Location : Macau Island
Completed : 2007
Include A 30+ storey hotel

http://img49.exs.cx/img49/4353/ext.jpg

http://img29.exs.cx/img29/4410/final23.jpg

http://img50.exs.cx/img50/4750/ext1.jpg

http://img50.exs.cx/img50/4940/ext2.jpg

As if Las Vegas developers weren’t expanding their own city’s offerings quickly enough, now one of them is preparing to build a copy of the Vegas Strip’s Venetian Resort on Macau, a Chinese island off of Hong Kong.

The 10.6-million-square-foot, 3,000-room hotel and casino is being developed by Las Vegas Sands, and like the original, will feature replicas of Venice landmarks like the Doges Palace, the Rialto Bridge, and several famed palazzos. It will be roughly three times the size of the Vegas version. HKS principal Jeff Jensen, whose firm is designing the project along with Wilson and Company, says the complex will be, “like a Venetian on steroids.”

The resort will include over 1,500 feet of retail-lined canal, which is three-times the length of the Vegas version. Its 500,000-square-feet of gaming is five times the area of the original, and the complex will also contain a 15,000-seat arena. Jensen says that his clients chose this tested theme instead of one of the modern designs that many Vegas developers are using. “We said, ‘why recreate the wheel?’”

Macau was once a Portuguese colony, and has long been the center of China’s gambling world, but until recently has been rife with crime and poverty. Developers, mostly from Las Vegas, are hoping to change that by developing the “Cotai Strip,” a line of high-end casinos. which is being master-planned by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill and EDAW (RECORD, October 2003, page 38). The market looks strong. Jensen says that when his client’s Sands casino opened on Macau, visitors literally tore its doors off.

http://archrecord.construction.com/news/images/050623macao1sm.jpg

I hate this American philosophy. I prefer to insert my money in Macau traditional Casinos!

Any construction pics or model or bigger renders?

I hate this American philosophy. I prefer to insert my money in Macau traditional Casinos!

You seem to be vehemently against U.S. casino's in Macau. I think it would make Macau a much more exciting place. Las Vegas is known around the world and having "Vegas" type casino's would make Macau even more popular.

Why not make Macau a tourist and gambling community? If you've ever been to Las Vegas you would love to see some of those places in Macau.

With all that said, I'm for any type of development in Macau. Ever since I first heard about Macau I've always wanted to visit. Hopefully I'll there on Macau's new Viva Macau Boeing 787's when they start flying. :cheers:

I agree. I'm all for Macau having huge casinos that resemble the ones in Las Vegas. It would give Macau some huge international exposure and would definately help China become the world's top tourist destination.

IMO Macau doesn't need USA Casinos "support". Anyway, the yare welcome in my opinion but I still prefer the Chinese style Casinos. I prefer to insert my money in Macau traditional Casinos!

China. Hai Wei Boats wins 51 boat Macau contract
Sunday, 21 May 2006
Boat builder news:


Hai Wei Boats of Guangzhou, China, has been awarded the contract to build 51, 26-foot gondola style passenger vessels for Macau-based Venetian Macau Ltd., a division of U.S.-based Venetian Corporation of Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Macau Company is building a Venetian-themed resort similar to the popular resort in the United States – except almost three times larger. The Gondola fleet being built by Hai Wei will be the main form of transportation within the new Macau complex. The fleet is planned for delivery early in 2007, according to Hai Wei owner Charlene Ren.

“We are very pleased to be awarded this contract. It adds to our established record of completed high-quality boatbuilding projects for our growing list of prestigious clients,” Ren said.

Ren also added that Jerry Martin’s IMDA played the major role in getting the two companies together. Several other major western-oriented projects are also pending for Hai Wei Boats.

“We are proud to be a member of IMDA, Jerry Martin’s International Marine Distribution Association. They have helped us immensely,” Ren added.

That's return on investment!

We already have mentioned a few times about the lack of quality labor and contractors in Macau. The Venetian Macau are not the only ones, Crown Macau, MGM Grand Macau, Grand Lisboa and Ponte 16 all have massive construction costs overruns. But then again we would imagine that their projected gaming income should be good enough to cover for these overruns!

An American casino giant building a new gaming district in Macau says soaring costs have put up the price of the project up by as much as 40 percent, a media report said Friday.

Sheldon Adelson, billionaire chairman of Las Vegas Sands, which is developing the so-called The Cotai Strip, says the programme could over-run to 14 billion US dollars from the original estimate of 10 billion dollars.

“The demand that we’ve created for construction cranes in this community has so far overwhelmed the capability of the community to handle it that our costs have gone up significantly, along with world prices of steel and cement,” he was quoted as saying in the South China Morning Post newspaper.

“Not to the extent that it makes it uneconomical, not by a long shot, but costs have gone up,” he reportedly added.

The Cotai Strip when completed will boast 20,000 guest rooms across some dozen hotel-casino resorts, including the 3,000-room Venetian Macau, which will be the largest hotel in the world when it opens later this year.

According to the Post report, the strip will employ at least 70,000 people, placing added strain on the tiny city’s already stretched labour market.

Macau is jostling with Las Vegas to be the world’s biggest casino draw. Its 22 casinos already pull in more money per year than the 40-odd casinos on the Vegas Strip — last year the figure was just short of seven billion dollars.

A former Portuguese enclave now governed as a largely autonomous region of China, Macau is the only city in the world’s most populous country that has legalised casinos.

The relaxation of foreign ownership rules that ended a 40-year monopoly on casino control by tycoon Stanley Ho brought a flood of investment from the United States and Hong Kong that has rejuvenated the once moribund sector.

Like Las Vegas, Macau’s casino operators want to tap the lucrative family vacation and convention market by providing all-round entertainment venues, rather than just gambling halls.

Source (http://macaudailyblog.com/macau-casino/venetian-macau-constrution-cost-blow-out/) | Channel News Asia

Venetian has bought 12 ferries from an Australian firm to set up regular passenger services between Macau and Hong Kong.

According to a press release of the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong, the firm has bought the vessels from Austal Pty Ltd.

It is expected that the service will begin from the end of 2007.

Meanwhile, Austal also won the bid to build two more ferries for New World First Ferry, which currently provides alternative passenger ferry services between Macau and Hong Kong, aside from Turbojet.

source (http://macau.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2007/3/13/2800764.html)

Venetian has bought 12 ferries from an Australian firm to set up regular passenger services between Macau and Hong Kong.

According to a press release of the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong, the firm has bought the vessels from Austal Pty Ltd.

It is expected that the service will begin from the end of 2007.

Meanwhile, Austal also won the bid to build two more ferries for New World First Ferry, which currently provides alternative passenger ferry services between Macau and Hong Kong, aside from Turbojet.

source (http://macau.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2007/3/13/2800764.html)

hopefully the new ferries can cut the time travelling between hk and macau

There was once a proposal to have Macau ferries leaving from Tuen Mun, western New Territitories. This would cut the time by 40% and should be cheaper.
However, I think the govt turned it down. I'd love it as I'm near there. Plus the existing ferries plus ferries are a bit of a rip-off (you can fly to Thailand for this money !!)

Did the HK government turn it down, or the Macau government? It makes sense if it is the HK government because more people from the immigration and facilities are needed. The Macau government would love to go for it, I guess.

come on man, a2zMacau forgot to mention tax was not included last time. We were somehow tricked by him. Maybe he is working for the airline company.:)

Think HK turned it down, maybe just a dept. Possibly something like currently not suitable or whatever... however, I'm not absolutely sure. Maybe Mr Adelson will upgrade it or build one instead !

Not surprised about the tax tho. Seen some promotions for $1 etc...

The Cotai Strip when completed will boast 20,000 guest rooms across some dozen hotel-casino resorts, including the 3,000-room Venetian Macau, which will be the largest hotel in the world when it opens later this year.



Source (http://macaudailyblog.com/macau-casino/venetian-macau-constrution-cost-blow-out/) | Channel News Asia

Is that actually true? The Venetian Macau will be the world's largest hotel? What happened to MGM Grand, Las Vegas?

Just read about the Stardust resort being demolished by explosives. I think I read it will be replaced by a 4000 room hotel.
Believe The Venetian won't be wrong. It should be the largest when it is completed, the question is when will it be overtaken.

Think HK turned it down, maybe just a dept. Possibly something like currently not suitable or whatever... however, I'm not absolutely sure. Maybe Mr Adelson will upgrade it or build one instead !

Not surprised about the tax tho. Seen some promotions for $1 etc...

Its Macau turned it down without any explanation

without explanation!? That's absurd. They were that lazy to even not make up a story, give me a break.:bash:

It was in a news few months ago, but the proposal was postponted at the end. Some people in Macau actually against the plan.

