Galaxy Macau
Cotai, Macau

OWNER: Galaxy Entertainment Group
ARCHITECT: Gary Goddard Entertainment Design
INTERIOR DESIGNER: Alan Chan Design
INTERIOR ARCHITECT: Steelman Partners
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Shanghai Construction Group
TOTAL INVESTMENT: $2 billion

The opening of Galaxy Macau was a milestone for the owner, Galaxy Entertainment Group. Possibly the least known of the six companies operating in Macau, Galaxy had already made its mark in the Peninsula area of the city with its StarWorld, a casino resort that held its own alongside Wynn Macau and MGM Grand Macau.
   
But moving to the Cotai Strip was another level entirely, where Galaxy’s competition is Sands China’s Venetian Macao and Four Seasons Macao and Melco Crown’s City of Dreams. Galaxy Macau again gives no quarter.
   
The design creates an entertainment experience upon arrival by incorporating the crowning cupolas on every corner of the buildings. The amenities then take over, from the world’s largest rooftop wave pool to more than 50 restaurants.
   
The “Asian-centric” theme of the property is designed to appeal to Macau’s largest customer base, the Chinese and other Asian cultures.
   
“All facilities at Galaxy Macau are designed to appeal to guests from Asia and around the world who want to experience authentic Asian service culture and offerings,” says Galaxy Vice Chairman Francis Lui.
   
Two Asian-branded hotels make customers feel at home. Singapore-based Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts and Okura Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Japan’s most prominent hotel company, both debut their first Macau product. Banyan Tree also brings with it the first Banyan Tree Spa outside China’s Pearl River Delta. At 2,800 square meters, the Banyan Tree Spa Macau—the biggest in the Banyan Tree group—will include 21 treatment rooms as well as a private spa floor for its hotel guests.
   
At a total investment of HK$15.5 billion (US$2 billion), the 550,000-square-meter Galaxy Macau’s most prominent feature is the property’s spectacular 52,000-square-meter Grand Resort Deck. A 350-ton white sand beach frames the 4,000-square-meter Skytop Wave Pool—the world’s largest of its kind—which generates waves that reach as high as 1.5 meters. Several pools, tropical and Japanese gardens, a traditional Japanese tea pavilion and private cabanas dot the Grand Resort Deck area, making it attractive for private and corporate functions.
   
As yet another addition to Macau’s goal of attracting a mass market, Galaxy Macau will do the job. But just in case, it has a wide selection of VIP rooms that will host the high-rollers who have made Macau the fastest-growing gaming destination over the past decade.

By Roger Gros

Roger Gros is publisher of Casino Connection International, LLC. Global Gaming Business magazine, and Casino Connection Atlantic City are among the monthly publications Gros publishes. Prior to joining CCI, Gros was president of Inlet Communications, an independent consulting firm. He was vice president of Casino Journal Publishing Group from 1984-2000, and held virtually every editorial title during his tenure. Gros was editor of Casino Journal, the National Gaming Summary and the Atlantic City Insider, and was the founding editor of Casino Player magazine. He was a co-founder of the American Gaming Summit and the Southern Gaming Summit conferences and trade shows. He is the author of the best-selling book, How to Win at Casino Gambling (Carlton Books, 1995), now in its third edition. Gros was named “Businessman of the Year” for 1998 by the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce.