How does a resort and casino attract more than a gambling clientele? This integrated resort seems to have cracked the code to captivate families, shoppers and even gourmands: by raising a spectacle
Ain’t nothing like the real thing, R&B singers Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell once crooned. But eager to prove them wrong in the following decades were many musicians, including Donny and Marie Osmond, Elton John and Aretha Franklin, who all put their spin on the 1968 single. Challenging that same notion — via airlines instead of airwaves — is the Sands Resorts Macao.
From a life-size 96m-high replica of Big Ben to a glass-canopied recreation of London’s Victoria Station, The Londoner Macao integrated resort reproduces London’s world-famous landmarks in stunning detail, with quaint, British-inspired public spaces, accommodation, restaurants, retail, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events and entertainment. It’s not the real thing — but it sure looks like it!
Opened in 2021, The Londoner Macao completes the Europe-themed triptych by Sands Resorts Macao, following The Venetian Macao’s 2007 debut and The Parisian Macao unveiled in 2016. Located at the heart of the Cotai Strip, The Londoner Macao began as the Sands Cotai Central in April 2012, operating for five years before Las Vegas Sands decided to spruce up the property with a London theme. Works began in 2019, and the property reopened to the public in February 2021, albeit only to domestic travellers owing to travel restrictions then.
Today, The Londoner Macao features five world-class hotel brands in one location: The Londoner Hotel, an all-suite luxury hotel with approximately 600 keys; the Londoner Court, with its 368 premium suites; the 659-room Conrad Macao; the 400-room St Regis Macao; and the Sheraton Grand Macao, which, at 4,001 rooms, is the largest Sheraton in the world.
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The experience begins with the exterior facade, modelled on the iconic Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, complete with a replica of the Big Ben clock face. Like the bell tower that inspired it, this tower welcomes guests with its accurate rendition of the classic bell chimes.
Replacing the 6.9m dials, however, is a digital clock face that comes to life on the hour with a minute-long show reflecting stunning visuals of London.
Guests will be awed when they enter the Crystal Palace, with its a grand, light-filled atrium centred by a replica of the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. The main atrium leads to the casino, adjoining mall, hotel lobbies and Churchill’s Table, the resort’s British-themed restaurant — complete with afternoon tea.
Suites at The Londoner Hotel were renovated from the former Holiday Inn Macao, Cotal Central, and halving the room inventory made for much larger accommodations — starting at 75 sq m for the Louis and Victoria Suites and 113 sq m for the Windsor Suite.
The most exclusive room category, however, is by invitation only. The Suites by David Beckham are Macao’s first celebrity-designed apartments, numbering 14. Ranging from one to three bedrooms, the 113 to 298 sq m suites are a collaboration between the Sands Resorts Macao global ambassador and London interior design firm David Collins Studio.
Another British celebrity will make his presence known at The Londoner Macao when the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill officially opens in the coming months. The celebrity chef’s 157-seater gastropub will come with an upscale bar and lounge, an array of draught beers and classic British cuisine, like his signature beef wellington, shepherd’s pie and ale-battered fish and chips.
On Level 3 of the resort is The Residence, a 154-seater dining club exclusive to The Londoner Hotel’s guests. At over 1,100 sq m, The Residence is divided into a series of rooms, each inspired by classic London houses and the homes of British celebrities. The Green Room is the club’s main dining area, themed after West End musicals.
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From here, guests can peer into Crystal Palace and watch the changing of the guard, a periodic live and light show featuring hidden LED screens, trumpeters and special effects.
Surrounding the restaurant’s live kitchen are floor-to-ceiling glass cabinets containing 442 classic British bone chinaware, while the adjoining bar is inspired by the UK’s wartime prime minister, Winston Churchill, and features a billiard room, balcony and outdoor terrace.
Before leaving Macau, bring a souvenir home from one of the 150 stores at the Shoppes at Londoner, inspired by Oxford Street. As part of Sands Shoppes Macao, the luxury mall joins Shoppes at Venetian, Parisian and Four Seasons to offer over 850 duty-free outlets — the most in any single location in Macao.
Photos: Sands Resorts Macao
