In March, Melco unveiled its Dream Entrance<\/em> art installation by contemporary artist Daniel Arsham at its flagship integrated resort, City of Dreams. This twin-headed, labyrinthine structure explores the boundaries between dreams and reality, encouraging visitors to use their imaginations as a creative tool for innovation.<\/p>\n Coinciding with the announcement of Chinese actor Jing Boran as new \u201cGlobal Brand Ambassador\u201d and ballet artist Tan Yuan Yuan as \u201cFriend of the Brand\u201d, the unveiling marks the beginning of the resort\u2019s \u201cBe A Dreamer\u201d brand chapter \u2013 and serves as a fitting metaphor for the man behind the resort itself.<\/p>\n Lawrence Ho, chairman and CEO of Melco Resorts & Entertainment, has spent two decades dreaming \u2013 and delivering. He has set his sights on transforming Melco into a pioneering leisure and entertainment group with a vision to create a new style of integrated resort. That vision has since materialised into a global portfolio of entertainment complexes spanning Macau, the Philippines, Cyprus and Sri Lanka. Now, with the launch of the \u201cBe A Dreamer\u201d campaign, Ho is articulating a new ambition: to build integrated resorts of the future, and to cement Melco as one of the world\u2019s most recognisable hospitality brands.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re an artistic company,\u201d Ho says. \u201cBut it is important that we continue growing. We want to be known within the integrated resort industry as a desirable brand internationally.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cBe A Dreamer\u201d campaign\u201d \u2013 a 360-degree initiative driven by immersive experiences, futuristic art and celebrity storytelling \u2013 launched at Melco\u2019s City of Dreams Macau. Guests from around the world were invited on what the resort describes as a \u201cjourney of dreams through a profound fusion of art, culture and imagination\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Guided by its brand promise \u201cDream Beyond\u201d, City of Dreams aims to redefine luxury travel. Ho says the campaign responds to a growing global appetite for spiritual enrichment and emotional value in tourism. \u201cThrough continued innovation and artistic expression,\u201d he says, \u201cwe aim to support the elevation of Macau\u2019s presence on the global tourism stage.\u201d<\/p>\n The shift reflects something deeper, too \u2013 a fundamental change in how people spend. \u201cThe way people are consuming and spending has changed,\u201d Ho says. \u201cNo longer do people want the luxury brand with a huge logo on it. Instead, they\u2019re into experiences. So, part of the \u2018Be A Dreamer\u2019 campaign is about how we market a lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n Melco\u2019s portfolio tells the story. The first City of Dreams opened in Macau in 2009; its Manila location followed in 2015 with a focus primarily on visitors from South Korea and South Asia. City of Dreams Mediterranean in Cyprus was conceived with the Israeli and European markets in mind, while the newest complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka \u2013 which opened last summer \u2013 targets the Indian market. Crucially, Ho notes, each of these destinations sits along China\u2019s Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure and economic development strategy aimed at deepening the nation\u2019s international connectivity.<\/p>\n \u201cChina wants its home-grown companies and brands to go global,\u201d Ho says. \u201cEvery market is different and we\u2019ve done things that are new for every market; each one has to push boundaries, but within City of Dreams\u2019 DNA. It is always a learning process for us and for our patrons as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Nowhere is Melco\u2019s appetite for boundary-pushing more visible than in its architecture and attractions. Ho singles out Morpheus at City of Dreams \u2013 designed by architect Zaha Hadid and described as the world\u2019s first free-form, exoskeleton-bound high-rise \u2013 as a defining example. He also points to House of Dancing Water, the \u201conce-in-a-lifetime\u201d aquatic spectacle featuring aerial acrobatics in a 2,000-seat, purpose-built theatre, which was reimagined for its reopening last year. The new show celebrates its first anniversary this month, and expects to reach the milestone of 1 million visitors this summer. \u201cWhen we first built it, people were saying it was insane and way too expensive \u2013 but it took time,\u201d Ho says. \u201cIt\u2019s part of something greater; we do things that offer a point of differentiation, and we want to offer exceptional experiences that people can only encounter at our resorts.\u201d<\/p>\n Medical tourism is the latest initiative. Studio City\u2019s iRad Hospital \u2013 billed as the world\u2019s first private hospital within an integrated resort \u2013 launched in October, adding another dimension to Melco\u2019s offerings.<\/p>\n Demographically, the company is changing, too. \u201cTraditionally, Macau was a market that focused on the 40-to-60-year-old demographic,\u201d Ho says. \u201cHowever, the industry evolved during Covid, and I was concerned that people were no longer going to care for live experiences. We have not seen that happen. In fact, we are seeing lots of visitors in their 30s now.\u201d<\/p>\n The shift aligns with Macau\u2019s broader \u201c1+4\u201d development strategy, which seeks to reduce the territory\u2019s reliance on gaming revenue by diversifying its economy. Ho sees City of Dreams as both a beneficiary and driver of that transformation. \u201cMacau has transformed itself from a sleepy fishing town into the integrated resort capital of the world,\u201d he says. \u201cBut consumer preferences are changing and they\u2019re looking for more experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n For Melco, the dream is very much still in strategic progress. In the second half of this year, City of Dreams Macau will unveil REM \u2013 a so-called unique luxury hotel that Ho says will be \u201cunlike anything else in Greater China\u201d.<\/p>\n In the longer term, Ho hopes the \u201cBe A Dreamer\u201d campaign will be remembered as the moment Melco unified its global resorts under a single, powerful vision.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people think of dreams,\u201d Ho says, \u201cI hope they will think of being the dreamer \u2013 and then they will think about how we create innovative, fun and exciting lifestyle experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Contemporary](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/04\/30\/2af5e5c4-9d45-4b5f-8d91-5f48c1cb7e5d_09d7f23c.jpg\" "\\"Contemporary")
<\/div>![\"Melco](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/04\/30\/7918c271-d411-4df7-a81e-c82e46f25e48_8eecf307.jpg\" "\\"Melco")
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<\/div>![\"City](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/04\/30\/91f5aaca-c709-4620-a5f0-6d92ee9b6d9b_0a7937f3.jpg\" "\\"City")
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