on a map, never mind fathom a reason to visit. But after recently spending several days exploring the destination’s potential for group business, I discovered many reasons why planners might well consider putting it on their short list. Macau is part of China,
and just an hour’s ferry ride from Hong Kong. But it was a Portuguese colony until December 1999, and retains a strong European influence, most obvious in its architecture, cuisine, and street signs, which by law are in both Portuguese and Cantonese. American companies often find it a practical place to hold Asian regional meetings because of its convenient location and the fact that, for Chinese attendees, it’s far easier to obtain a Ma- cau visa than an American one. And American visitors to Macau — unlike those traveling to China — do not need visas. While Macau’s history is
rich, its No. 1 group attrac- tion is gaming. Sometimes called “Vegas East,” the destination is a gambling paradise for Asian high-roll- ers, who arrive prepared to spend (read: lose) $40,000 per day, according to our hosts from the Macau Gov- ernment Tourist Office. In the past five years, Sin City– inspired mega-casinos have
sprouted up along the Cotai Strip, Macau’s answer to the Vegas Strip. The mega-est of them all is the Vene- tian Macao (the “o” is the Portuguese spelling). Large enough to hold 90 Boeing 747s, the Venetian Macao boasts not one but three canals, 3,000 suites, 1.2 mil- lion square feet of conven- tion and meeting space, and — with 3,000 slots and 750 table games — the world’s largest casino. Our group stayed across
the street, at the less intimi- dating, 300-room Hard Rock Hotel Macau. The Hard Rock is part of the City of Dreams, an entertainment resort en- compassing the 300-room Crown Towers, the 800- room Grand Hyatt Macau, a 420,000-square-foot casino, and meeting space for up to 2,500, seated theater-style. Macau attracts millions
of day-trippers every year from Hong Kong and other nearby areas, but lately the destination has been work- ing to encourage tourists to lengthen their stay by beef- ing up its dining, shopping, and entertainment offerings. Chief among these (for me, at least) is the food. Our group sampled plenty of typical Macanese dishes — including egg tarts (a local sweet), Cantonese-style dim sum, and Portuguese vinho verde (wine) and codfish cakes. We also enjoyed more exotic fare from Ma- cau’s numerous Michelin- starred restaurants: Peking
SITES TO SEE: Macau’s iconic landmarks include A-Ma Temple (left), built in 1488 for the sea goddess Mazu, and the 16th-century Ruins of St. Paul (above).
duck at the Grand Imperial Court, located inside the MGM Macau (593 rooms, with 15,629 square feet of meeting space), and Australian Wagyu steak at the Kitchen, inside the 400-room Grand Lisboa Hotel Macau, whose Grand Ballroom accommodates up to 1,300 people. When attendees aren’t
meeting, eating, shop- ping, or gambling, they can experience Macau’s cultural scene with a walking tour of the Old Christian City (a UNESCO World Heri- tage site), or a visit to the 15th-century Temple of the Goddess A-Ma (a local sea goddess). Both are within walking distance of our second host hotel, the
408-room Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16. Groups can also head to the Cotai Strip to watch Zaia, a Cirque du Soleil spectacular that can only be seen at the Venetian Macao, where it is housed permanently in an 1,800- seat theater. And, for those who still
haven’t gotten their fill of the King of Pop, the Sofitel’s only-in-Macau Michael Jackson Gallery features signed platinum records, costumes from the “Thriller” video — and, of course, that rhinestone glove. n — Sara J. Welch