Lexus’ partners with Marriott Bonvoy on a two-year culinary programme across Southeast Asia
Lexus was everywhere but there wasn’t a car in sight. Well, at least not after we were chauffeured to and from Michelin Selected restaurant Akira Back. At the recent dinner hosted by the carmaker called Refine Dining—a first-of-its-kind culinary collaboration with Marriott Bonvoy—exquisite Japanese-inspired courses, impeccable wine pairings, and a wide berth of conversations spanning vacations, life, and, of course, cars, flowed easily.
That deliberate absence of the automobile at the dinner is precisely the point. Lexus has spent years arguing that it is something more than a carmaker—that its real currency is a philosophy of living, grounded in the Japanese concept of omotenashi: an attentiveness to the guest that anticipates needs before they are spoken.
Refine Dining again articulates that vision. A two-year programme rolling across eight Southeast Asian markets, it begins in Singapore before moving through Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Brunei.
Lexus has been building its lifestyle credentials steadily for over a decade. Initiatives such as Intersect by Lexus—a network of luxury cultural spaces conceived as a place for creative minds to gather, combining dining, design, and architecture under one roof—established the template. More recently, Lexus Europe took the omotenashi philosophy onto the streets, building a high-end restaurant kitchen into a six-metre, two-tonne food truck and touring it across the continent with celebrated chefs in tow.
Refine Dining is the Southeast Asian chapter of that larger story. The Singapore debut opened at Akira Back in JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach, where chef Akira Back’s reinterpretation of Japanese cuisine through contemporary technique proved an apt canvas for what Lexus was trying to articulate. The menu was precision-minded: each course conceived not merely to taste of something, but to mean something. The involvement of Hans Tan Studio, the Singaporean design practice commissioned to create a bespoke utensil for the experience, elevated the experience.
Those attending future dinners across the region will gain access to preferential packages at Marriott Bonvoy properties—stays, spa access, dining privileges—so that the spirit of the evening extends well beyond the event. With its sustained, multi-market commitment, Refine Dining arrives as one of Lexus’ most structurally ambitious lifestyle efforts. The first chapter, at least, gives good reason to follow where it goes next.
