Spotlight

Meet Vegas' big brother: Macau

There are only so many superlatives one can use to describe what is now the largest casino in the world. By Suman Tarafdar

Part of a mega hotel-convention-entertainment centre, this casino is built to host about 6,000 slot machines in 5,46,000 sq ft. Its target is new Asian, young, rich and within five kilometres of Macau. In fact, with about half the world's population, about three billion people living in that five-kilometre flying radius of Asia's Sin City, it is no surprise that Macau left Vegas behind in where it matters most - the bottom line - raking in an estimated US$ 6.8 billion.

And the Venetian Macau is set to rule here in the coming few decades. Built on land reclaimed from the sea, today this is a giant anchor hotel of the 10.5 mn sq ft Cotai Strip. The strip, whose name is derived from two of Macau's lesser-known islands - Colanne and Taipa, is witness to 14 world class hotels coming up at top speed. With a combined room capacity of 20,000 and an estimated expenditure of US$ 25-50 billion by 2010, it is a whole new city coming up at great speed.

The Venetian has cost about US$ 12 billion already, with some work left, but the rest of the Strip will have three mn sq ft of retail, three mn sq ft of meeting and convention facilities as well as a 1,800-seat entertainment complex. Sheldon G Adelson, chairman of the board and CEO, Las Vegas Sands, the holding company of the Venetian, says he looks forward to the Strip changing the face of the gaming industry in Macau, changing its image of a rather seedy gambling den to a modern, legal global centre for gaming. "We wanted to build space for 60,000 rooms, but got permission for just a third of that capacity," he says.

This, for a place that has a total area of about 27 sq km and a population of half a million people. And the number of visitors to Macau last year - 26 million. It is hoping that at least 10 million travellers from India (with its 1.3 billion people) will visit its shore by 2010. (The tourism ministry's figures for 2006 are 4.43 million!) The Venetian has 16,000 people working in the property, 9,000 as hotel staff and the rest working for the 30 fine dining restaurants, 350 speciality shops - with every luxury brand one can think of, a 1,000-seat food court, a 15,000-seat stadium (which on October 18 hosted a dream match - Roger Federer v/s Pete Sampras) inside the hotel. The MICE part will see the world's largest convention and exhibition centre.

The numbers say it all. The hotel has 3,000 suites, each with a minimum area of 650 sq ft - each with a 130 sq ft bathroom and a sunken living room overlooking the surrounding bays. And most rooms are already booked till November, informs a hotel staff. But it is the facade that elicits the biggest gasps. It is built to recreate Venice complete with St Marks Square, the Doge's Palace, a 157-feet Rialto bridge, huge colonnades, massive halls, ceiling copied from famous Italian landmarks.

There are three 490-feet canals that water the equivalent of 11 Olympic-size swimming pools, with 51 gondolas on which travellers can even get married, as couples from South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand have done, after winning nationwide contests to get married on the opening day.

The shopping is in this ambitiously-named Grand Canal Shoppes area, and though not all stores have opened yet, the visuals leave one awestruck, especially as the entire area is topped by a manmade sky, complete with clouds, which forms part of the hotel superstructure. "I chose Venice as I had my honeymoon there, and here I have combined the romance of Venice with the luxury of Vegas," says this septuagenarian who walks with a stick, but whose energy is still infectious.

If this sounds like a brochure, please excuse, for it is not everyday that one comes across the largest single building in the world, as Adelson claims. His earlier hotel at Macau, The Sands, started in 2005, recovered its investment within a year, and Adelson is the third richest American according to Forbes.

"Do you want one of these?" is his opening statement on meeting Indian journalists as he proudly shows off the Venetian. But he is unwilling to venture into India without the casinos. Convention venues do not make money, they serve to create a ripple effect where the individual who comes in for the business meeting gets attracted to the casino," is his blunt reply to queries about a similar destination resort in India. But he sees great potential in the land, and says he is ready to invest a similar amount here if rules permit. Las Vegas Sands is already building a casino-resort in Singapore, which will seek to attract Indians as well. "I want to create copies of Las Vegas around the world."

However, he claims only five per cent of the Venetian's area is earmarked for gambling, though he admits he expects two-thirds of the revenue to come from it. The comparative figure for the hotel this resort is modelled on - the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas gets about a third of its revenue from gambling. Respectability is a mantra for him at Macau, for he is unwilling to risk losing his license in the face of strict Chinese supervision. "No loan sharks will be permitted," he stresses, and trots out names of chains like Hilton, Sheraton, Four Seasons and Shangri-la as among the 'respectable' chains designed to give confidence to the prospective indecisive visitor.

Getting to Macau is far from simple. But like the Burj Dubai, it is set to become the chosen destination for millions by the time Asia's fairytale city is complete. One thing that travellers need to keep in mind - don't plan a holiday with kids, for those under 18 are not allowed in the casino.