I posted this way back last November 2006 => http://macaudailyblog.com/tourism/tuen-mun-ferries-to-macau-still-no-go/ seems that Stanley Ho's Shun Tak is blocking it!

i found some fotos in internet~~~~

http://i15.tinypic.com/491qbtl.jpg

http://i19.tinypic.com/47988pl.jpg

http://i10.tinypic.com/33ug7ie.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/2m81lir.jpg

http://i17.tinypic.com/2n8bupv.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/2mzle12.jpg

http://i11.tinypic.com/2nqtzqs.jpg

http://i18.tinypic.com/2zfu3h2.jpg

http://i19.tinypic.com/49gi5u0.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/49bq6fn.jpg

http://i17.tinypic.com/2v80ms2.jpg

http://i15.tinypic.com/2qm42a8.jpg

Enjoy!

It looks very similar to the one in Vegas. Wonder how did you get inside?:)

I just found these pics in somebody's blog.....

does anyone got the list of tenants for Venetian shopping strip?

Venetian Macau may be the largest hotel in terms of size, (sq footage), but not by number of rooms. MGM currently has over 5000 rooms, and Venetian Macau will have about 3000. The 20,000 rooms is all the rooms Las Vegas Sands is building on the Cotai Strip, and that will be spread over several different hotels.

BTW...Those are some excellent photos!

Yeah, this is just like the Venetian in vegas, only bigger :)
I think this is the first time that a Chinese "copy" is actually better than the original. :lol:


(note: I know this is not really a Chinese "Copy", I am just trying to be funny.)

HA HA.....
The company of construction is from China and Macau....
I think this construction is a good chance to level up the technique of them!!

HONG KONG (AP) - Former world No. 1 Pete Sampras will take on top-ranked Roger Federer for three exhibition matches throughout Asia in November.


Fourteen-time Grand Slam winner Sampras, who retired in 2002, will play Federer in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 22, at the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau on Nov. 24 and at a third location to be determined on Nov. 20, organizers said Wednesday.
Nick Freyer, senior vice president of sports management company IMG Tennis Asia, said in a statement that the tour originated from hitting sessions between the two players.
Sampras and Federer practiced together earlier this year in March at Sampras' home in Los Angeles as part of Federer's preparations for the Indian Wells tournament.
"Obviously he's a great player, but I felt like I didn't embarrass myself out there. I feel like I can hold my own," Sampras was quoted as saying in the statement.
Sampras, 35, said his strategy for beating Federer, who is 10 years his junior, was to stay aggressive.
"Roger's game doesn't have many cracks ... It's one of those sorts of matchups where either I just need to overwhelm him with some power and try to come in and hopefully serve well," he said.
The two players, considered among the best to have ever played the game, will play best of three tiebreak sets in Macau and Kuala Lumpur. The format for the third stop wasn't immediately clear.
The match in Kuala Lumpur has been billed as part of Malaysia's 50th anniversary of independence celebrations.
"I am so excited to play Pete and I am really looking forward to visiting Malaysia for the first time," said Federer. "There is no doubt that we will play some great tennis."
Federer and Sampras will play on indoor carpet in Macau at The Venetian Macau resort. The surfaces for the two other matches wasn't immediately known.
Sampras, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July, didn't touch a racket for nearly three years before picking up the sport again last summer to get in better shape.
He first played in exhibition matches and in the World Team Tennis league before deciding to pick up his training following an exhibition with four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier. Sampras recently made his debut in the senior tennis tour.
Sampras won a record 14 major titles, including a record seven Wimbledon wins and was ranked No. 1 for a record 286 weeks.
Federer has won 10 Grand Slam titles, including three consecutive Wimbledon and U.S. Open wins. In their only ATP matchup, Federer beat Sampras 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 in the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2001 .

It is an indoor match! Well....it has to be, to accommodate more people. Don't think any outdoor tennis court in Macau is good for exhibition game.

It is an indoor match! Well....it has to be, to accommodate more people. Don't think any outdoor tennis court in Macau is good for exhibition game.

There is a complex of tennis (7-8 courts) just next to the Macau Dome..
there is a exhibition court for the Macau Tennis Games every year...
But now...is Federer and Sampras...of coz need a larger exhibition court....

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%BE%B3%E9%96%80%E7%B6%B2%E7%90%83%E5%AD%B8%E6%A0%A1

Was still thinking the old days I played at umac. Thank you for the update.

I guess they will play inside the 15000-seat arena, so everyone will be accomodate

Website is up !!
http://www.federersamprasmacao.com/

Today is apparently going to be the beginning of a new era today, with the opening of the Venetian....

Opens today at 7:18pm !!!!

I'll be there on Friday !!!
:)

Please post lots of pictures !!!
We want pictures of the following areas:
Hotel Exterior: Overall view, the Lake, the bridge at the front entrace.
Hotel Interior: Casino Floor, Grand Canal Shoppe, Venetian Gondola, Chinese Gondola, Hotel Room, one of the restaurants.
Hotel Amenities: Swimming Pool, Hall Way to the Ball Rooms/Convention Center.

Thanks!!! :wave:

http://www.huaxia.com/uniwaysimages/200708/xz271602551.jpg

Today is apparently going to be the beginning of a new era today, with the opening of the Venetian....

Opens today at 7:18pm !!!!

I'll be there on Friday !!!
:)

Yeah, don't forget to take some pictures and share with us. Have fun!:cheers:

Ggaaxx and Phillip
Sure, will take pics and post later ... Not sure if I'll much time for other places tho...
All 3000 rooms booked out till weekend. Guess I'm one of the 'lucky' ones...

Really looking forward to see what this new era is like !!!

Thanks for the photo!

Can have more info regarding the opening? Tks in advance!

regards,

MACAU (AFP) - The world's largest casino-resort, a gaudy mix of baccarat, shops and Venetian canals, opened here Tuesday aiming to accelerate Macau's heady transformation from gambling haven to Asia's top entertainment draw.
Thousands of people, some of whom began to queue as early as 1.00 pm, rushed into the casino as the Venetian Macao resort threw its doors open to the public who quickly filled up some of the gaming tables.

http://www.macaubusiness.com/AFP/english/asia/business/SGE.OPP43.280807134543.photo03.quicklook.default-245x189.jpg
Hundreds of patrons rush inside the casino of Venetian Macao resort
© AFP Ted Aljibe

Iao Tak-kun, one of the local gamblers who took a day off from work, was among the first to see what he described as "a grand building with European style."

"It looks very beautiful. It's completely different from the rest of the casinos here," the 33-year-old hotel chef said.

"But most importantly, I want to make back the 100,000 dollars I've lost at Sands," a sister casino of the Venetian.

International diva Diana Ross in bright yellow dress was the surprise guest at a variety show and performed three songs, including "Endless Love", before a bunch of firecracks were set off and the door was opened to the public.

The 2.4 billion-dollar Venetian Macao resort, built on a spit of reclaimed land called the Cotai Strip, seeks to capitalise on the casino boom by getting the millions of visitors to stay for more than just a turn at the tables.

With 3,000 hotel rooms, a theatre, a 15,000-seat stadium and 350 shops, as well as the gambling arenas, it is the anchor of the Cotai project to recreate the Las Vegas Strip in the southern Chinese territory.

Sheldon Adelson, chief executive of Las Vegas Sands which is operating the Venetian, said it was "the beginning of what has been a dream of mine."

"We are quite certain we are going to meet the expectations of everybody that has anticipated this arrival," he told reporters.

Adelson said he believes that there is a pent-up demand for the resort and the rest of the Cotai Strip, which will eventually be home to more than a dozen top-end resorts offering more than 20,000 hotel rooms.

The Venetian Macao features 870 gaming tables and 3,400 slot machines -- planned to rise to 6,000 -- on floors as big as three football pitches.

Its shopping mall is woven between three canals, complete with a fleet of gondolas and fake sky.

William Weidner, president of Las Vegas Sands, said he expected the market to change, claiming the new complex offered something radically different from rivals such as Las Vegas-based Steve Wynn and Australia's Crown, who both own casinos here.

"The growth in table games played here have been extraordinary since Sands opened. What this property represents is a whole new market segment drawing people from much further away," he said.

In 2001, Macau liberalised its monopolistic gaming market once dominated by local tycoon Stanley Ho, and Sands was the first major American company to open a casino here in 2004.

Macau has a population of just over half a million, but last year welcomed 22 million visitors -- a figure expected to rise to 26 million in 2007.

Last year, gaming revenues in Macau totaled 7.2 billion dollars, overtaking the Las Vegas Strip for the first time with 6.6 billion dollars.

