A new star is born in the ever-growing constellation of Galaxy Macau.
Capella, the small-but-undeniably-mighty curator of ultra-luxe properties driven by meticulous craftsmanship, meaningful culture, and no-ask-is-too-big-or-small service, has arrived in Macau. With the curtains now definitively drawn back on Capella at Galaxy Macau, the brand adds to its small but exclusive portfolio of hotels in Asia-Pacific, speaking to travellers with discriminating taste.
Between Capella and Galaxy Macau, the theme of celestial bodies runs strong but the thread of sophistication runs deeper. On the exterior, the edifice treads in the brand-appropriate footsteps of the expansive Galaxy Macau complex, all gilded and grand as a beacon of gold, shimmering on the Cotai Strip. On the inside, however, it’s Capella through and through. In a city of the bigger the better, Capella bucks the trend and intentionally turns in the opposing direction with a low key count, remaining true to its philosophy of discernment and discretion. With just 95 Capella Penthouses and Suites, the hotel positions its accommodations as residences that leave guests wanting for nothing.
An assembly of the best and brightest in the design world descended upon this Capella project, spearheaded by Paris-based studio Moinard Bétaille. Bruno Moinard and Claire Bétaille were tasked with creating an urban retreat akin to a “gilded jungle” while retaining threads to Macau. Between Capella and Galaxy Macau, on the surface, there is a chasm of difference. Capella is soulful, muted, and delicate where Galaxy Macau is ornamented, extravagant, and intense. Finding the balance between the two expressions, Moinard affirms, is an exercise of sensitivity. “Luxury like this must not be ostentatious, but it must be present all the time—almost invisible, but present.”
Moinard came to Macau for the first time in 1985—“a different Macau,” he recollects. But the city’s flora and its past left an impression on him, and that ended up being the answer to the pressing question of how to harmonise Capella’s restrained identity with Galaxy’s dazzling presence. His solution: Use colour, patterns, and texture as the bridge between universes. Infuse the design with specific ingredients that relate to the location, like the colour of the sky, the weather, the landscape. Rather than a pastiche of nature, the result is a metaphor. In the corridors, gentle curves and undulating forms mirror meandering waterways; lines emulate dappled sunlight filtering through palm trees. On the ground floor, the theatrical “tree of life” installation and time-responsive digital artwork transmit the concept of arrival in a place of nature. Macau’s locality, surrounded by water, is reflected in the lobby. In the rooms, Lala Curio’s Laura Cheung’s hand-finished wallpaper builds atmosphere. “A project is a bit like a film script, and I’m a bit of a film director. It’s a story, it’s a journey. In the spirit of the hotel, all of this must be coherent,” Moinard explains. “For me, we enter symbolically into a calm universe. We leave the city and we enter into the jungle.”
Capella Culturists—ambassadors of the brand—receive guests in the Capella Living Room, a cocoon-like social salon in which daily activities like tea ceremonies and baijiu tastings are held. Guests are then shown to their Capella Penthouses, with two or four bedrooms, or their Capella Suites, with one or two bedrooms. One of the most astounding features offered at Capella at Galaxy Macau is that all rooms—yes, all—come with either a private outdoor infinity pool or an indoor plunge pool, with the Penthouses benefitting from additional indoor-outdoor living configurations. Moinard Bétaille’s design is expressed through the rich artisanship of such details as the horsehair-panelled doors, diamond-stitched leather upholstery, and Amazonite marble finishes. Penthouses additionally include a winter garden, wellness room, games room, media and entertainment room, and even a dedicated space for children. Private butler service is available around the clock.
It’s the small, considered things that reinforce the feeling that Capella at Galaxy Macau is a cut above the rest: chilled face masks in the minibar; non-intrusive technology like wireless charging docks integrated into bedside tables as well as surfaces in the living room; a comprehensive pillow menu, presented at the foot of the bed not only as descriptive words on a page, but with miniature examples in a custom box for guests to test and feel rather than guess; and even a scent machine in the private fitness area of the Four-Bedroom Capella Penthouse, allowing guests to customise the room with their preferred fragrance from a choice of eight to personalise their workout environment.
Dining and drinking at Capella at Galaxy Macau is split between all-day international restaurant Botanica, whisky bar Pony & Plume, and the soon-to-come, still-under-wraps concept from Vicky Cheng of the much-lauded Wing and one-Michelin-star Vea. Stephen Hsu’s Botanica melds tropical-greenhouse-chic aesthetics with comfort classics from around the world, stepping between flavours and techniques from East to West with ease. Beneath a canopy of hanging vines, jungle-inspired patterns, and pillow-like, lily-pad-shaped ornaments, such dishes as blue lobster and sea urchin dumpling with tarragon and M9 Wagyu striploin in green peppercorn sauce are served.
Connoisseurs of fine spirits will find their taste buds tickled at Pony & Plume. Home to more than 650 whiskies, the Moinard Bétaille-designed bar places its magnificent collection as the impossible-to-ignore centrepiece of first impressions. Organised according to profile, the limited-edition casks and bottles—presented in a cascading formation from the ceiling downwards—bring dramatic flair to the measured movements of the expert mixologists, illuminated sentinels standing witness to the preparation of smoke-infused cocktails with the signature “plume” that lends the bar its name. Further into the venue—past a custom cabinet of even rarer vintages—the experience morphs into a languid divan experience, framed by equestrian influences and silhouettes, soaring ceilings with exposed timber that recall stable architecture, and soulful Latin American melodies.
Capella at Galaxy Macau might feel like an antithesis to the unrestrained ostentation that is oft associated with Macau, but perhaps this heightened expression of a more composed and scarce form of luxury is precisely what the entertainment capital needs now in this new age of hospitality.
All images courtesy of Capella at Galaxy Macau.
