Galaxy Macau

Galaxy Macau (Chinese: 澳門銀河綜合渡假城) is a casino resort located on the Cotai Strip, Macau, China. Construction on the Cotai project began in 2002. Its opening was rescheduled several times. Its developer, Galaxy Entertainment Group, announced on 10 March 2011 that the HKD 14.9 billion (US$1.9 billion) resort would officially open on 15 May 2011.[1] The resort is designed by Gary Goddard.[2] The resort consists of six different hotels, each with its own 'theme', Galaxy Macau, Broadway Macau, Banyan Tree, Hotel Okura, The Ritz Carlton and JW Marriott.

Galaxy Macau
澳門銀河綜合渡假城
Galaxy Macau (2011)
Address Galaxy Macau™ Resort, Cotai Strip, Macau, China
Opening date15 May 2011 (15 May 2011)
No. of rooms2,200 (1,500 in Galaxy Hotel, 410 in Hotel Okura Macau and 238 in Banyan Tree Hotel)
Total gaming space550,000 m²
Signature attractionsArtificial beach and wave pool
Notable restaurantsOver 50 outlets
Casino typeLand-Based
OwnerGalaxy Entertainment Group
ArchitectSimon Kwan & Associates
Websitegalaxymacau.com
Galaxy Macau
Traditional Chinese澳門銀河綜合渡假城
Simplified Chinese澳门银河综合渡假城

History

When the Cotai project's first phase opened in 2011. The 550,000 square metres (5,900,000 sq ft) property offered around 2,200 hotel rooms comprising the 1,500-room Galaxy Macau hotel tower complete with casino and entertainment areas, as well as two hotel partners, the Japanese-owned 410-room Hotel Okura and the Singapore-operated Banyan Tree Hotel that will have 254 suites.

On 26 April 2012, Galaxy Macau announced that JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels would be added to the Cotai resort.[3] Galaxy's Chief Financial Officer Robert Drake said it would start construction of the two hotels at the end of 2013 and begin operations gradually from 2016 through 2018.[4]

According to a presentation released by Galaxy Entertainment, the total investment for Galaxy Phase 2 was estimated to be 16 billion HKD with construction completion scheduled for mid-2015. Phase 2 would consist of 450,000 square metres (4,800,000 sq ft) of new resort space, an additional 3600 hotel rooms and increasing the casino table count by 500.[5]

Attractions

Grand Resort Deck with wave pool and artificial beach

The Grand Resort Deck offers scheduled all-day water activities. It was expanded in May 2015 to 75,000 square meters. It can be used by the Galaxy Hotel guests (at any one of the 6 hotels). Day passes are also sold to non-hotel guests. The grand resort deck[6]

Fortune Diamond

Every 20 minutes, the Diamond Lobby's main attraction, the fountain displays a giant Fortune Diamond, accompanied with music. This show spans 5 minutes.

At the start of the show, the accompanying music begins and the fountain exteriors are raised with the above chandeliers raising as well, to cover for the diamond rising. Then, the exterior fountain drops to reveal a large diamond spinning around with overhead lamps shining across it, displaying several colours. After its spin, the fountain exteriors raise again to hide the diamond and the fountain exteriors drop to its normal positions, thus ending the show.

Jeremy Railton, President of Entertainment Design Corp, commented, "It's a metaphor for wishing casino goers eternal luck and prosperity."[7][8]

Wishing Crystals

The lobby also houses a series of "crystals" that float above a pool of water. The decorations have motion sensor technology that triggers special visual effects when guests come close. When all the "crystals" are activated, good luck symbols flash from the "crystals" and reflect in the water.[9]

Gold Leaf Cupolas
Galaxy Hotel Macau, Poolside

There are 6 gold-covered cupolas at the top of the two towers of Galaxy Macau.[10] Four of them measure 15 metres (49 ft) high and the other two at 24 metres (79 ft).[11]

Galaxy Laserama

The gold-leaf cupolas of Galaxy Macau feature a laser show system which projects laser beams into the sky every 15 minutes. It is claimed to be the largest laser show in the world and is visible across Macau.

UA Galaxy Cinemas

On 15 December 2011, Galaxy Macau opened UA Galaxy Cinemas & East Square. Action star Jet Li and director-producer Tsui Hark were among the VIP guests to celebrate the occasion. The opening programme included the premiere of Tsui's latest work, The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 3D, China's first 3D wuxia movie, which stars Li, Zhou Xun, Chen Kun and Gwei Lun-mei.[12]

Hotels in Galaxy Macau
HotelsManagement
Hotel Okura MacauOkura Hotels & Resorts
Banyan Tree MacauBanyan Tree Holdings Limited
Galaxy MacauGalaxy Macau
JW Marriott MacauJW Marriott Hotels & Resorts
The Ritz-Carlton, MacauJW Marriott Hotels & Resorts

Future development

On 9 January 2014, Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd announced that the Michelin 3 Star 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana restaurant will be a feature at Galaxy Macau's under construction Ritz-Carlton hotel.[13]

The next three phases of Galaxy Macau is estimated to cost $70 to $80 billion HKD according to the 21st Century Business Herald reports. These phases would be focused on entertainment, culture and sport rather than gaming and gambling. The next hotel may will be The Intercontinental Macau ( 澳門洲際酒店 ) and The Hilton Hotel Macau (澳門希爾頓酒店).

See also

References
  1. Galaxy to open Cotai resort on May 15. Archived 12 August 2012 at WebCite 11 March 2011 09:06:00 Tiago Azevedo. Macau Daily Times
  2. Asia Theme Park Boom Is Big Business for Designers By Kelvin Chan Business Writer HONG KONG 21 July 2011 (AP)
  3. "Galaxy Macau(TM) Phase 2 -- A New Chapter Begins". prnewswire.com. 26 April 2012.
  4. Vinicy Chan (22 May 2013). "Galaxy to Spend Up to HK$60 Billion in Casino Expansion". Bloomberg.com.
  5. Galaxy Entertainment Group (26 April 2012). "GALAXY MACAU PHASE 2 A new chapter BEGINS" (PDF). Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  6. http://www.galaxymacau.com/en/relax/grand-resort-deck
  7. Entertainment Design Corp
  8. Galaxy reschedules Macau mega resort opening to 2011 23 August 2010 Macau News
  9. New $1.9 Billion Galaxy Resort in Macau Dazzles visitors with a Pair of Attractions designed by Four-Time Emmy Winner Jeremy Railton. Archived 14 May 2012 at WebCite 27 June 2011 Entertainment Design Corporation
  10. Galaxy Macau celebrates topping-out Archived 7 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine 16 February 2011 Macau Business
  11. WOW Features at Galaxy Macau Archived 22 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Galaxy Macau Official Website.
  12. A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES GRAND OPENING OF UA GALAXY CINEMAS & EAST SQUARE, GALAXY MACAU Prestige Hong Kong. 15 December 2011.
  13. "Galaxy Macau to have an 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana". Macau Business. 9 January 2014. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014.

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