Commemorative golden coins, special gifts and a celebrity-hosted ceremony
MACAO, April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Sands® Cotai Central kicked off its birthday bash in grand style Thursday evening with a celebration at Paradise Gardens, hosted by superstar Shu Qi.
Officiating guests at the ceremony were Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macau Government Tourist Office; Edward Tracy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sands China Ltd.; David Sisk, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Sands China Ltd. and Josef Dolp, Managing Director of Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central. A towering number '1' was on display at the first-anniversary event, made up of a large array of golden balloons. The day's celebrations also included company executives, led by Mr. Tracy, celebrating with Sands Cotai Central team members at a special activity organised at the integrated resort's back-of-house area.
Sands Cotai Central's first year of operation has been marked by many successful milestones, including awards, popular exhibitions and celebrity events and appearances featuring such well known personalities as Sammo Hung, Carol "Dodo" Cheng, Athena Chu, Louis Koo and Ekin Cheng. Some highlights include Conrad Macao, Cotai Central receiving 11 awards; multiple Stars of the Cotai Strip events featuring superstar celebrities, including an exciting Race with the Stars; Zhang Ziyi shooting on location for her film My Lucky Star; and CSI: The Experience – Macau.
In less than one year, Sands Cotai Central opened its three hotel towers, starting with a grand opening extravaganza on April 11, 2012, introducing the world's largest Conrad and Holiday Inn hotels. That opening added over 1,800 hotel rooms to Macao's overall hospitality offering, in addition to meeting space, the luxurious Bodhi Spa, plus restaurants and duty-free retailers at the uniquely-designed Shoppes Cotai Central.
Only five months later in September, the first of two Sheraton hotel towers opened, adding over 1,800 rooms and suites, Shine Spa, and additional shops, dining and meeting space. Within just three days of Sheraton Macao Hotel's opening, Sands China set its all-time visitation record, with around half a million visitors that opening weekend.
January of this year saw the completion of the second Sheraton tower, bringing Sands Cotai Central's total room count to around 6,000 rooms and suites, and making Sheraton Macao Hotel the biggest property worldwide for Starwood. Less than a month later, Sands China once again set a new visitation record, with 1.7 million visitors during the first week of Chinese New Year, with its Macao inventory of 9,000 rooms at or near full capacity almost the entire week.
The success of Sands Cotai Central bodes well for Macao's development as a world centre of tourism and leisure. As Cotai Strip Resorts adds more properties, they come with the comprehensive facilities of the integrated resort model, including world-class entertainment events, like the recent ZOU SHIMING: Fists of Gold boxing spectacular. The diversification of Macao's tourism industry is making great strides as a result.
Thursday's celebration of Sands Cotai Central's first anniversary also included the handing out of limited-edition commemorative golden coins, distributed to the first 100,000 visitors boarding Sands Cotai Central shuttle buses at Macao border crossings.
In addition, visitors to Shoppes Cotai Central have a chance to redeem a first anniversary gift from now until April 14. Guests can simply present a same-day original machine-printed receipt from any retail, kiosk or food and beverage outlet at Shoppes Cotai Central of MOP 200 or above to the Customer Service Desk of Shoppes Cotai Central for a chance to pop one celebration balloon and redeem a celebration balloon gift* at the Celebration Balloon Wall on Level 3, next to Koufu food court. Gifts include 24-carat gold-plated Chinese zodiac charms and charm sets, Garrett gourmet popcorn and Moet & Chandon champagne.
About Sands® Cotai Central
Opened in April 2012, Sands® Cotai Central is the centre point of the Cotai Strip – the pathway to adventure, fun and fortune. Featuring three celebrated hotel brands – Conrad, Sheraton and Holiday Inn – Sands Cotai Central offers visitors to Cotai an expanded offering of affordable luxury available nowhere else in Macao, with approximately 6,000 hotel rooms and suites, and 1.2 million square feet (111,000 square metres) of retail, entertainment and dining facilities, and meetings and convention space. With over 90 retail outlets, Shoppes Cotai Central joins Shoppes Grand Canal and Shoppes at Four Seasons to offer a total of over 600 luxury duty-free stores to choose from – the most in any one single location in all of Macao. And with two spas, three health clubs and 300,000 square feet (28,000 square metres) of gaming space in two, uniquely-themed gaming centres, Sands Cotai Central provides a new level of luxury and accessibility to Cotai.
For more information, please visit www.sandscotaicentral.com.
Media contacts:
Public Relations, Venetian Macau Limited
Lily Cheng
Tel: +853 8118 2013
Email: lily.sw.cheng@venetian.com.mo
Lucas Chan
Tel: +853 8118 2624
Email: lucas.chan@venetian.com.mo
* Terms and conditions apply.
