It’s a common plaint in a state otherwise held up as the model Asian city: “There’s nothing to do in Singapore at night.”
Next time anyone says that, you know they’ve never been to the Marina Bay Sands.
The integrated resort, which opened its doors on June 23, has changed the Singapore skyline permanently, and is set to change the country’s tourism, business, leisure and entertainment industries as well.
“It’s been described with so many superlatives you run out of adjectives,” says Sheldon Adelson, chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp., the Nevada-based company that built the Marina Bay Sands (MBS).
It is now Singapore’s biggest hotel (2,561 rooms and suites) with the highest SkyPark (57 floors up), the best view (360 degrees), the largest MICE facilities (the grand ballroom fits 6,000), the most shops (over 500), the starriest of celebrity chefs (Mario Batali, Wolfgang Puck and Daniel Boulud are three of seven with restaurants) and, of course, the hottest nightclubs (Pangaea and Avalon, the Hollywood club co-owned by Bruce Willis).
“Everyone who sees the Marina Bay Sands, the first thing they say is ‘Wow,’” Adelson says.
Adelson is the Vegas entrepreneur who helped transform Sin City into an international leisure and business center. His Las Vegas Sands currently owns and operates The Venetian and The Palazzo Resort-Hotel Casinos, the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas and the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Eastern Pennsylvania.
He also jumpstarted the development of the Cotai Strip in Macau with The Venetian, The Sands, and the Four Seasons Hotel.
“Marina Bay Sands is much more than just a casino,” he says. “It’s broken the mold. For 75 years in Las Vegas, people were very casino-centric. There were hotel rooms, maybe a spa, but nothing like the quality of Banyan Tree. There were no mini-bars, double sinks or safe; everything was designed to push you through the casino.”
Now the casino has become a destination, not the hub. And the Marina Bay Sands is a micro-city that has become the place to see and be seen. During opening night, Motown legend Diana Ross walked the red carpet, along with celebrities like singer Kelly Rowland, chef Bobby Chinn, and Singaporean Minister of State Lee Yi Shyan.
Extreme stuntmen scaled the three towers of the 200-meter hotel like Spider-Men, fireworks were shot off, and VIPs studded the gala dinner where the divine Miss Ross performed. It was grand, Vegas-style spectacle in Singapore.
“It’s a brand-new start in the world of entertainment for grownups,” Adelson says. “Marina Bay Sands will be the benchmark by which all other tourism projects will be judged.”
Here are 10 reasons to rave:
1.The hotel is a design wonder. Architect Moshe Safdie’s three sloping towers topped by a dramatically cantilevered SkyPark has reminded viewers of everything from cricket stumps to a modern Noah’s ark perched on three mountaintops. One thing’s for sure: it’s an iconic structure that Singapore will be identified by, just as the Eiffel Tower identifies Paris. Safdie, whose projects include the US Institute of Peace headquarters in Washington, DC, integrated his design with the bayside and set the 55-floor buildings back to maintain a pedestrian scale. “The hotel would have been a wall that separated the city from the sea, so I separated the hotel into three towers with openings, forming a gateway to Singapore.”
2.The 1.2-hectare SkyPark adds to the wow factor. As long as the largest aircraft carrier in the world, the park features a 150-meter-long infinity pool, landscaped gardens, an observation deck with a wraparound view of Singapore’s skyscrapers, and chef Justin Quek’s restaurant The Sky on 57.
3. Seven of the world’s best chefs are under one roof. Chefs Daniel Boulud (New York), Mario Batali (New York), Wolfgang Puck (Los Angeles), Guy Savoy (Paris), Santi Santamaria (Barcelona), Tetsuya Wakuda (Sydney) and Justin Quek (Singapore) helm restaurants (see box) that make up a fraction of over 50 dining options, including bistros and a food court.
4. It will have the biggest Louis Vuitton store outside France. “It’s a unique concept: the only luxury ‘island’ store in the world,” says Jean-Baptiste Debains, president of Louis Vuitton Asia-Pacific. The one-of-a-kind store will be housed in a “floating” crystal pavilion accessed through a walkway in the bay. Other luxury retailers making up The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands include Manolo Blahnik, Chanel, Gucci, Hermes, Miu Miu, Prada and Yves Saint Laurent. New brands they are launching include Wolford, Anne Fontaine, Henry Cotton’s and Stefano Ricci.
5. It has the coolest clubs to dance, lounge or throw private parties in. Nightlife kings Michael Ault and Steve Adelman chose MBS as the venue for lounge Pangaea and dance club Avalon, respectively, “because Singapore is a great economy and political power in the most exciting part of the world,” Adelman says. Like the LV store, both clubs will be glass-and-steel “islands” that appear to float on the bay. “We’re the only club with our own fleet of boats, and lifeguards/bouncers in one,” Adelman adds. “Avalon is known for touring international DJs so our big-room dance experience will be based on that.”
6. Its casino offers 24/7 gaming. Four levels of roulette, blackjack, baccarat sic bo tables and slot machines make up a gambler’s paradise (minimum bet is S$25). The slots feature the latest in video poker, sic bo and roulette. High rollers and members have access to 30 private gaming rooms and gourmet privileges at the celebrity-chef restaurants. As if that wasn’t enough, the centerpiece of the opulent gold décor is one of the world’s largest Swarovski-crystal chandeliers.
8. It’s a great place to meet and do business. At 1.3 million square feet, the Sands Expo and Convention Center is the largest in Singapore, with the capacity to accommodate up to 45,000 delegates, 2,000 exhibition booths and 250 meeting rooms. Its ballroom is Southeast Asia’s biggest, with banquet space for 6,600 people and up to 11,000 for an auditorium-style lecture.
9. It’s a cultural landmark. The lotus-shaped Art Science Museum fronting the resort looks like a giant work of art, and will hold the choicest exhibitions from around the world. The Art Path features 10 installations by world-renowned artists Antony Gormley, Sol Lewitt, Chongbin Zheng, Ned Kahn, James Carpenter and Zhan Wang.
10. It has a Banyan Tree Spa. This flagship urban oasis, set to open by mid-October, is the first Banyan Tree in Singapore, offering a “hi-touch, low-tech experience,” according to Claire Chiang, senior vice president of Banyan Tree Holdings Ltd. “In Singapore there is no mountain or hill, but the spa will be on the 55th floor, 200 meters above ground level with a spectacular panoramic view, providing a unique experience to our customers.” The spa will offer its brand of luxurious, Asian-inspired therapies, strengthening Banyan Tree’s position as the premium spa operator in Asia.