Wharf Hotels' group digital marketing director departs

Wharf Hotels’ group director of digital marketing Alice Au (pictured) has departed after four years.  

Au has been focusing on customer-centric digital marketing management for the past 20 years – specialised in marketing automation and multi-faceted social/ eCommerce development.  

During her tenure as Wharf Hotels’ group head of digital marketing managing Niccolo and Marco Polo Hotels portfolio, Au spearheaded the group’s digital transformation to fuel the omnichannel, AI and WeChat commerce developments for the luxury segments in hospitality, inside China and for rest of the world.  

Prior to Wharf Hotels, Au led the global and regional team to drive web, chatbot and mobile development, performance marketing as well as China social CRM via WeChat for Estee Lauder Companies, DFS Group, CITIC Bank and PCCW.  

During her earlier stage while she was with Langham Hospitality Group and Sino Hotels, she had brought to life the first International Hotel Loyalty Programme Mobile App to be downloadable from the Apple Apps Store.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Au for more information.

Back in September 2024, Wharf Hotels announced the rebrand of Marco Polo Hotels. Named after the eponymous Venetian merchant, the brand’s transformation was a strategic vision focused on addressing the evolving behaviour of guests and the addition of numerous enhancements.

Located in gateway cities such as Beijing, Hong Kong, Jinjiang, Wuhan, Xiamen, Cebu, Davao and Manila, the refreshed Marco Polo Hotels brand is designed to inspire guests to embark on a journey of discovery whether for business or leisure.

The brand’s new visual identity and colour palette will be deployed in stages to consumer-facing marketing materials and hotel collateral throughout 2024 and into 2025.  The refreshed look is the beginning of a comprehensive enhancement plan, which includes the group’s first two rebranded properties – Prince Hotel, Hong Kong and Marco Polo Wuhan.  

Changes are expected to be progressively introduced at the other properties in the next few years, including investments in the interiors, as well as improved guest experiences.

Wharf Hotels president, Thomas Salg, said, “We revisited our brand to ensure the rebranding and enhancements will better reflect the ethos of our namesake and address the increase of bleisure travel in Asia Pacific.  Today’s and tomorrow’s guests are looking for more than just a place to stay; they want inspiring experiences in the form of sights, sounds and tastes – both inside our hotels and out.  What we set out to accomplish definitely showcases our commitment to creating a holistic guest experience and lasting value for our stakeholders.”

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