Sands China announced in a regulatory filing that the Sheraton Grand Macao, its 4,000-room hotel in Cotai, is being converted into the Londoner Grand, with the Sheraton brand exiting Macao later in 20241.
The Sheraton Grand Macao occupies two towers above the Londoner, a UK-themed integrated resort owned by Sands China1. Since it opened in 2012, the five-star hotel was both the largest hotel in Macao and the largest Sheraton in the world, according to the report1. Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is a US international hotel chain owned by Marriott International1.
The revamped hotel will reportedly hold 2,405 rooms, down from the Sheraton Grand Macao's roughly 4,000, but that figure includes 1,500 suites, a large increase on the Sheraton Grand Macao's 360 suites1. Much of the Sheraton Grand Macao is currently closed because of the renovation, which has also temporarily closed the Londoner Grand Casino and weighed on Sands China's second quarter results1. As of late July, rooms at the Sheraton Grand Macao were still listed on accommodation booking websites, but could not be reserved from late September onwards1.
In the filing, Sands China said part of the Londoner Grand hotel would open in December 2024, the same month the Londoner Grand Casino was scheduled to reopen1.
"We plan the completion of the first tower by year end 2024, and of the second tower by May 2025."
Sources familiar with the matter said the Londoner Grand would soft-open by the end of September, earlier than the filing implies1.
What it means for players
The Londoner Grand Casino sits inside the Londoner, so its temporary closure removes one gaming floor from the Cotai strip for the duration of the work1. Players heading to the Londoner during this period will find the casino shut, though the wider integrated resort and its other facilities are not described as closed1. The hotel side matters for anyone who books around a gaming trip: Sheraton Grand Macao rooms were still bookable in late July but unavailable from late September, so reservations under that name will not be an option later in the year1. When the casino reopens, it will do so under the Londoner Grand name rather than the Sheraton name, and the hotel will carry 1,500 suites against 360 before, a change in the mix of rooms on offer1. Rules on who may enter Macao casinos and what they may play are unchanged by this announcement and are not addressed in the filing1.
What happens next
Sands China plans to complete the first tower by the end of 2024 and the second by May 20251. The Londoner Grand Casino was scheduled to reopen in December 2024, the same month part of the hotel was implied to open1. Sources familiar with the matter said a soft opening would come by the end of September 20241. The exact opening date of the hotel and casino has not been reported1.
For background on entering Macao properties, see Can I Gamble in Macau? and Casinos and Integrated Resorts in Asia: Who Can Enter, What You Can Play and the Rules Inside.
Sources1 sources
- Goodbye Sheraton Macao, welcome Londoner Grand, macaonews.org
