Perhaps the last place you would expect to find lifesize replicas of London’s Big Ben and Houses of Parliament would be on the south coast of China.
But in Macau, a semi-autonomous city an hour’s ferry ride from Hong Kong, a shrine to the UK’s capital is about to be unveiled in the form of The Londoner, a £1.6bn mega resort that aims to offer visitors the best of London and British hospitality under one gigantic roof.
Located on Macau’s Cotai Strip, Asia’s equivalent of the Las Vegas Strip, The Londoner will see its grand opening this Thursday, with football star David Beckham flying in to kick off celebrations.
Sands China, the management team behind The Londoner, say they opted for the London theme as it’s a popular city with travellers the world over.
“We conducted extensive research and based on the results, we strategically branded the property with a British theme as London is one of the most popular destinations for world travellers with many iconic landmarks,” said Dr Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd. “We are bringing the best of London to Macau. And we are confident that The Londoner will become another must-see destination in Macau designed to welcome visitors from around the world.”
Those who visit The Londoner will first notice its eye-catching exterior, which features a massive replica of the UK Houses of Parliament and a lifesize, 96-metre recreation of Big Ben that chimes every hour.
Inside, visitors can choose from 6,000 rooms across five hotels, as well as three spas, more than 40 dining options and a host of British-themed attractions. Among them, the “Black Cab Escape” takes visitors on an adventure inside a London taxi with a hologram of David Beckham. Meanwhile, the resort’s main Crystal Palace lobby atrium features a six-minute Changing of the Guard display with artists, special effects and music several times per day.
In his role as brand ambassador for The Londoner, Beckham has worked with London interior design firm David Collins Studio to design 14 exclusive by-invite-only suites that range in size from 113 to 298 square metres. The Suites by David Beckham, which feature framed photos of the footballer and monogrammed DB pillows, are located on the top two floors of the resort’s The Londoner Hotel.
Macau is the only city in China where casino gambling is legal, and The Londoner is the latest opening in a series of themed resorts inspired by famous European cities, including The Parisian Macao, complete with replica Eiffel Tower, and The Venetian Macao, with a version of Venice’s Grand Canal.
While The Londoner is primarily targeted at tourists from mainland China, Macau’s biggest visitor group, experts in the local tourism industry say that with its nod to all things British, The Londoner could also pique the interest of locals, expats and international tourists.
“I will visit and I believe many of the Brits I know who live locally or in neighbouring Hong Kong will want to visit The Londoner as well,” says Glenn McCartney, a local expat who works as a Professor of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management at the University of Macau.
“It’s been well thought out in terms of the overall experience. There’s a lot of storytelling about British landmarks and historical figures as you walk through the resort, even down to the design of some of the restaurants like Churchill’s Table that has been inspired by Sir Winston Churchill. There’s attention to detail.”
But not everyone is thrilled about the “little London” in their city. Some locals say they would have preferred casino operators to invest in something that reflects Macau and its native culture, as opposed to the current trend of duplicating Las Vegas, casino resort by casino resort, with the only objective of making easy money.
“Out of nowhere, Macau has an Eiffel tower, a Venetian [hotel], and now a miniature version of London,” says Wang Yuk Fong, a local marketing professional. “From our vantage point as culturally conscious citizens, we’d prefer something that says something about Macau and our local culture, but I confess I will probably take my kids there and I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.”