When I spoke with Marc C. Brugger, he was general manager of Rosewood Hong Kong and Rosewood Beijing, two of the most architecturally distinctive luxury properties to open in recent years. Rosewood Hong Kong was ranked the No. 1 hotel in the world by The World’s 50 Best Hotels in 2025.
Brugger speaks in The Luxury of Attention to the digital side of luxury, from a market that moved earlier and further than most. In China, he told me, reputation travels through social media, and Rosewood Beijing answered by becoming an active participant on Weibo and WeChat rather than an observer. I came to see the Chinese platforms as a laboratory for what guest engagement would look like elsewhere, with payment, conversation and loyalty living inside a single ecosystem the guest already inhabits. He also described a practical piece of infrastructure that has since become standard at the upper end: a butler service that keeps in touch with guests at every stage of the visit, with the concierge team reachable by text wherever the guest happens to be in the city. The technology removes friction. A real person remains on the other end of the message, and the return to the property is a far deeper engagement throughout the stay.
“Today, especially in China, word-of-mouth via social media is critical. At Rosewood Beijing, we are very active on social media platforms including Weibo and WeChat. The best way to adapt to social media is to become an active participant.” Marc C. Brugger, then General Manager, Rosewood Hong Kong and Rosewood Beijing
In the book, Marc C. Brugger appears in Chapter 12, The Digital Discipline, where his account of running a luxury property in a market dominated by Chinese social platforms, and his description of the concierge by text, give the chapter two of its working examples of technology placed in the service of the human relationship.
“It’s like carrying a concierge with all of his or her knowledge, resources and connections in your pocket.” Marc C. Brugger, then General Manager, Rosewood Hong Kong and Rosewood Beijing