Superunion turns Shangri-La's Golden Circle into a compass for the good life

Create a new brand strategy, tone of voice and visual identity reflecting the programme's new positioning and its role as a digital gateway to experiences across the whole group — hotels, bars and restaurants.

Superunion Hong Kong, supported by the Singapore and Shanghai studios, reinterpreted the Golden Circle marque for a digital age while subtly referencing the iconic Shangri-La 'S'. A custom pattern drew on Asian crafts — woodblock printing, porcelain, watercolour ink and rice paper; the palette kept Shangri-La's legacy and added a bold yellow evolving the gold of Golden Circle; art direction and tone of voice carried 'the good life' across app, website, membership cards, welcome packs, gifts and amenities.

The rebrand launched across the whole group following the December 2021 debut of Polaris, an invitation-only elite tier; the identity was built with creative technology to work seamlessly across digital platforms and physical touchpoints.

Shangri-La Group's award-winning rewards programme, the Golden Circle, was rebranded by WPP's Superunion as Shangri-La Circle — a name and identity reflecting its evolution into a lifestyle platform and digital gateway to experiences across the group's hotels, bars and restaurants.

The identity is built on discovery. Its dynamic icon is an artistic reinterpretation of a compass that helps members navigate the world of Shangri-La experiences, inspired by Asian calligraphy, drawing on the equity of the original Golden Circle marque and subtly referencing the iconic Shangri-La 'S'. A custom pattern inspired by Asian crafts — woodblock printing, porcelain, watercolour ink and rice paper — roots the design in the brand's Asian hospitality heritage.

The palette adds a bold yellow that evolves the gold of the Golden Circle, while photography and a warmth-matched tone of voice were designed to make members feel 'intrigued, engaged and welcomed' at every touchpoint, from app and website to membership cards, welcome packs, gifts and amenities. The work followed Superunion's creation of Polaris, the group's invitation-only elite tier launched in December 2021.

The compass concept converts a points programme into a positioning idea: membership is a journey of discovery, with the brand as curator.

Calligraphy, woodblock, porcelain and rice-paper motifs let the brand claim Asian hospitality heritage as the differentiator against global hotel loyalty schemes.

Evolving gold into a bold yellow keeps recognition while signalling that the programme now reaches beyond the hotels into a lifestyle platform.

Rebranding loyalty means re-branding a habit: keep the old mark's equity legible inside the new icon so long-time members feel promoted, not replaced.

Shangri-La Circle launched as the group's programme-wide brand in 2022, demonstrated across app, web, cards and in-room touchpoints, with Superunion CEO Benedict Gordon framing it as 'a revolution in how moments of discovery and curated experiences are designed'.