London in China: Sands celebrates completion of newest themed Macao resort
Las Vegas Sands Corp. solidified its presence in Macao with a Thursday celebration marking the completion of its Londoner project and the redesign of its Sands Cotai Central resort.
The event, themed “The Journey Begins,” also commemorated the start of a new 10-year gaming concession for Sands subsidiary Sands China Ltd. The company said it has “reaffirmed its commitment to Macao, its people and its economy, pledging to invest $3.7 billion (U.S.) in the city over the next decade.”
The Londoner celebration included an appearance by British soccer icon David Beckham, a Sands ambassador, and performances by Chinese piano virtuoso Lang Lang, Hong Kong singer-songwriter G.E.M., Chinese musical theater artist, vocalist and actor Ayanga and a performance by British jazz vocalist Jamie Cullum.
The completion of the $4 billion Londoner project marked the culmination of late Chairman Sheldon Adelson’s vision of the Cotai Strip as one of the world’s top leisure destinations.
Sands, the market leader in Macao, has resorts celebrating Venice, Paris and London, with the Londoner housing 6,000 rooms and suites and 1.2 million square feet of retail, entertainment, dining and meetings and convention space.
It also celebrates London with replicas of the Palace of Westminster and Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, changing of the guard re-creations inspired by ceremonies at Buckingham Palace, a porte cochere inspired by the architecture at Victoria Station, a 10-story Crystal Palace atrium and a full-scale reproduction of the famed Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain with its Anteros statue in London’s Piccadilly Circus.
The Review-Journal is owned by the Adelson family, including Dr. Miriam Adelson, majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., and Las Vegas Sands President and COO Patrick Dumont.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on Twitter.