Macau’s six new luxury hotels

If all goes to plan, by the end of 2017, Macau’s Cotai Strip will see an additional six integrated resorts offering approximately 9,180 new hotel rooms. While gambling revenue continues its year-on-year decline - VIP gaming revenue fell by 40 per cent last year following Beijing’s crackdown on government corruption - developers are now placing bets on the new resorts to help Macau recapture some of its allure.

“The hotels used to be more of a support system to the casino industry in Macau, but now, because of gaming revenue decline and fewer high-rollers visiting, the hotels and the rooms themselves have to be elevated in importance,” says Glenn McCartney, assistant professor of hospitality and gaming management at the University of Macau.

First to test the waters will be Wynn Palace, the second local offering from Wynn Resorts after the Wynn Macau, which opened in 2006. The US$4.1 billion floral-themed Wynn Palace, pegged to open August 22, will feature a 28-storey hotel with 1,700 rooms and suites in what chairman Steve Wynn describes as his company’s "single most important project" to date.

The property will be the first stop on Macau’s new light-rail system connecting the ferry landing to the Cotai Strip and will cover an area of 450,000 square metres. An aerial tram system, with air conditioned gondolas resembling smoke-breathing dragons, will carry customers across a 3.2 hectare performance lake from the light-rail station into the heart of the resort. The lake, situated at the front entrance, will be lined with restaurants, while flower gardens in various shapes and themes, such as hot-air balloons, will be spread throughout the property.

If that all sounds a little understated for Macau, then fear not, because also set to open later this year is the “seven-star” THE 13. The US$1 billion property promises a comprehensive “lifestyle experience” for the superrich. The hotel will have 200 multilevel suites, each with the elevator opening directly into it. Of the all-villa hotel’s 200 rooms, most will be Villa du Comte with a gross floor area of approximately 2,000 square feet while 31 are even larger, topping out at a monumental 30,000 square feet for the Villa de Stephen. New York architect Peter Marino, creator of flagship stores for the likes of Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, is designing the hotel with a blend of 17th-century French Renaissance and Baroque décor.

“We are reaching back to an earlier tradition of luxury that was truly exclusive, personalised and bespoke,” says Stephen Hung, joint chairman of THE 13.