The territory's continuing expansion means it is also likely to surpass the total gaming take of the greater Las Vegas area this year.

Adelson told AFP he hoped to make back the 2.4 billion-dollar investment in the Venetian within five years.

The Venetian strategy is to lure Asian families and business clients into longer stays, as well as the high-rolling gamblers who have fueled Macau's boom.

Currently, the average visitor to Macau stays just 1.2 days and Sands want to stretch that to 3.5 days at their resort with world-class entertainment and convention offerings, in the same way that the original Venetian in Las Vegas transformed Nevada.

The shopping mall features luxury brands such as Tiffany and Versace to try to attract wealthy Asians, particularly Chinese, while Sands said that 44 conventions have already been booked at the resort.
http://www.macaubusiness.com/AFP/english/asia/business/SGE.OPP43.280807134543.photo02.quicklook.default-162x245.jpg
An employee tries a roulette wheel
© AFP Ted Aljibe

Thanks for the posting!

Australian perspective (note headline)

Packer rival opens casino in Macau
Sydney Morning Herald
August 29, 2007
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2007/08/28/casino29807_wideweb__470x313,0.jpg
Grand opening . .. the Venetian casino in Macau - yes this is modern China - may be stealing James Packer's putative customers.
Photo: AFP


"My advice to any competitor is - good luck," US billionaire Sheldon Adelson says when asked if he has any advice for PBL's James Packer, who is building a rival casino resort opposite Adelson's massive $US2.4billion Venetian Macao which opened last night in all its marble and gold glory replete with singing gondoliers on three canals and kilometres of handpainted frescos.

"But I don't really mean it," he says with a smile, after just the right pause, raising laughs amongst the 1200 assembled world media, the joke relayed in simultaneous translation in 11 languages, seven of them Asian.

"Just kidding. We do wish everyone good luck. My philosophy is that our job is to collectively promote our destination and when the people arrive we can fight over where they go," Adelson continued, before dismissing Melco/PBL's City of Dreams mega-resort, likely to the be the third to open on the so called "Cotai Strip" as a "single 1800-2000 room property" that would be unable to compete with the Venetian Macao masterplan - a string of 14 brand name hotel/casino resorts offering 20,000 rooms in total, with multiple casinos, entertainment and spa facilities all connected to the Venetian "anchor" by airconditioned walkways so that guests need never step a foot into the real Macau.

"We don't consider a single 1800-2000 room property that's unconnected to others is competition for an unprecedented 20,000 room, all-connected, behemouth. This is going to be a giant of entertainment, unprecedented anywhere in the world," Adelson says.

Adelson's $US10-$12billion plan for the Cotai strip -four square kilometres of reclaimed land connecting two former islands - will see his Las Vegas Sands Corp construct all the other hotels and run the casinos and retail and other facilities, but have the other hotels, beside the Venetian, managed by five star names such as Four Seasons, Shangri-La, Sheraton and Intercontinental. In a single development that is due to be completed by 2010, Adelson hopes to replicate on the tiny enclave of Macau, population 450,000, on the southern Chinese coast the Las Vegas strip, compressing six decades of development into a few years.

Last night, the anchor for the Cotai Strip, the Venetian Macau, twice as big as Adelson's "original" Venetian in Las Vegas, opened with tens of thousands of guests. The other hotels will be completed over the next 3.5years.

Not only does Adelson want to swamp the competition, including long-time rival Steve Wynn, and newer competitors such as PBL's joint venture with Hong-Kong listed Melco, but he's threatening to sue anyone who infringes the titles the "Cotai Strip" and "Asia's Las Vegas" - which he has trademarked.

Asked whether he would sue PBL/Melco and other such as Hong Kong's Galaxy who are building rival casino mega resorts adjacent and opposite to the Venetian's 80hectare site, Mr Adelson didn't bite, leaving it to Stephen Weaver, a former Australian property lawyer and senior manager with property groups Savills and Jones Lang LaSalle who is President of Las Vegas Sands Corp's Asian region.

Mr Weaver and other LVS Corp executives were at pains to say the terms "Cotai Strip" and "Asia's Las Vegas" could only be used to refer to properties owned by Adelson's company, promising to "aggressively defend our legal rights", but pleading for media co-operation.

In 2003 the Macau Government ended the monopoly enjoyed by local tycoon Stanley Ho, leading to the entrance of foreign casino operations including PBL's Crown (in a joint venture with Melco, a company run by one of Dr Ho's sons, Lawrence).

Apart from Dr Ho's landmark Lisboa, most of the dozen or so other offerings were pretty grubby by US standards, although highly profitable. Foreign operators forced a dramatic increase in standards. When Adelson became the first foreign operator to open, the 700-table Sands Macau with its massive gaming floors, pristine toilets and air-conditioning, was an instant success, recouping its $US260million investment within the first eight months.

Wynn Macau's 500 rooms, at the traditional waterfront location known as "the peninsula" where most of Macau's older casinos, are clustered and PBL/Melco's 217-room Crown Macau, set new standards. But they pale in scale to the Venetian Macau - the world's biggest casino with 850 tables, a 3000-all suite hotel, a 15,000 seat sports stadium and convention facilities twice the size of neighbouring Hong Kong's convention centre. The Ventian in one night increases Macau's gaming capacity 28 per cent and hotel rooms by 23per cent.

Most analysts expect the Venetian to pay off - though over a longer period than the Sands. Adelson says 3-5 years, but some expect a short-term cut in profits from the big increase in tables, rooms and retail. Daily revenue per gaming table is now about $US12,000, down from just over $22,000 in 2002 under Dr Ho's monopoly.

UBS Investment Research latest report on Macau gaming says the Venetian will need to attract 20,000 to 25,000 visitors a day - that is, 29-36 per cent of current daily visitor into Macau to maintain that average revenue per table, suggesting that the Venetian, sited away from the existing cluster of casinos, might steal market share from the others, rather than just grow the market as Adelson predicts.

Wynn Resorts has just announced it will slow its expansion and will open only another 2300 square metres of casino this year, instead of the projected 11,400 square metres. The global credit crunch caused by the US subprime mortgage crisis has also forced Melco PBL entertainment to restructure a $US2.75 billion loan deal.

Convention blitz

BenjaminScent,Stephanie Tong and AlfredLiu
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

The opening yesterday of the US$2.4 billion (HK$18.72 billion) Venetian Macao complex - which houses the world's second-largest building - is expected to hurt Hong Kong's tourism industry in the short term as the Venetian's convention and exhibition facilities draw more business visitors to Macau.
Las Vegas Sands Corp chairman and chief executive Sheldon Adelson plans to turn the Venetian Macao on the Cotai Strip into a major international convention hub.

In addition to the world's largest casino at 51,000 square meters and a 3,000-suite hotel, the complex offers about 111,500 sqm of meeting, convention and exhibition space - big enough to accommodate 90 Boeing 747 jumbo jets. The center has already booked 44 events that will be hosted there over the next two years.

"The opening of the Venetian Macao will inevitably bring novelty," said a spokesperson for the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

"We expect that there will be a certain impact on incentive travel and corporate meetings from some short-haul markets in the near future."

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai has net space of 49,000 sqm - less than half of what the Venetian Macao offers. However, the HKCEC's size will expand to 60,000 sqm in 2009 after the completion of the Atrium Link Extension. "The Venetian may create a little competition," HKCEC managing director Cliff Wallace told The Standard. "[But] I don't think it's going to be competition we have to be concerned
about."

AsiaWorld-Expo at Hong Kong International Airport has about 66,000 sqm of ground-floor hall space.

The HKTB said it will reinforce overseas promotions, including targeting corporate decision-makers. It also plans to encourage business travelers to make side trips to Hong Kong during their meetings in nearby destinations.

"More positively, it's going to be competition that will eventually be an advantage to Hong Kong and the HKCEC," Wallace said. "What Macau is bringing ... is an enormous amount of new attention to this region."

The tourism board spokesperson said Hong Kong already faces competition from other Asian destinations, and the addition of meeting, convention, and exhibition facilities in nearby destinations will only enhance the entire industry in the Pearl River Delta region.

"We believe that Hong Kong continues to enjoy competitive advantages in staging major conventions and exhibitions," she said. "These include our experience and expertise in staging major international events, our professional and hospitality services, our first-class infrastructure and efficient transportation network."

Others also cited Hong Kong's more advanced infrastructure as a key difference between Hong Kong and Macau.

"Having a large exhibition center is not enough," said AsiaWorld-Expo Management chief executive Allen Ha. "The area's infrastructure development is also important."

Wallace said infrastructure will be a challenge for Macau initially.

"They're going to be a little bit behind in some of the infrastructure elements," he said. "It will be a disadvantage to them."

