Zouk picks new PR partner, launches Asian hawker food hall in Vegas

Zouk Group has appointed Accela PR has its new PR agency, shifting duties from W Communications. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE understands that Accela was appointed this month and has reached out for additional information. Prior to this, Zouk Group was working with W Communications for a period of six months. 

Accela is a PR firm specialising in the lifestyle space. According to its official website, it works with clients across the food & beverage, hospitality & travel, health & fitness, fashion, property and retail industries. Some of the brands it has worked with include DFS, Glenfiddich, Ce La Vie, Diageo, and Janice Wong. Accela PR provides services such as media relations, influencer engagement, social media, and creative. Accela, according to its website, provides services in social media, creative, influencer management, media relations and event support. According to its LinkedIn page, Accela was formed in 2014.

Separately, Zouk said it will be introducing an Asian hawker-inspired food hall concept in its upcoming Resorts World Las Vegas. The food hall, titled "Famous Foods Street Eats", is said to feature authentic street food and cuisines from around the world. It will be an interactive street food destination, boasting 16 diverse food stalls such as chicken rice shop Boon Tong Kee, bubble tea shop Tiger Sugar, Springleaf Prata Place, and Geylang Claypot Rice. Zouk will also be featuring mamak shops that will sell merchandise, unique snacks and keepsakes including take-home food kits, books and more for guests to commemorate their experience. In addition, the food hall will feature a vibrant 16-seat centre bar and a picturesque speakeasy (pictured below) hidden within it. 

 In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a spokesperson said there is no set criteria when it comes to choosing which food stalls to feature. The selection was based more on unique flavours, stories and awards. Zouk Group’s executive chairman Hui Lim and CEO Andrew Li travelled throughout Asia to personally taste test the different hawker cuisines to curate the selection of food stalls for Famous Foods. Through the food hall, Zouk looks to amplify the reach of unique Asian cuisine with generations-old recipes and expose them to the US market, the spokesperson added.

The food hall is designed to offer an array of Instagrammable moments for a new-age dining experience, featuring vibrant neon signs and trinkets, and an open seating area with floor-to-ceiling views of the iconic Las Vegas Strip. Zouk previously said the entire Resorts World Las Vegas joint is valued at US$4.3 billion, and will be opening its doors summer 2021. 

Li said: “Famous Foods will transport guests to an authentic Asian hawker market - an experience that’s never been replicated in the US. After months of planning and carefully curating the perfect mix of partners, Zouk Group is thrilled to be able to unveil this special culinary concept to the city of Las Vegas, and equally as excited to bring it to the Strip’s most anticipated new resort.”

Zouk's venture into US also comes months after the entity was sold by cruise operator Genting Hong Kong to Malaysian firm Tulipa for SG$14 million, according to a filing on Hong Kong Exchange. This was part of Genting Hong Kong's efforts to minimise expenses and conserve cash to lower its cash burn rate due to the COVID-19 situation. Tulipa is owned by Lim Keong Hui, who is the son of Genting Group chairman Lim Kok Thay. The scion resigned from his role as executive director and deputy CEO of Genting Hong Kong on 28 August, another HKEX filing said.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Content 360 Week is back from 6 to 8 April this year! Super charge your content production, distribution and monetisation strategies by learning from brands such as NBA Asia, P&G, Malaysia Airlines, and Marriott International, among others. Sign up today!

Related Articles:
Zouk to set sights on Las Vegas with US$4.3bn entertainment resort
Cruise operator Genting HK offloads Zouk Group for SG$14m to Malaysian firm
Zouk drops its own branded bottle cocktail line to drive eCommerce biz
STB and Zouk spice up virtual party collabs with interactive AR filters