Ceremony marks completion of Earth Tower
MACAO, Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Sands® Cotai Central, the integrated resort at the absolute centre of Cotai Strip™ Resorts, celebrated the completion of Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central's Earth Tower Monday, whose 2,067 new rooms and suites brings the hotel's total room count to 3,896, making it the largest hotel both in Macao and in the global portfolio of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT).
Sands Cotai Central's parent-company Sands China Ltd. (HKSE: 1928), a majority-held subsidiary of global integrated resort developer Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS), commemorated the event with a celebrity-hosted ceremony that included drummers, a lion dance, firecrackers and an official ribbon cutting. With the completion of Earth Tower, Sands China's Cotai Strip Resorts now provides over 9,000 hotel rooms and suites -- the single largest accommodation offering in Macao.
"With each new milestone in the development of Cotai Strip Resorts, Macao becomes one step closer to establishing itself as a world centre of tourism and leisure," said Edward Tracy, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sands China Ltd. "Inspired by the vision of our chairman, Mr. Sheldon Adelson, Sands China is proud of our contribution toward that goal. His innovative integrated resort concept provides Macao's visitors with a full spectrum of accommodation, retail, dining, entertainment and MICE offerings, which we are confident will transform Cotai into one of Asia's top destinations for business and leisure travellers. The wide range of products and services provided by our integrated resort city will be key drivers in the diversification of Macao's tourism industry."
"Sheraton Macao Hotel is a landmark property for Macao and for Starwood," said Josef Dolp, Managing Director, Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central. "Our dedicated team has worked very hard toward the completion of Earth Tower, and we all look forward to continuing to offer our guests Sheraton's genuine and exceptional experiences, as we help define Macao as one of the world's most exciting gathering places."
Hong Kong actors Louis Koo, Anita Yuen and Athena Chu officiated Monday afternoon's ceremony along with Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director, Macau Government Tourist Office; Mr. Tracy; David Sisk, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Sands China Ltd.; and Mr. Dolp. Koo, Yuen and Chu afterwards attended a ceremony to immortalise their hand prints and signatures for Sands Cotai Central's upcoming Avenue of the Stars.
The celebrations continue on Saturday, with Race with the Stars, in which a glittering cast of celebrities from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China will lead 50 lucky draw winners as they complete exciting challenges across The Venetian® Macao-Resort-Hotel, Sands Cotai Central and The Plaza™ Macao, with the winning team taking home MOP 500,000 worth of amazing prizes!
In completing Earth Tower, Sheraton Macao Hotel will also soon be introducing the addition of two more outdoor pools, one offering spectacular views of Cotai. The hotel is home to a well-equipped Sheraton Club Lounge, a main ballroom the size of more than 11 basketball courts, more than 160,000 square feet (over 14,800 square metres) of meeting space and three signature restaurants. The hotel widens Starwood's lead in Asia Pacific, where it is the largest operator of four and five star hotels and on track to reach more than 320 hotels by 2014.
Sheraton Macao Hotel's location within Sands Cotai Central means its guests also enjoy easy access to the full range of facilities and services provided by the integrated resort and its interconnected properties -- The Plaza Macao and The Venetian Macao. The Shoppes mega-mall offers shoppers a staggering 600 duty-free retailers to choose from, complete with entertainment by lively and engaging street performers. The CotaiArena™, CotaiExpo™ and the Venetian Theatre provide a constant and diverse flow of entertainment to suit all tastes, from concerts and sporting events to plays and other cultural performances. Add to that a truly international selection of dining options, and Sheraton Macao Hotel guests will find everything they're looking for is all under one roof at Sands Cotai Central.
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About Sands® Cotai Central
Opened in April 2012, Sands® Cotai Central is the centre point of Cotai Strip™ Resorts -- 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 and three health clubs, Sands Cotai Central provides a new level of luxury and accessibility to Cotai*.
For more information, please visit www.sandscotaicentral.com.
* All numbers based on completion of all phases of development in early 2013.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,134 properties in nearly 100 countries and 154,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Meridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element(SM). The Company boasts one of the industry's leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.
Media contacts:
Mabel Wu
Venetian Macau Limited
Tel: +853-8118-2268
Email: mabel.wu@venetian.com.mo
Nadeen Ayala
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Tel: +1-203-351-2542
Email: nadeen.ayala@starwoodhotels.com
