It is an exciting time to be living in Southern China. As a hub of innovation and development driving change around the region, the Greater Bay Area is already starting to influence and inspire not just surrounding provinces, but Asia and the world as well. This is particularly true in the area of hospitality, with numerous awardwinning hotels, restaurants and bars to be found in the region – some of which are rated in top lists around the world. Many of these are trendsetters and as the 11 cities further integrate, the Greater Bay region will be on a level playing field with the three largest bay areas in the world – Tokyo, New York and San Francisco.

As the entertainment hub of the region, Macao is one of the cities that is leading innovation in this area, with the nearby financial hub of Hong Kong also being a hospitality leader. Both cities often give birth to unique pioneering hospitality concepts.

This year Macao, took the top spot in the Forbes Travel Guide, with more of the city’s hotels and restaurants awarded five-star status more than anywhere else, surpassing even Paris. 12 of Macao’s hotels were awarded five-star status while Paris had 10 and Hong Kong had 8. This year also saw the opening of Melco Resorts’ distinctive Morpheus hotel, designed by the late British architect Zaha Hadid.

Macao is also home to the Venetian Macao, the largest single structure hotel building in Asia, and seventh-largest building in the world by floor area. MGM COTAI also boasts a world-first, with the largest permanent indoor LED wall on the planet in their theatre. The 13 is another hot hotel that is creating buzz which is expected to be opened in 2019. As the world’s most luxurious hotel, The 13 is inspired by the Palace of Versailles and there will be 200 multilevel, all-villa suites, private elevator lobbies, 24-hour butler service, and even a fleet of bespoke, red, extended wheel base Rolls-Royce Phantoms and two bespoke gold-infused Phantoms (which were the most expensive Rolls-Royce Phantoms ever built).

Macao has also pushed the trending art of mixology. The Ritz-Carlton Bar & Lounge was recently voted as one of Asia’s 50 Best Bars. Over in neighbouring Hong Kong a few bars have appeared on the same list, with both cities also sharing spots in the Michelin Guide (there were 292 restaurants from Hong Kong and Macao in total this year.