' twice a day, morning tea and lunch. Sisters (Waitresses) of Metropole are very nice to me. When my house was having a big decoration, I stayed in Metropole for dozens of days. After that, they helped me clean my house for free. Every year, they remember my birthday and throw me a very lively and joyful party. ‘Metropole’ is like my second home.” Even after the busy work at the hotel, Huang Liwei greets guests of “Metropole” with passion. She said that in her talks with acquaintance guests, she found that they have developed a very deep bonding with the hotel, at which she feels very delighted. Some regular customers even join in the celebration of the anniversaries of the hotel, where everyone keeps sharing their stories in “Metropole” and those warm words and memories of the past deeply touch her and her colleagues. In addition to supervision and routine hotel management, Huang Liwei, who has grown together with Metropole Hotel, gets along very well with her subordinates. She said that some staff have been working with Metropole since its opening and that they have become old timers of the hotel over more than thirty years of development as well as the biggest asset of the hotel.

“Metropole” has preserved traditional hotel facilities since establishment up to now. Take the pipe for collection of service bills as an example. It is a stainless steel pipe running from the 10th floor to underground. Before the popularization of electronic service technology, all work in the hotel had been handled manually and the main purpose of building the pipe was to save check-out time and facilitate the processing of guests’ demands. During check-out, service staff may transmit bills through the stainless steel pipe to the reception immediately after inspecting the room. When a guest room has any need for assistance from the reception, service staff may directly deliver the message to the reception through the special pipe. While it is very traditional, it is quite practical. Customers will never be affected due to blackout or computer failure. It is one of the great features of Metropole Hotel. Huang Liwei said, “Metropole is not very luxurious, but it is very cozy. We always provide the best services and products to our guests and dedicate ourselves to the satisfaction of our customers.”

Glories of Brand

The honor of “The Most Popular Hotel in Asia” for 2009 by Hotel Club;

The honor of "Macao Eco-Friendly Hotel" for 2007-2010;

Gold Medal for Table Setting Design of Chinese Banquets in the Third National Hospitality Vocational Skills Competition