Though its opening has been delayed to the end of January, due to repairs needed after Typhoon Hato, the MGM Cotai is nonetheless set to be Cotai’s next big thing. This will come in the form of a building design resembling stacked jewellery boxes – all adding to the glow of lights in an emerging precinct behind Cotai Strip that will no longer remain dormant.
In a statement to the New York Stock Exchange, MGM said it had to revise schedules in order to complete repair work and comply with the government inspections required to obtain licences to open. However, a January opening will still allow MGM Cotai to take advantage of the Lunar New Year holiday from February 16.
MGM Cotai – guarded by an 11-metre-high, 38-tonne golden lion – looks out to the Grand Hyatt and the SkyCabs that take guests into Wynn Palace.
The MGM lion is gilded in 24-carat gold with around 32,000 sheets of gold paper used in its finishing. It can already be seen along with an LED screen that wraps around a corner of the new property and which is undergoing tests in time for what MGM plans to be an opening by the end of year.
With an eye-catching jewellery box design, the MGM Cotai will offer 2,870 sqm of meeting space and also makes a statement in terms of size. There will be 1,400 extra rooms brought onto the market, with MGM Cotai at nearly 1,400-guest rooms compared with 582 at its sister property on Macau peninsula
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There will be a pillar-free grand ballroom designed for up to 1,000 people with the boardroom for smaller meetings. The Vista offers more potential with an alfresco terrace connected to an indoor event space with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Another big draw is set to be the MGM Theatre with seating that can be configured in 10 different formations at the press of a button – the first “dynamic venue” of its type in Asia, says MGM. The venue can seat 2,000 and has 180 degrees of 4K LED screens to showcase a brand or highlight corporate logos.
CELEBRITY CHEFS
There will be nine dining options across eateries at MGM Cotai, including signature restaurants from four leading internationally known chefs: Mauro Colagreco, Mitsuharu Tsumura, Graham Elliot and Janice Wong.
Mauro Colagreco – Grill 58 will be no ordinary steakhouse, but instead give a French-Argentinean flavour to the best from the prairies.
Mitsuharu Tsumara – The Peruvian-Japanese chef brings the first Nikkei cuisine restaurant to Macau in the form of Aji, the Peruvian word for chill. His dishes are inspired by a cuisine that dates back more than 100 years when Japanese settled in Peru and made use of the abundant seafood they found.
Graham Elliot – The Michelin-starred chef who judges on America’s Top Chef,
will open Coast, which will be inspired by the American west coast and Californian flavours. Coast features a chef’s table next to the kitchen that can be used
by groups.
Janice Wong – The celebrated pastry chef is an MGM favourite. Her outlet in Cotai will feature a 7.3-metre-high fountain of dark, milk and white chocolates.
FASHION WEEK OPENS WITH VENETIAN GALA
Sands Resort Macao is launching its first fashion week in October with events that include an exclusive gala dinner with catwalk show in the main lobby (above) of the Venetian.
Celebrities and members of the “fashion elite” from across Asia will join the invitation-only gala on October 19, which will be followed by events open to the public.
The week continues with the Walk on Water shows set on the Venetian Macao’s Grand Canal, while the Parisian Macao’s Avenue des Champs Elysees will also feature live runway shows.
Boutique exhibitions will also take place at Shoppes at Four Seasons from October 20 to 24 highlighting the brands available around Sands Cotai.
MORPHESISING COTAI
Morpheus (right) at the City of Dreams is set to open in 2018, followed by Grand Palace Lisboa, which will feature three hotels on the one resort.
Though still undergoing installations, Morpheus at the City of Dreams is already competing as the most intriguing building around Cotai with its skeletal tower designed by the late Zaha Hadid.
The Roosevelt opened at the end of July, overlooking Macau racecourse. Conference rooms at the lifestyle hotel modelled on 1950s Hollywood are reported to include a wine fridge.
Event visitors to Macau are gradually seeing hotel operations return to normal. These include the Wynn Palace SkyCabs that bring guests into the hotel where the Grand Theatre and Meeting Rooms are within easy strolling distance for groups.
