The $2.4 billion Venetian Macao Resort Hotel opened its doors yesterday, becoming the largest single structure hotel in Asia and the second largest building in the world. Like its sister property in Las Vegas, the Venetian Macao is a Venice-themed property featuring replicas of Venice landmarks such as St. Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace, Campanile Tower, and three indoor canals with gondolas and singing gondoliers. The hotel has 3,000 all-suite guest rooms and one million square feet of retail space, which is more than any shopping mall in Hong Kong. The Venetian Macao now becomes a major destination for the region's top shoppers. The casino floor, at 550,000 square feet, is the largest in the world and is home to 870 table games and more than 3,400 slot machines.
The facility also features the 15,000-seat Venetian Arena, which in the coming weeks will play host to a pair of NBA exhibition games and a match-up of tennis greats Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. The Venetian Macao also has 1.2 million-square feet of meeting, convention and exhibition space, more than twice the amount of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The facility features the largest pillar-less ballroom in Asia and has the catering facilities to provide a five-course banquet for 15,000 guests. Early next year, the 1,800 seat Venetian Theatre will open featuring an original production from Cirque du Soleil. The Venetian Macao's opening festivities also mark the opening of Las Vegas Sands' Cotai Strip. The Cotai Strip is a collection of hotel properties, including Four Seasons, Sheraton, St. Regis, Shangri-La, Traders, Hilton, Conrad, Fairmont and Raffles. Las Vegas Sands Corp. will construct and own each of the hotels, as well as operate the casinos and entertainment venues in each hotel. When completed, the Cotai Strip properties will combine to feature 20,000 guest rooms, more than three million square feet of retail space and nearly 30,000 seats of live entertainment offerings. For more information, visit www.venetianmacao.com.
Topics From This Article to Explore
