Sands Cotai Central is a casino resort on the Cotai Strip, Macau, China. On 5 August 2011, Sands China announced that the $4 billion property long referred to as parcels five and six is now officially named Sands Cotai Central. It opened on 11 April 2012.
History
Background
On 24 March 2011, Las Vegas Sands announced it had terminated a hotel-management agreement with Shangri-La International Hotel Management for its new casino resort development being built on plots 5 and 6 in Cotai. Las Vegas Sands was allegedly in talks with InterContinental Hotels Group PLC to manage the two hotel towers at its USD 4.1 billion expansion project. Sands China also decided to manage the hotel tower on site 5 that was supposed to be operated by Shangri-La. Sands China signed a franchise deal with Hilton Worldwide and InterContinental Hotels to brand over 1,800 rooms at Cotai site 5 and 6. The resort would officially be named Sands Cotai Central, the company announced on 5 August 2011. The site would include more than of meeting space, 11 food and beverage establishments and of gaming area but also of non-gaming facilities.
Construction
Architecture firm Aedas were the lead architect for all Las Vegas Sands projects on the Cotai Strip and were responsible for employing all local consultants and for developing, coordinating and implementing the design. Construction of the project was slowed and complicated at least in part by government restrictions on the amount of foreign workers companies in the labor-starved territory can hire. According to the main contractor: "Work started in 2006 but the project went through a period of suspension due to the global economic crisis. During this period, work on the project came to a complete stop and it was therefore quite a challenge to restart the project. Staff had to be recruited and contractors engaged. Over 130 contractors were involved in the project. The imported labour quota restrictions have also been challenging." The number of gaming tables at the resort was a thorny issue as well since the local government imposed a cap on tables until 2013. The company said in early August 2011 that Sands Cotai Central would have up to 530 tables versus the 670 it was planning previously.
Opening (2012-2015)
It opened on 11 April 2012. The opening ceremony was announced as "Asia's Biggest Launch Party in 2012". It was marked by the feat of the high wire walker Jade Kindar-Martin and his wife Karine Mauffrey, the duo attempting to traverse the 525 meter distance between the top of the Venetian and the new Conrad Hotel, whilst balancing 150 metersabove the groundon a wire less than one inch thick. The spectacle was accompanied by the China National Symphony Orchestra. The second phase opened on September 20, 2012. The third phase was opened on 17 December 2015. In 2017, Las Vegas Sands announced plans to renovate Sands Cotai Central with a London theme and rebrand it as The Londoner Macao, due to disappointing results at the property. The conversion was expected to be completed by 2020.
Features
Development
The lead consultant for the project was architecture firm Aedas, who were responsible for employing all local consultants and for developing, coordinating and implementing the design. Main contractor for construction was Hsin Chong Construction Group Limited. The first phase of Sands Cotai Central opened on April 11, 2012, featuring the Holiday Inn hotel with more than 1,200 rooms, and the Conrad hotel with more than 600 rooms. Eventually, the complex will offer close to 6,000 rooms across the Conrad, Sheraton and Holiday Inn brands.
Hotels
Cotai Central has combination of 6,000 rooms and suites from the Conrad, Sheraton, St. Regis and Holiday Inn brands. It will also have meeting and convention space, and retail outlets, entertainment and dining options. There are two casinos, the Pacifica casino and Himalaya casino. Hilton Worldwide's five-star Conrad Macao Cotai Strip, opened in the first quarter of 2012 and will have more than 600 rooms and suites. The four-star Holiday Inn Macao, Cotal Central by IHG is also opened late first quarter 2012. It will features more than 1,200 rooms and suites. When built, the Holiday Inn Macau Cotai Strip was the world’s largest Holiday Inn. The five star Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel, Cotai Central, had nearly 1,800 of Starwood's Sheraton-branded hotel rooms opening for the Sky Tower in the third quarter of 2012, and another 2,000 rooms of Earth Tower in early 2013, the casino operator said in July 2011. The 3,863-room of the Sheraton Hotel is both the largest hotel in Macau and in the over 1,000-strong portfolio of hotels and resorts globally operated by the company. Recreational facilities include a Spa, three pools surrounded by 12,000 square metres of deck space, as well as fitness and kid’s entertainment programmes. The signature Xin restaurant, a seafood hotpot restaurant, will launch in April 2012. The St. Regis Macao, Cotai Central and branded residences opened on December 17, 2015. It is the fourth tower of the Sands Cotai Central.
MICE and non-gaming facilities
The site includes more than of meeting space, 11 food and beverage establishments and of gaming area but also of non-gaming facilities. The resort will provide thousands of new non-gaming jobs, grow non-gaming revenues and expand a variety of non-gaming business segments, specifically the Meetings, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition industry, Sheldon Adelson stated.
