Hong Kong singer Miriam Yeung performed, while famed artist Jing Boran and renowned ballet artist Tan Yuan Yuan joined Lawrence Ho, chairman and chief executive officer of Melco Resorts & Entertainment, for a toast as REM made its public debut with a high-energy opening ceremony.
Jing and Tan, who serve as City of Dreams global brand ambassador and friend of the brand, respectively, last week anchored the event on stage alongside Ho and Evan Winkler, president and board member of Melco Resorts & Entertainment, and Tim Kelly, president of City of Dreams Macao, in front of a global cohort of guests including Mile Phakphum, Mikah, Suzi de Givenchy, and Zhu Zhu.
For Kelly, who has been the steering wheel of City of Dreams Macao since 2024, REM’s positioning to “Shake You Awake” means more than a striking design.
The hotel is meant to offer enjoyment and stimulation, and to expand “the mind, the creativity, the thinking and the belief.” It also aims to give guests a sense of space and privacy in a city often called the Las Vegas of the East.
REM makes that contrast clear from the entrance. Its lobby is intimate and dimly lit, with a mood that shifts from the brighter public spaces outside.
Kelly said the change is intentional: “It’s a very intimate lobby. It’s a very simple space to navigate and manage,” adding that the hotel’s layout is designed to feel intuitive, allowing guests to move around without feeling overstimulated.
The name draws on rapid eye movement, the stage of sleep associated with vivid dreams. But the concept is not about encouraging guests to sleep. It is about energy, imagination and discovery — creating an immediate “visual and sensory shift” in a space that feels like a dream.
That idea carries through the hotel’s color, lighting, art and room design. REM’s interiors sit within City of Dreams’ futuristic art environment while bringing a more vivid, fashion-led energy to the resort. Kelly described the hotel as “a bit more couture, chic,” designed for “a more sophisticated, well-traveled consumer” who appreciates fashion, fun, and energy alongside premium quality.
The hotel is predominantly suite-led. Connecting rooms can accommodate larger parties, while the suites combine premium finishes with playful details designed to elevate everyday hotel functions. Kelly highlighted rotating beds, digital art in the lobby and guest rooms, infrared saunas and elaborate shower experiences.
Other details reward a closer look. Reversible leopard-print robes, geometric carpets and fashion-influenced accessories bring a 1960s-inspired note to the rooms. Some lounge chairs feature swings or metal fringe. Instead of a conventional minibar, the rooms have what Kelly calls a “maxi bar,” which opens at the press of a button in an intricately designed eye shape.
“What we tried to do with every touchpoint in the room was we tried to make it purposeful,” Kelly said. The team wanted to avoid features guests would “traditionally find in a hotel setting” and create moments of “surprise and delight.”
That layered approach continues in the public spaces. The lobby features Infinity 60, an installation using polished stainless steel and integrated LED lighting, alongside a sculptural work by artist Seong Joon Kim, and an immersive Digital Ceiling.
REM joins Morpheus and Nüwa in City of Dreams Macao’s diverse luxury hospitality portfolio. Morpheus, designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid, is known for its free-form steel exoskeleton, while Nüwa offers an oriental aesthetic interpretation of luxury.
Kelly said REM brings a more experiential and sensory proposition. The goal, he said, is not to make the hotels interchangeable, but to give each a distinctive identity within one hospitality landscape.
City of Dreams Macao is one of the Macao integrated resorts operated by Melco Resorts & Entertainment. Across its three Macao resorts, Melco operates nine hotels, seven of them proprietary brands.
Kelly has spent his career in hospitality, particularly in integrated resorts, and has a long-standing connection to Las Vegas, Macao and Dubai. He sees the format as an opportunity to create new identities through hotels, food and beverage, wellness and entertainment.
That broader ecosystem is central to REM’s appeal to international travelers. City of Dreams Macao’s offerings include the aquatic show “House of Dancing Water,” art installations by leading contemporary artists such as Daniel Arsham, Takashi Murakami and Kaws, spas, luxury retail featuring an array of leading international brands, and Michelin-starred restaurants including Jade Dragon and Alain Ducasse.
“There is something to experience really at every caveat and avenue and portal of the journey around,” Kelly said of the resort’s art and attractions. He added that returning visitors can find something new as City of Dreams Macao continues to evolve. Together, the resort’s offerings create “a complete, fully integrated resort of great experiences,” he said.
Kelly described REM’s intended guests as a new generation of “trend-conscious connoisseurs, well-traveled tastemakers and discerning guests.” Their interest, he said, extends beyond traditional markers of luxury. They are looking for an experience with a clear point of view and details that feel individual.
That sense of individuality also informs REM’s scarcity strategy. Kelly said exclusivity was not intended as an end in itself.
With only 149 rooms, the team wanted to introduce the hotel in a measured way and ensure each interaction reflected the service culture it had planned. “For us, scarcity is not about limiting access. It is about preserving the distinctiveness of the experience,” he said.
A continued “thirst and desire” to stay at REM, while access remains relatively exclusive, would be one indicator of success, Kelly said. The hotel is still developing its identity, with more experience and additions expected.
The launch also creates a platform for fashion and retail activity.
Kelly said Melco expects to announce new brands and partnerships over the next year and a half to two years. The intention is to bring those developments together with REM and City of Dreams Macao’s retail offer, so the hotel’s fashion identity supports the wider resort.
He sees REM as a distinctive niche product that Melco would prefer to keep special, as it has with Morpheus. He did not rule out taking the concept elsewhere if the right opportunity arises, but said the priority is to create something unique for Macao and the region.
The hotel’s 30th floor, The Lair, is one ultimate expression of that ambition. Kelly called it a “one-of-one” penthouse suite, with modern technology and features designed to make the experience unforgettable.
More broadly, Kelly said new openings such as REM can help raise Macao’s profile internationally. He described the city as stable and safe, with room to grow as an international tourism destination.
Better transport connections across the Greater Bay Area, including the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and improved air links are making the city more accessible, he said.
