16 April 2024 – SJM Resorts, S.A. (“SJM”), in a pioneering partnership with the globally acclaimed Forbes Travel Guide, is proud to announce Asia’s first SJM x Forbes Travel Guide Seminar on “Curating Luxury Experience in Hospitality” for students. With support from SJM, this significant seminar shared international luxury hospitality standards and elements of top-notch service with around 380 students from 15 tertiary institutions and secondary schools in Macau and Guangdong.

Officiating guests of the launch event included Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (“MGTO”); Ms. Daisy Ho, Managing Director of SJM; Mr. Hermann Elger, Chief Executive Officer of Forbes Travel Guide; Mr. Benjamin Toh, Chief Operating Officer of SJM; and Mr. Daniel Shim, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of SJM.

Ms. Daisy Ho, Managing Director of SJM, said in her opening remarks, “Exceptional guest service is crucial for attracting international travelers and reinforcing Macau’s status as a ‘World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.’ Our collaboration with Forbes Travel Guide opens a gateway for students to understand global luxury guest service practices and benchmarks through internationally recognised training content.” She added, “Beyond supporting the government’s policy of ‘Building Macau through Talents,’ we also strive to establish Macau as a hub for exemplary tourism education and training for the Greater Bay Area. We target to promote high-quality tourism development in China and ensure the sustainability of a talent pool that meets the demands of the world’s rapidly evolving tourism landscape.”

Mr. Hermann Elger, Chief Executive Officer of Forbes Travel Guide, remarked: “It is such an honour to be invited by SJM to witness a monumental moment of gathering a group of future talents for us to share our expertise in curating the luxury experience. Excellence is the guiding principle of Forbes Travel Guide – we strive to create, identify and reward excellence in hospitality. As a destination, Macau holds some very special honours with Forbes Travel Guide. We hope that what we have shared today can help the service talents to better understand the luxury guests’ expectations and will inspire them to provide gracious hospitality to all guests visiting Macau in the future.”

Led by Ms. Summer Xiang, Learning & Development Manager of Asia Pacific, Forbes Travel Guide, the seminar began with an introduction to Forbes Travel Guide’s independent rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas, providing students with insights into excellent service standards. It enabled them to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of service quality in large-scale integrated resorts. Through exploration of several shared scenarios, students acquired knowledge on how to create exceptional luxury experiences in the realm of hospitality. All students actively participated in the seminar and Q&A session, expressing their satisfaction with this rewarding learning experience.

In addition, SJM will host a “Luxury Service Experience Boot Camp” in the coming days, inviting students from the local universities to form teams for a competition. The teams will use Forbes Travel Guide’s rating system to apply theoretical knowledge in practical assessments, evaluating starred venues and presenting their analyses on their luxury services and facilities, which will help them reinforce their knowledge and skills through hands-on experience. The winning team will be selected by a panel of judges. SJM aims to enhance students’ analytical and perceptual skills through this competition, deepening their understanding of professional and high-end guest services and fostering future talents in the integrated tourism and leisure industry.

Macau as a “World Centre of Tourism and Leisure” has been once again recognised as the world’s top destination with the most five-star hotels in the 2024 Forbes Travel Guide. The city’s leadership in luxury tourism underscores the critical need for a sustainable pool of high-calibre service talents. To meet this demand, SJM has been investing substantial efforts in upskilling and promoting upward and lateral career progressions for its employees, and more importantly, nurturing the next generation of talents for the broader tourism ecosystem for Macau.

The Forbes Travel Guide is the global authority on rating standards for luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas. It not only acts as a beacon for luxury experiences for travelers but also offers bespoke professional training for partners, aimed at enhancing their employees’ service skills and elevating service standards.