What Hong Kong has to do is to continue developing its core strength - which is its international connection, Ha said, adding that more than 50 percent of AsiaWorld-Expo's visitors are from countries outside Hong Kong.

Wallace emphasized that the HKCEC and the Venetian are not entering into any price wars.

"We have a great mutual respect for each other," Wallace said. "We're not into situations where we're trying to steal each other's business."

However, Ha warned that Hong Kong should not rest on its laurels.

"Every city is improving," he said. "The Hong Kong government, together with different industries, should collaborate in providing better services to visitors."

The Venetian is also billing itself as a world-class entertainment destination. The complex includes the 15,000-seat Venetian Arena, which in coming weeks will host a pair of National Basketball Association exhibition games and a celebrity tennis match between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.

Wallace said Hong Kong would benefit from the entertainment acts Macau will attract

Here's pics from yahoo and a video from CNN.

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/events/bs/082807venetianmacau;_ylt=Au7NN01A0c79q2tXlTc9ySd5WscF&auto=yes

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=49750&cl=3869877&ch=49799&src=

Glad to see the international coverage. Can't wait to visit there.:)

looks just like the one in Las vegas.
that's awesome !!!

Its on the news here in Australia too, but one of the channel (Channel 7) was reporting Venetian is located in HK and I was a little bit surprised.

Oh, Tiffany & Co second boutique was opened in Venetian yesterday

After I edited this list, I have to say Macau is going to be a famous place for brand shopping, and its quite amaze to see the number of boutiques around in such a small city. I still havent include the shops from Four Seasons and Studio City yet for the below list

Fashion Boutiques

A.Testoni = 2 (Landmark, Lisboa)
Agnes B = 1 (Venetian)
Armani Exchange = 1 (Venetian)
Bally = 3 (Airport, Iat Teng Hou Commercial Center, Mandarin Oriental)
Betty Barclay = 1 (Avenida Horta e Costa)
Bulgari = 1 (Wynn)
Bosco = 1 (Rua Com. Mata Oliveria)
Burberry = 3 (Airport, Mandarin Oriental, Venetian)
Cartier = 2 (Airport, Iat Teng Hou Commercial Center)
Celine = 1 (Wynn)
Chanel = 2 (Airport, Wynn)
Chopard = 1 (Venetian)
Christian Dior = 3 (Mandarin Oriental, Wynn)
Coach = 1 (Venetian)
Damiani = 1 (Venetian)
Davidoff = 2 (Venetian)
DKNY Jeans = 1 (Venetian)
Dunhill = 4 (Airport, Lisboa, Mandarin, Sintra)
Emporio Armani = 2 (Mandarin Oriental, Venetian)
Ermenegildo Zegna = 3 (Landmark, Mandarin Oriental)
Escada = 1 (Iat Teng Hou Commercial Center)
Francesco Biasia = 1 (Venetian)
Franck Muller = 2 (Landmark, Venetian)
Furla = 1 (Venetian)
Fendi = 2 (Airport, Wynn)
Gianne Franco Ferre = 1 (Iat Teng Hou Commercial Center)
Giorgio Armani = 1 (Wynn)
Givenchy = 2 (Landmark, Macau Tower)
Hermes = 1 (Avenida da Amizade)
Hugo Boss = 3 (Av. Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigues, Mandarin Oriental, Rua de Praia Grande)
Hugo Boss Orange Label = (Venetian)
Jessica = 2 (Rua do Campo, Ave.de Horta e costa)
Jimmy Choo = 1 (Venetian)
Just Cavalli = 1 (Venetian)
Leonard = 1 (Landmark)
Louis Vuitton = 2 (Mandarin Oriental, Wynn)
Lancel = 2 (Sintra, Venetian)
Lanvin = 1 (Iat Teng Hou Commercial Center)
Manchster United = 1 (Venetian - World Largest)
Massimo Dutti = (Venetian)
Max Mara = 1 (Ave. da Praia Grande)
Mont Blac = 1 (Venetian)
Moreschi = 1 (Sintra)
Nina Ricci = 1 (Macau Tower)
Nine West = 3 (Rua de Sao Domingos, Rua Dr Pedro Jose Lobo, Venetian)
Omega = 4 (Airport, Avenida da Amizade, Mandarin Oriental, Venetian)
Pal Zileri = 2 (Sintra, Venetian)
Patek Phillippe = 1 (Landmark)
Piaget = 3 (Avenida da Amizade, Venetian, Wynn)
Prada = 1 (Wynn)
Rado = 2 (Avenida da Amizade, Venetian)
Rolex = 1 (Wynn - the second boutique in the world after Las Vegas)
Salvatore Ferragamo = 2 (Airport, Mandarin Oriental)
Sisley = 1 (Venetian)
Swarovski = 1 (Venetian)
Swatch Shop = 2 (Fisherman's Wharf, Venetian)
S.T. Dupont = 1 (Sintra)
Tiffany & Co = 3 (Venetian, Venetian, Wynn)
Tommy Hilfiger = 1 (Venetian)
T. Lamborghini Boutique = 1 (Aterro Cotai)
United Color of Benetton = 2 (Yaohan, Venetian)
Vertu = 2 (Airport, Venetian)
Versace Jeans Couture = 2 (Avenida da Praia Grande, Venetian)
Zara = (Venetian)

With the Venetian Macau's 3,000 rooms, 17,000 rooms have yet to be built on the Cotai Strip.

My personal impressions....
It's not really child-friendly. In particular, Children are not allowed to most of the ground floor making getting around with young kids tedious. Pools are mediocre. Venetian is too large to get around easily, and as a hotel guest, you don't get any advantages (ie first night ended up going to Fernando's - the buffet was full (aparently full throughout Macau also), and queue for free transfer buses were for everyone.. Not enough good restaurants for guest (only 2 main restaurants, Cafe Deco (western) and Bambu (Asian).

It seems the main strategy is more of the same. The casino hall is very grand (tho not sure if that much bigger than existing Wynns or future MGM Grand). Hence great for gamblers.
Seems Venetian aim is now to develop shopping as the second priority, followed by business/conventions. Guess you need shopping to attract conventions, hence shopping arcade quite well developed now. Families/Shows seem to be much further behind. e.g. pool is not impressive, with lots of construction work going on.

Rooms are big as expected (I'm in the biggest suite), tho a bit bare. Lost of things missing. I prefer Shangri-La's more exclusive/luxury feel tho...

As expected, service (given opening) is patchy (tho staff are generally friendly). e.g. no rubbish bins and special touches that make it a 5-star experience (no tea, bellboy for luggage, special welcome drinks, other welcome packages, childcare). Note I wasn't expecting much as it was the opening weekend. I estimate it needed at least another month for hotel/rooms to be more operational and to bed in (that's why I said obvious target was gaming, shopping, which are basically near 100%). There is still construction going on.
First few days many guest had complaints (eg check-in taking 4-5 hours !!!) tho we were a more repectable 45 mins (after 45 mins stuck in traffic !!). On the plus side, I guess opening has been slightly less troublesome than some others, and it seems that it is a lot less smoky than other casinos (I think mall is generally supposed to be non-smoking).
Guess part of the problem is its own success ... A lot of people going to see it asap, making very busy and crowded. So good news for Venetian and the Macau economy (so far). Likewise, Macau itself was crowded this weekend.

A collection of pictures

MCKNtDbbz8E

Dr. Tam (譚志強 (http://blog.phoenixtv.com/index.php/uid_674350)) talks about Venetian Macau Opening (cantonese content)

http://202.67.151.86/radio/tam/tam20070828a.mp3

haha I found the youtube
http://www.pcplanets.com/videoyoutube-Venetian-Macau-Opening.Y-2AuaIckWI.shtml

This Venetian thing will change the face of Macau's gambling.
Now I hope Macau Government looks careful to the future of Macau identity. This is start looking as Las vegas...

Interesting quote in today's SCMP from Mr Adelson....

Q: In May, Beijing introduced new restrictions on mainlanders travelling to Macau under the Individual Visitation Scheme (IVS). Are you concerned about this ?
A: Before the IVS scheme was created I visited the former foreign minister, Qian Qichen, and the head of the SAR committee in Beijing, and he told us he was going to open the gates. And he asked. 'How many hotel rooms are you going to build?' And I said, 'It depends on the number of people you are going to send.' And he said: 'How many do you want?'
The central government wanted to have somebody who could change the paradigm for Macau and make Macau a destination for tourism, business travel, conventions and exhibitions.
We were selected because of my background and that's why we were also selected in Singapore. There's not a city in the world that doesn't want business and leisure travellers.

