by Emanuel Graça and Paulo A. Azevedo
Lucky Number Three W
In a Macau Business exclusive, senior executives from Sands China Ltd talk about opening Cotai Central – a casino resort built for the mass-market tourist trade
hile half of Macau’s gaming operators are waiting to make their move onto the Cotai Strip, Sands China Ltd has opened its third property there. The first phase of
Sands Cotai Central, which opened April 11, follows the Venetian Macao and the Plaza Macao, which includes The Four Seasons Hotel and shopping mall. Cotai Central’s first phase features more than 600
five-star rooms and suites under the Conrad hotel brand and another 1,200 four-star rooms from Holiday Inn. Each of these brands has built their biggest hotels in the world here.
The opening adds another 28 shops, a 10,000-square-metre Himalayan-themed casino, VIP gaming areas, meeting space and food and beverage options to Cotai. About 6,200 people were hired to work on the property. Sands China president and chief executive Edward Tracy says the new property underlines the company’s commitment to mass- market hospitality and gaming – a segment in which it is a clear leader.
26 MAY 2012 “We will continue to focus on the mass market and
our products are built to do that,” Mr Tracy said in an exclusive Macau Business group interview with the top company officials involved in the launch of Cotai Central. “We obviously build for the VIP as well, but those typically are hotels within hotels, operations within operations.”
Complete suite
Mr Tracy says the mass market includes a lot of offerings, which patrons in Macau can find at Sands China properties. “It is not just hotel rooms. It is also entertainment offerings. It is retail and it is the MICE business.” When fully operational next year, Cotai Central will be the biggest casino resort in Sands China’s portfolio. By then, the property will boast 5,800 hotel rooms, with the addition of nearly 4,000 rooms and suites under the Sheraton brand, half of which will open in September and the remainder next February. This will be the biggest Sheraton in the world. Cotai Central will also include two casinos, almost
100 shops, more than 20 eateries and 20,000 square metres of meeting and convention space. It will contain a multipurpose theatre, currently under construction and for which the company has yet to unveil details – namely if it is going to host a resident show. Cotai Central may yet include a fourth hotel and
mixed-use tower to be managed by Starwood under its St. Regis brand, according to Sands China’s documents. It is expected to cost US$450 million (MOP3.6 billion) to build, but will only be developed “as demand and market conditions warrant it”. Mr Tracy says with Cotai Central the company has
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