Londoner Macao Opening Officially launches a New Year in Macau—and a New Day!
Published February 3, 2021 by Lee R
The first tangible signs of Macau's recovery are in place with Londoner Macao opening.
For the iGaming world waiting for Macau to reopen, a major step towards recovery and resumption of full operations has taken place: re-opening of the massive Londoner Macao integrated resort.
The Opening
LVS subsidiary Sands China's $2 billion IR project has officially opened a portion of it's hotel rooms to guests as of last Friday on Macau’s Cotai Strip.
The advance opening previews the official phase-one launch in February as the new avatar of the re-branded Sands Cotai Central. More phases of opening are set throughout 2021.
Sands Latest IR
The project marks Sands China's first new project since 2016’s Parisian Macao—with the Londoner project preserving a measure of Parisian's avante-garde flair.
UK Theme
The new Londoner project includes a scale facsimile of Big Ben clocktower, complete with the red telephone boxes and changing of the guard pageantry.
The London-themed project provides the full London experience, complete with fish-and-chips, ubiquitous afternoon tea, as well as “chic boutiques of Bond Street, Mayfair, and Savile Row” and “quaint stores” of Soho and Covent Garden.
David Beckham has been brought on as a consultant, positioning him to help with future descriptions as well as development.
Flavor without Virus
Unlike London, Macau is at this point “coronavirus-free,” having repelled the pandemic successfully with no imported cases reported since July.
Addressing Macau's Hurdle
Anti-virus travel restrictions shave hut Macau off from the rest of the world, resulting in 2020 yielding the worst financial performance since 2006. As for the fortunes of the Londoner project, only mainland China visitors are allowed onto the island.
LVS CEO and acting chairman Rob Goldstein called his organisation's investment in the Londoner an assertion of Macau's future “as one of the world’s most important leisure and business destinations.”
Robust Local Economy
Experts echo Goldstein's optimism, predicting a bounce-back in Macau because China is the only major economy to have recorded growth in 2020.
Outlook
Since the economy remains robust, Macau can offer a local segment with a traveling lifestyle the opportunity to enjoy some of the most popular tastes of abroad far closer to home in a far safer environment—a legendary gambling hub which can now look forward to a steady stream of players at close range.