A: Before the IVS scheme was created I visited the former foreign minister, Qian Qichen, and the head of the SAR committee in Beijing, and he told us he was going to open the gates. And he asked. 'How many hotel rooms are you going to build?' And I said, 'It depends on the number of people you are going to send.' And he said: 'How many do you want?'


I can't understand why Beijing is kissing the ass of this Americans. This is not the China I know and Macau wishes...

It's part of the trend of globalisation and developing China into second phase (service economy).
China cannot forever be a cheap manufacturer. I have visited a few factories and pity the poor workers who get paid low wages doing incredibly bad jobs (ie the workers were more like 'robots' - in the west, the trend was to automation with few workers at high pay, now the western companies are finding that the massive investment in modern factories is not needed - they now send their needs (and pollution, waste etc) to chinese workers.

I think approx 70% of the workers in Venetian speak only putonghua (mainland China). Maybe remainder is Macau/Philippines.
Venetian will employ something like 15k workers. They are giving these people more meanful jobs, and probably paying them 5x more...

Tho I agree about identity, this is falling apart more and more due to global brands. When I was in the UK, maybe 1/4 of the shops I see are the same as HK (and Macau, US, etc etc).
Unfortunately the whole world is changing, and I don't think you can stop it.

Had a quick check on the Venetian website....

They now have a message/warning that those with kidz should go to the West entrance... a bit late. It would've saved a long walk....

Also, checking on their reservation system, they now seem to be filling up quite well. At least for next few weeks, weekends seemed booked up (sometimes 2-3 days or Fri/Sat/Sun) with room options on other 'quiet' days quickly disappearing also.
Strange before the opening, rooms were available even with a special promo rate. Latest rates don't have discounts, yet seems filling up !!

For October, believe a few dates already blanked out coz of the first exhibitions beginning (18-20 October). It's also golden week national holidays beginning 1 October, so those were blanked out earlier...

Guess November should be quieter, but Sampras vs Federer is on then....

Looks like Venetian is getting of to a very, very good start....

Tho I agree about identity, this is falling apart more and more due to global brands. When I was in the UK, maybe 1/4 of the shops I see are the same as HK (and Macau, US, etc etc).
Unfortunately the whole world is changing, and I don't think you can stop it.

And do you need to copy Las Vegas? Macau doesnt need to copy Las Vegas to be the centre of gambling in Asia and Beijing doesn't need to clean the ass of Adelson to have him pumping alot of money into red district...

Apparently 450k visitors in first week. Thats almost 2m per month or 24m per year !!! (ie everyone who visits Macau will visit it).

I prefer casinos in Macau not just copy the one from Las Vegas. It has to be something special and unique in design so people can create a different perception.

I prefer casinos in Macau not just copy the one from Las Vegas. It has to be something special and unique in design so people can create a different perception.

There's room for both in Cotai...
But I do agree it was lacking in imagination to do an almost exact copy, but I guess they thought, let's leverage on what people know about LV already, so what works in LV will work in Macau... (ie MICE organisers know exactly what they'll get).
I'm sure eventually, there will be more product differentiation as they try new things out...

Is the Venetian Macau the only megaresort in Macau? If so, there should be some proposed megaresorts in the Cotai strip.

I see packages including ferry for about HK1200/person for a 1 night weekend trip.

By AhRay from a Hong Kong photography forum :

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1267/1295283746_1be06e5e00_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1022/1294424753_bf7b593766_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1425/1295254936_eb6f99c1d2_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1308/1295264370_9fcb8ae7a2_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1120/1294408985_33a012ea0e_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1312/1301668419_67e8200418_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1376/1294488753_6057b712c6_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1182/1302631817_3d8a03324d_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1312/1301668419_67e8200418_o.jpg

What's with the chairs?

Nothing overly special otherwise...

Very nice pictures.:)

The CEO of the Venetian Macau resort denies reports that they were ill prepared for the inauguration, which attracted 500,000 people coming in just ten days.

Mark Brown said that the influx of visitors is out of the firm’s expectation, and expressed satisfaction to the situation.

The Venetian Macau resort received 114,000 visitors during the first 24 hours on its inauguration day on 28 August, including 3,000 VIPs.

On average, the resort received 68,000 to 86,000 visitors daily.

It has been reported that customers who had made reservations to the hotel rooms in the resort had to queue for more than an hour to check in, and contingent measures, such as free or lower-price stays for late check-ins, have been in place to make up customers’ discontent.

Jornal San Va Ou reported that other hotels, namely Westin, and Mandarin Oriental also faced the same situation with a significant influx of visitors.

Certain members of staff were allegedly went on “strikes” because they could not cope with such an influx.

The newspaper also reported that more than 100 employees have resigned from Venetian Macau as they could not cope with their workload and pace.

Meanwhile, Mark Brown said in a press conference promoting the discounts available at the resort that Sands Hotel will be open on 28 September, and Venetian’s ferry fleet will begin to provide services in October.

source (http://www.blogmacau.info/blog/?p=1781)

Mark Brown speaks to load ...

Summary of some of the analysts opinions on Venetian

Citigroup/Anil Daswani
Quite negative, saying resort won't be ready until 2009 when construction is finished. Expects Venetian to take sales away from Sands Macao.
Possibly because of its sarcasm, was the only analyst report published in HK's SCMP and www.thestandard.com.hk (Venetian Onto a loser http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=21&art_id=53023&sid=15265498&con_type=1&d_str=20070907).

Goldman Sachs/Steven Kent
Positive, impressed with ease of tansportation, staff and diverse customer base (opposite comments to Citi)

JPMorgan/Harry C Curtis
Not known, but said earnings estimates for 4Q for Sands based on 30k visitors a day. The opening saw an average of 85k a day during opening week

Not related to Venetian... but
China Union Pay (credit card assoc) - expects mainland visitors will spend more in Macau than in HK by end of the year.

There's room for both in Cotai...
But I do agree it was lacking in imagination to do an almost exact copy, but I guess they thought, let's leverage on what people know about LV already, so what works in LV will work in Macau... (ie MICE organisers know exactly what they'll get).
I'm sure eventually, there will be more product differentiation as they try new things out...

Wynn and Venetian are the only two copying exactly from the Las Vegas one, the other casinos are all different

Is the Venetian Macau the only megaresort in Macau? If so, there should be some proposed megaresorts in the Cotai strip.

There is one next to Venetian call StarWorld Mega Resort, but I think the construction work was halted, and another new proposal by Steve Wynn.

Venetian Constructions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNKe41Uu2iM

There is one next to Venetian call StarWorld Mega Resort, but I think the construction work was halted, and another new proposal by Steve Wynn.

I was told Starworld Mega Resort is halted as the boss of the main engineering contractor is involved in the political scandal. MGM Grand is opening at the end of the year. City of Dream (with Grand Hyatt and Hard Rock) in 2008 and Macau Studio City (with Ritz Carlton and Playboy Mansion) in 2009. Today just reported that Harrah just bought a piece of land at Cotai.

I was told Starworld Mega Resort is halted as the boss of the main engineering contractor is involved in the political scandal.

See denial of delay in Galaxy Mega resort in Cotai in news section

Monday September 17, 1:16 pm ET
Las Vegas Sands Hits New 52-Week High As Analysts Raise Price Targets Due to Venetian Macao

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. surged to a fresh 52-week high Monday as two analysts lifted their price targets on continued optimism about the Venetian Macao Hotel Resort's success.

The $2.4 billion Venetian Macao opened late last month, and has been widely cheered by analysts for its initial performance.

Shares of Las Vegas Sands rose $2.64, or 2.2 percent, to $123.33 in afternoon trading, having hit a new high of $124.75 earlier in the session. The stock previously traded in a range of $63.68 to $121.90.

Deutsche Bank analyst Bill Lerner sees the Venetian's daily visitation at a strong 55,000 to more than 75,000, with consumers supporting non-gaming offerings such as hotel rooms and retail.
While there was widespread concern the new resort might eat into business at existing properties, Lerner said in a client note that the Venetian has actually grown the market. He views possible volume acceleration at the Wynn Macau and sees Sociedade de Jogos de Macau SA's Grand Lisboa returning to daily visitation of more than 30,000 after initially softening following the Venetian's opening.

Lerner boosted his price target on Las Vegas Sands to $130 from $114 and reaffirmed a "Buy" rating.

Similarly, Jeffrey Logsdon of BMO Capital Markets said the Venetian's shops and other amenities experienced high customer traffic upon opening, an important milestone since there was some concern among analysts as to whether Macau visitors would support non-gaming offerings.

"We realize it will take some time to determine the steady state use of the property's enormous gaming, hotel, dining, convention, retail, arena and entertainment offerings, but our opening week observations give us greater confidence in the property's -- and the company's -- near- and long-term profit potential," he wrote in a client note.

