Relais & Châteaux Welcomes First Macau Member Hotel

Relais & Châteaux, an exclusive collection of some of the world’s finest luxury small hotels and gourmet restaurants, has welcomed the historic Pousada de São Tiago as its first member in Macau.

Established in France in 1954, with nearly 500 members in 56 countries today, Relais & Châteaux is now expanding into Asia.

The Pousada de São Tiago, its first member in 'Asia's Las Vegas', is a luxurious and romantic Portuguese little inn. The local landmark was originally a fortress, built by the Portuguese in the early 17th century to defend Macau.

It is named after a chapel in the historic fort dedicated to São Tiago – Saint James – the patron saint of the Portuguese army. The chapel has been preserved for picturesque weddings and blessing ceremonies.

Renovated in 2007, with all the comfort and elegance of a modern boutique 5-star hotel, the Pousada de São Tiago is also renowned for its signature Spanish restaurant, La Paloma.

Overlooking Macau's Inner Harbour along the scenic, tree-lined Praia Grande Bay, the hotel is a 5-minute walk from the historic A-Ma Temple and Maritime Museum, 10-minutes by car from the Macau International Ferry Terminal link to Hong Kong, and 20 minutes from Macau International Airport.

Jaume Tàpies, President of Relais & Châteaux, said, "South-East Asia and China are priority destinations in our international development strategy to create a truly global portfolio of small independent establishments which embody the personalised service and fine dining values of Relais & Châteaux."

Relais & Châteaux is actively seeking to expand into other important Asian markets such as Hong Kong, admitting applicants “upholding the spirit and soul” of its mission to deliver outstanding guest experiences.

Member properties are selected through a rigorous, demanding procedure involving one or more anonymous inspection visits, and one or more interviews with property owners and general managers.

Only about 10% of candidate properties are accepted every year. New members pay an admission fee, with average annual membership fees of € 14,000 – less than 1% of their annual sales revenues.

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