Launch delayed by Typhoon Hato
MGM Cotai, the new integrated resort on Macau’s Cotai Strip, will at last open to the public January 29, with an official grand opening ceremony to follow two weeks later.
In a statement, the U.S.-based firm said, “On February 13, in anticipation of Chinese New Year, we will host the official grand opening ceremony and gala dinner to be officiated by our government officials and celebrated with our community and partners from all over the world who served an integral role in helping us successfully develop and bring this spectacular resort to the market.”
Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dog, is Friday, February 16. The holiday typically brings an increase in gambling to the world’s premier gaming hub.
According to GGRAsia, MGM Cotai is opening two years later than initially planned. In February 2014, MGM China said it was “on track for an early 2016 opening” of the property. Last year the resort was delayed because of damage from Typhoon Hato, which swept through the territory in August.
In a statement, MGM China CEO Grant Bowie said the new resort “has been uniquely and meticulously designed for this market and demonstrates our commitment to supporting Macau’s continued evolution into a global destination for tourism and leisure.”
Among other attractions at MGM Cotai is a HK$100 million art collection that “features over 300 captivating and thought-provoking artworks, including modern and contemporary Asian paintings and sculptures by renowned artists, freshly-commissioned works by local and regional rising talent and large-scale installations,” the company said. “Leading the MGM Cotai Art Collection are 28 Chinese imperial carpets dating from Qing Dynasty that once adorned the Forbidden City in Beijing.”
After MGM Cotai, the only major property still to come in Cotai is SJM Holdings’ Lisboa Palace, expected to open in 2019.