Logsdon pointed out that the resort still has some dining, retail and entertainment offerings to open and is likely to see improved results once infrastructure improvements -- including a ferry from Taipa -- come on-line later in the year. Taipa is the smallest of the Macau islands.

Logsdon increased his price target to $125 from $104 and boosted his 2008 earnings estimate to $2.31 per share from $2.29 per share

In just six weeks of operation, The Venetian Macao has already taken in over 2.5 million visitors. The $2.4 billion hotel and casino is inspired by Italy’s picturesque city, Venice. The Venetian Macao is the world’s largest casino, and has gondolas and canals mimicking the Italian city’s famous Bridge of Sighs.

Venetian Macao Gaming Area
The Macau Daily Post said most of the casino visitors are from Hong Kong and mainland China. Macau’s main attraction is its 27 casinos. The special administrative region attracted 22 million tourists in 2006, half of them are from China and were attracted by the gambling establishments. Seventy percent of Macau’s income is derived from its gaming, hotel and tourism industries.

The Venetian Macao is operated by U.S. based Las Vegas Sands, has high-end shops, dining establishments, and conference and exhibition services. When it opened on August 28, it boasted 3,000 rooms.

source (http://macaudailyblog.com/macau-casino/the-venetain-macao-draws-over-25-million-visitors-in-just-six-weeks/)

Pete Sampras rolled back the years to beat Roger Federer in the final encounter of their three-match series, winning 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 at the Venetian Macao in Macau.

Sampras and Federer have been travelling round south-east Asia for the last week and the former world number one has been getting progressively closer to his successor as the series has worn on.

Pistol Pete finally got the better of the Swiss star to claim a victory, although he had already lost the series after Federer won in Seoul and Kuala Lumpur.

The American took the first set on a tie break after both players had broken each others serve once in the opening 12 games.

Both players had chances to win the tie break but it was Sampras who managed to capitalise on his mini break to win it 8-6.

Sampras secured another break of serve in the second set but this time Federer could not manage to respond and the 36-year-old sealed a deserved victory.

Federer only had one opportunity to play against Sampras before the American retired in 2002 and clearly enjoyed facing the 14-time Grand Slam champion.

He said: “The surface was really quick and Pete was playing really well and hardly making any mistakes.”

Sampras admitted conditions had helped him heavy serve, adding: “I got going a little bit today, but it could have gone either way in the first set.”

Federer is currently two championships behind Sampras’ record of 14 and could surpass that landmark with a successful campaign next season.

http://www.macaudailyblog.com/

Although they existed for just over six years, THE POLICE are one of the most popular bands of all time. Having sold an excess of 50 million albums worldwide, The Police had phenomenal chart success and won a multitude of accolades both public and critical, before parting ways in 1984.

Having recently released their greatest hits collection “The Police” (A&M), the band have reunited (much to the pleasure of music fans worldwide), embarking on a World Tour to commemorate the group’s 30-year anniversary.

Beginning in Vancouver in May 2007, with sold-out shows across North America, Europe and South America, the band are set to perform shows across New Zealand, Australia and Japan throughout 2008 – including a confirmed performance in Macau at the Venetian Arena on February 7th.

With over 2.200,000 tickets sold to date and more concerts to be announced, The Police tour is definitely the hottest ticket of the year.

From the opening notes of Message In A Bottle through a set list which includes the mega-hits: Roxanne, Synchronicity, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, Every Breath You Take, When The World Is Running Down, Spirits In The Material World, the energy that Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers exude on stage is matched only by the exuberant response of the audience.

Ticket limit = 6 tickets per person

With more than 6 million visitors since the opening in August, Venetian Macao is expecting the venue to be a popular attraction over the Christmas period.

http://macaudailyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/venetian-macao-grand-canal-at-dusk.jpg
The Venetian launched its Christmas attractions, with amongst the many events making up this exciting promotion are ‘Gondola Rides with Santa’ at the Grand Canal, where you and your loved one can indulge yourselves in a romantic experience, with Santa Claus as your special companion,” a press release said.

Guests are also encouraged to make a wish at one of the three canals running through the Grand Canal shopping area. Coins will be collected and donated to the Cradle of Hope Association.

Gifts can also be donated to the association using bins placed throughout the shopping malls.

Shops and restaurants are also offering specials through the Christmas period.

The winter celebrations will finish at the end of Chinese New Year.

The venue is also counting down to the new year’s party which will see the Pussycat Dolls perform at the Venetian Arena.

http://macaudailyblog.com/cotai-strip/the-venetian-macao-winter-celebrations/

just come back macao,tour guide claim venetian macao is slightly bigger than venetian las vegas. can anyone confirm it.

just come back macao,tour guide claim venetian macao is slightly bigger than venetian las vegas. can anyone confirm it.

Yes, your tour guide is correct, Venetian Macau is bigger than Ventian Las Vegas. This is the description from New York Times:

The $2.4 billion Venetian Macao Resort, scheduled to open here Tuesday, will give Sin City more than a run for its money. The Venetian has more floor space than four Empire State Buildings. The hotel’s slot machines, baccarat tables and other games of chance sprawl across a casino more than three times the size of the largest casino in Las Vegas. The 15,000-seat sports arena nearly rivals Madison Square Garden, the convention center has a 6,000-seat banquet hall and the luxury shopping mall has three indoor canals with singing gondoliers; the Venetian in Las Vegas has just one.

They say the Venetian Macao is the largest building in terms of area on the ground in Asia. The only building bigger in the world is the Boeing plant in Washington State.

The Macau forumn has been very quiet recently. Let me just try to start a new topic.

Just came back from 2 nights stay in Venetian Macau. It wasn't a pleasant stay due to the smoking environment and the logistic problems. I want to start a discussion on these 2 issues for those long term investors in Macau (like me) if they pose obstacles to future growth of Macau.

As we all know, the strategy of Sands (which is the parent company of Venetian) for Cotai Strip is to attract new convention/conference crowd for its growth on top of the hard core existing gamblers.

The hard core gamblers tend to be from mainland China, and to cater to this crowd, there seem to be no policy of "non-smoking" at all in the public arena of Venetian, whether in the casino, or shopping mall, or the hotel lobby. This is a problem for people like me who are used to strolling in non-smoking public areas. For my 2 nights stay in Venetian, I came back with bad allergic problems such as mild sore throat, which I attributed to the smoking environment that I encountered there. I don't think I am the first person to complain on this issue. It is unlikely that Venetian will want to change the policy as the casino is the cash cow and the mainland Chinese clients are the top priority customer. But will this have an impact on the convention crowd. Will buyers and sellers be willing to come to a smoke-filled area such as Venetian?

The second issue is the logistic problem. Since we spend 3 nights in Hong Kong prior to the Macau trip, we were carrying 2 heavy luggages from Hong Kong to Macau. Unfortunately the ferry terminals for both turbojet and cotaijet are still mainly catered for tourists who carry no luggage at all. There is no trolley and no porter there in both ends to help us. And the ferry from Macau to Hong Kong International Airport was fully booked ahead of time, which means it is no fun at all for us to carry the luggages to the ferry, and again to the taxi stand in Hong Kong. I am just thinking most convention/conference crowd from most international cities will likely have to face the same problem.

It is very obvious that Venetian is already very successful in its gambling casino revenue but now, I am having second thoughts on its convention business. Just building a magnificent convention center, shopping mall, hotel is probably not enough. From my own experience, Macau still need to work on more routes for its international airport, better luggage service for its terminals, and better "smoke-free" environment. They sound easy but I have not witness any improvement in the last two years. And I am not sure if it will ever be "smoke free" as the mainland Chinese gamblers are just so important to its revenue.

Welcome anyone who wants to join in to express any thought.

Am with you for the absence of non-smoking areas but as for logistics, having trolleys and or porters at the ferry terminals can't really be decided by Venetian (Sands). This would all be down to the govts for both Macau and Hong Kong whether they see the need for those. Afterall, the ferry terminals serve more to the locals than to foreigners doing a transit between Macau and Hong Kong.

having trolleys and or porters at the ferry terminals can't really be decided by Venetian (Sands).

I think the new terminal in Taipa is operated by Cotaijet, which is owned by Venetian. I took the ferry from there to Hong Kong, expecting a much better service than Turbojet operated by the Shun Tak group. But there was no trolley at all when I stepped out of the taxi, so we have to carry them ourselves. The stuffs were friendly enough to help later on after we passed the immigration, but it was quite a long walk to the ferry. The seats were more comfortable than the ones in turbojet.

When we arrived Hong Kong, there was no help at all. We have to carry the heavy luggages from the ferry to the terminal, went up 3 escalators, and then walked all the way to taxi stand. Not sure if this is what many international travelers who are used to Hong Kong International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport want to go thru.

Venetian wants to transform Macau to be an international convention center, but the ferry terminals are really third world standard, even the one operated by Cotaijet.

The terminal in Taipa is supposed to be temporary, til the main building is finished.
Being new and temporary, it needs time (HK Airport had many teething problems when opened). However, you are right in that these terminals (incl old one) don't really cater to long-stay (only light baggage).
Macau needs a commitment to continually improve (like HK Airport). However wonder with so much growth going on, when they will improve this (and a probably lack of history with service culture). I think many analyst have commented that Macau does have an infrastructure problem (incl Ferries, Airports, Buses, Taxis, Mass rail) in trying to keep up growth.

However, in the mid-term, (ie 5-7 years) there will be huge infrastructure changes. Main one being the Light Rail, and the eventual HK-Zhuai-Macau bridge. The bridge may possibly make Macau's airport effectively redundant one day (it's supposed to be 15 minutes from HK Airport to Macau).
With the HZM bridge, I can evisage at least a 'common market' being created, with HK and Macau (and maybe Shenzhen) to allow free flow of jobs, money.
Unfortunately, that may take 7 years, and my time frame isn't that long !!

The terminal in Taipa is supposed to be temporary, til the main building is finished.

Ok, this makes more sense, let's hope you are right.

Being new and temporary, it needs time (HK Airport had many teething problems when opened). However, you are right in that these terminals (incl old one) don't really cater to long-stay (only light baggage).

Well, the ferry terminal is pretty easy to operate. Just one single route, and one ferry per hour. Certainly not as complex as Hong Kong international airport.

Macau needs a commitment to continually improve (like HK Airport). However wonder with so much growth going on, when they will improve this (and a probably lack of history with service culture). I think many analyst have commented that Macau does have an infrastructure problem (incl Ferries, Airports, Buses, Taxis, Mass rail) in trying to keep up growth.

Seem that this problem is discussed for quite sometime, and not much action has been taken. Wish the Macau government has been more competent, like Hong Kong and Singapore authorities. And the ferry terminal in Hong Kong is really outdated and there is no news that it will be rebuild. Maybe Hong Kong government wants to keep it this way so that Macau will not be able to challenge its position as a convention center. I notice Hong Kong does perceive the potential growth of Macau in this area as a threat to them.

However, in the mid-term, (ie 5-7 years) there will be huge infrastructure changes. Main one being the Light Rail, and the eventual HK-Zhuai-Macau bridge. The bridge may possibly make Macau's airport effectively redundant one day (it's supposed to be 15 minutes from HK Airport to Macau).
With the HZM bridge, I can evisage at least a 'common market' being created, with HK and Macau (and maybe Shenzhen) to allow free flow of jobs, money.
Unfortunately, that may take 7 years, and my time frame isn't that long !!

Well, Sands is going to complete their Cotai strip in the next 2-3 years, with 20-30,000 hotel rooms ready to cater to major exhibitions/conferences. I don't know how Macau is going to be ready on its logistic issue in next 2-3 years. The travelers from international cities will be like me, carrying heavy luggages with their samples, brochures, and not too sure if they will enjoy carrying their own luggages in terminals and up and down the ferries. Sands simple cannot wait for 7 years, which is why I guess they took action to enter into the ferry business. But I wish they did a better job. Maybe I just have to be patient. Like you said, it is still new.

On other note, I was told Wynn will create a new "non-smoking" casino section. Venetian should probably follow that with "non-smoking" policy in hotel lobbies, shopping malls, and certain parts of casino. I don't think I will go back there shopping again if they don't change the policy. The mall is no doubt pretty and I enjoy the time there. But I came back with sore throat and cough and had to spend US$50 on medical consultation and medicine.

On other note, I was told Wynn will create a new "non-smoking" casino section. Venetian should probably follow that with "non-smoking" policy in hotel lobbies, shopping malls, and certain parts of casino. I don't think I will go back there shopping again if they don't change the policy. The mall is no doubt pretty and I enjoy the time there. But I came back with sore throat and cough and had to spend US$50 on medical consultation and medicine.

Surprised by this. When I went to Venetian when it opened, the mall was non smoking. However, enforcement was patchy.. In mainland China, people smoke everywhere and just throw their cigarettes on the carpet... maybe Venetian gave up ??

Also sure there are non-smoking section I think in Wynn (if not in Venetian) already. However it is not a big area, but it is part of the main hall... so this non-smoking section only means the person next to you shouldn't be smoking, but unfortunately this area is not really segregated so you're exposed to the 75% of the other smoking chimney areas !

I found Venetian was best (due to its big area) with Wynn OK. The worst was Sands, extremely smokey there even for a smoker like me (hence, knew that Venetian mall supposed to be non-smoking as security did ask).

Surprised by this. When I went to Venetian when it opened, the mall was non smoking. However, enforcement was patchy.. In mainland China, people smoke everywhere and just throw their cigarettes on the carpet... maybe Venetian gave up ??

Really? I did see people smoking here.

I found Venetian was best (due to its big area) with Wynn OK.

I am pretty sure it was worse in Venetian as I stayed in both places (Venetian and Wynn) before.

Pics please :) Anyway, I haven't been to the one in Macau but I heard that it is bigger than its Vegas' counterpart.

Pics please :) Anyway, I haven't been to the one in Macau but I heard that it is bigger than its Vegas' counterpart.

See Venetian Opening thread for pics....

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=516993&page=2

I went to the Venetian in January and it was absolutely amazing. Something needs to be done about the ferry service from Tsim Sha Tsui to Macau though. We got to the ferry terminal in Macau about 45 minutes early, and the line at customs... well it wasn't even a line there were that many people squashed in - by the time we got to the counter it had been 2 hours and we had missed our ferry (lucky there were 2 seats spare on the next one). We were going to go back a second time but didn't after that experience. The annoying thing was that there were about 6 unused desks that should have been staffed. Of course when we got back to HK the process there was swift and efficient.

I We got the the ferry terminal in Macau about 45 minutes early, and the line at customs... well it wasn't even a line there were that many people squashed in - by the time we got to the counter it had been 2 hours and we had missed our ferry (lucky there were 2 seats spare on the next one). We were going to go back a second time but didn't after that experience. The annoying thing was that there were about 6 unused desks that should have been staffed. Of course when we got back to HK the process there was swift and efficient.

Yes, absolutely agree that the whole experience at the terminal service is really poor. Especially if you have to handle huge luggages. It is actually pretty easy to solve these problems and why they don't do so really puzzle me. It is as though Macau is a Third World country.

AP

Thursday April 24, 1:29 pm ET
Casino operator Las Vegas Sands to open second retail mall in Macau

HONG KONG (AP) -- Las Vegas Sands Corp. plans to open its second retail mall in Macau in July as part of the company's latest expansion in the booming Chinese gambling enclave, its senior executives said Thursday.

The 210,000 square foot (19,510 square meter) mall, featuring over 100 brands, will be the second development for the company to launch on reclaimed land on the Cotai Strip after its flagship casino and hotel resort Venetian Macao opened last August.

The company, owned by American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, also plans to open three more shopping malls on the strip in the coming years to inject a wider range of international brands under its "Flagship Luxury" retail development, said David Sylvester, vice president of Retail Development Asia of Las Vegas Sands.

The three additional malls will bring Las Vegas Sands' store total to 1,200 shops on 3 million square foot (280,000 square meter) of retail space on the strip, the company said.

"We're trying to cater for everybody, so if anyone comes to the strip, there's nothing they can't purchase. There's nothing they can't obtain," Sylvester said.

The Cotai Strip project, due to be completed in 2011, also includes the building of 20,000 hotel rooms, which will be operated by some of the biggest names in hospitality, such as Sheraton & St. Regis, Hilton & Conrad, and Shangri-La & Traders, Sylvester added.

Macau, the only place in China casino gambling is allowed, has enjoyed strong economic growth since ending a casino monopoly in 2002 and letting in Las Vegas operators like Steve Wynn and Adelson. Since then, it has transformed itself from primarily a casino town for day-tripping gamblers, into a multi-day tourist destination for conventioneers, shoppers and families, while still maintaining its appeal to punters.

The former Portuguese colony now rivals Nevada in gambling revenue. Last year, casinos in Macau pulled in more than $10.3 billion in revenues, according to the government. That is up from 2006, when Macau's casinos rang up $6.95 billion in gambling revenue. Revenues on the Las Vegas Strip were $6.69 billion that year, according to regulators.

^^^^
This one should be located in Four Seasons...
It also looks that this phase is on time (July). Was wondering if it was running behind schedule earlier given July isn't far away.

Also note, I've seen a rendering on macautripping.com.. showing Four Seasons/Venetian should have a wave pool/river etc between the 2 developments.
Current Venetian pool is disappointing...

If so, then that'll be my next stay with the kids !! That's the part of Las Vegas I'm waiting for !

I went there its an amazing Casino... I got to have a Private tower of the Casino and went back stage because It was part of a study trip.

here are some pics I took

http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g240/Jamie_Y/P1010294.jpg

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I watched a documentry on this today, the first I have heard of this and Macau, and I have started doing research on the place and it looks amazing, esspecially this complex, is there any pictures from the lagoon outside?

The Venetian Macau has 39 floors, but rises 225 metres. I thought the building was shorter than that. The height is because it probably has some high ceilings?

Adelson marks anniversary of Venetian Macao
28 August 2008

MACAU (AP) - Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson insisted his company would thrive despite worsening economic conditions as he marked the one-year anniversary Thursday of his US$2.4 billion Venetian resort in this southern China gambling city.

Since opening, the mega-casino resort, the biggest in the world, has had 24 million visitors and helped launch what Adelson envisions as a massive, concentrated resort area, the Cotai Strip, he's betting will become one of the world's top tourist destinations.

However, the American billionaire, whose company posted a second-quarter loss amid a weakening Las Vegas market, faces a host of challenges from slowing global growth to fierce competition from Wynn Resorts and others.

Adelson maintained Sands could fare well because of its focus on luring business travelers for conventions, exhibitions and other industry meetings held even during recessions.

"Our entire strategy avoids the possibility of an economic slowdown, a recession," Adelson told reporters at the Venetian Macao Hotel Resort.

He and other Sands executives also argued that possible stricter visa rules for mainland Chinese tourists, who make up of the majority of Macau visitors, would affect them less than their rivals because the company's Macau properties were less reliant on Chinese visitors than other casinos.

"The Cotai Strip is not just ... a series of integrated resorts for Chinese people only. It's for all Asians," Adelson said.

Earlier Thursday, he was on hand as Sands opened the upscale Four Seasons Macao, located next to the Venetian, the latest project in Adelson's US$13 billion master plan to develop Cotai.

The company currently has about 23 percent of the gambling market in Macau, with the Venetian taking US$2.18 billion in revenues during its first 12 months.

Adelson also is building a resort in Singapore and has his sights on other countries in Asia, which executives say will soon account for 70 percent or more of company revenues. On Thursday, Adelson said he had recently met with government officials in India.

"We would like to build a Cotai Strip in India. That would not affect Macau whatsoever. The market in India with more than 1.1 billion people will justify more than one Cotai Strip," Adelson said.

"If (the Indian government) wants to invite us there, we'll be happy to come in to spend between US$12 billion and US$14 billion," he said.

Macau, just an hour by high-speed ferry from Hong Kong, has seen its gambling revenue grow rapidly since the government ended Hong Kong tycoon Stanley Ho's monopoly on the gambling industry after Macau was returned to Chinese rule from Portugal in 1999.

China's only city with legal casinos, Macau has already overtaken the Las Vegas Strip in gaming revenue to become the world's most lucrative gambling center.

Wednesday, 26 November 2008
The Venetian Macao announced yesterday that “due to unexpected circumstances relating to the event, The Venetian Macau Masters Football Cup Tournament... is now cancelled.”
The event which was scheduled to take place on December 5, has been cancelled, and the company is now refunding tickets.
“Despite the cancellation of the match, the players will be performing some charity and community events while in Macau and the Venetian Macao Masters Football dinner on December 4 is held as scheduled,” a company statement said, adding that “the players currently touring Asia playing in the Football Masters Cup will be in attendance on the night, giving fans the chance to get up close and personal to some of the games true champions of years gone by.”
For refund enquiries the Venetian has set up two lines in Macau +853 2882 8818 and Hong Kong +852 6333 6660, which are available daily from 10:00 am to 22:00 pm.

^^
For details/website of event
http://www.mastersfootballasia.com/event_tickets.html

Looks like event in Malaysia still going on... basically indoor football game similar to recent Bjorn Borg/McEnroe tennis event.

Wonder what was the únexpected circumstances were ... poor sales or something else ?

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source: http://flickr.com/photos/8974899@N08/sets/72157612821967250/

Hi guys! I might be going to Macau to cover this event. Any hotel you might want to suggest? :banana:

Venetian or Four seasons Hotel. You can just walk to the event.

An American show off ... at the American consulate in Macau.

Footbridge between COD, Venetian on its way
Tuesday, 02 June 2009
by Fernando Ferreira

A footbridge between City of Dreams and the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel “is on the drawing board and they [the government] are planning it”, Lawrence Ho, the co-chairman and CEO of Melco Crown Entertainment said during a selected media briefing at the grand opening ceremony of the new urban entertainment resort yestesday.
“The pedestrian cross-walk is within the government's juristiction, because it's part of the overall infrastructure planning of the Cotai, but we have been told by the government that the plan is on the drawing board”, Ho said.
In regards to a possible partnership with CotaiJets, Lawrence Ho said that “partnership is way too strong of a word".
"At the end of the day, I'm sure we will use some of their ferries to pick up passengers because it's very convenient. The Pac On Terminal is very close to COD [City of Dreams]," Ho added.
However, Ho stressed that COD will also use a lot of Shun Tak jets.
"We are an integrated resort and will use all forms of public transportation. So there's no formal agreement whatsoever with Las Vegas Sands regarding the CotaiJets," he said.
Asked if there are any plans to export the brand to other markets, Ho said that "for the next 12 to 18 months we will focus on COD, making sure that COD is good and Altira [Macau] plus Mocha are doing well also".

Venetian & Malo open spa-clinic
by Megan Gell 5-Mar-09, 09:47

Mega-facility to offer delegate packages and specialised conference facilities

MACAU MaloClinicSpa, an 8,000 sqm integrated wellness centre with 60 treatment rooms, will open at the Venetian Macau in mid-2009.

Dr Paulo Malo, president of Malo Clinic Health and Wellness Group, said: “The MaloClinicSpa merges diagnostic and clinical services with spa treatments and wellness care all under one roof.” The spa and salon will open in May, followed by the clinic in late summer.

“We will soon launch a comprehensive range of healthcare and wellness services to target business executives and groups, promising the highest standards at competitive prices,” said Malo.

The project aims to attract visiting delegates and their spouses, as well as regional events focused on related fields. “Our six operating theatres complete with technology, together with the extensive MICE facilities at the Venetian Macau, will set the MaloClinicSpa as the ideal location for successful medical and dental events in the region,” said Malo.

Thats an excellent new for the town! A huge Clinic Spa was missing here.

Think so too, it perhaps give the well heeled one more reason to be in Macau.

The Venetian Macau
October 2009

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Author : http://apstudio.hk.st/

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Author : http://apstudio.hk.st/

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Venetian Macao really is something.

Personally here's what I think:
Pros:
-big-ass casino gaming facility (even bigger than its Las Vegas facility I think)
-nice interiors (very grandoise)
-The only place in Macau that has McDonalds :D (I think)
-Only place in Macau that has Pho Hoa noodle soup (I think)
-Foodcourt is better than that of City of Dreams (which is ok but still.......)
-Home of Cirque Du Soleil in this side of the world (oh and I love ZAIA musical)
-Lots of Filipino employees working there (maraming kababayan diyan sa loob).

Cons:
-Buffet tastes like shit (only the Chinese food tastes good enough)
-They only had Poker this year (when Grand Lisboa brought poker to Macau)
-The house of Poker is still in Grand Lisboa Macau

and personally for me:

-There TV channel lineup does not have Animax.
You know what, during our HK and Macau trip last year, only Grand Lisboa had Animax HK and I enjoyed it. Sure Venetian may have AXN (i.e. AXN East Asia 2) but for me and my little brother, we prefer watching Japanese anime on Tv when we are inside the hotel room so:
Animax HK > AXN East Asia 2

Hence for me, if given a choice:
I'd choose to stay at Grand Lisboa over Venetian Macao without question......

Two cents :)

P.S.
Oh and Grand Lisboa has waaaay better buffet. In fact, it is said that they serve the BEST BUFFET IN ALL OF MACAU. Personally, I fully agree. The buffet taste like heaven.

While buffet in Venetian tastes like garbage....

Nice pictures :)

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I stayed at the Venetian around a year ago, amazing building... so many things to see and it was just massive, but the thing I just couldn't stand was the cigarette smoke which was blown in around the casino. Absolutely disgusting. I was shocked that they allowed smoking indoors still! It really soured the stay for me...

^^

beautiful photos....:cheers: