My first sighting of the Venetian Macao came in 2008 when, after checking into the old Grand Waldo – now the site of Broadway – I was greeted outside my hotel window by a huge expanse of barren land contrasted starkly by one enormous structure.
Just how big it really was became more evident a few days later when I decided to walk there in the middle of a hot summer day. By the time I finally arrived an hour or so later I felt like a broken down camper finding his oasis after three weeks lost in the desert! Nevertheless, my fatigue was quickly forgotten once I walked inside – re- placed instead by a sense of awe at both the huge scale of the property and the incredible attention to detail paid throughout. To this day I still find myself staring up at the ceiling art whenever I walk through the main lobby.
This month the Venetian celebrates 10 years since it became the first Integrated Resort to open on a parcel of reclaimed land between Taipa and Coloane. And having thrust Macau onto the world stage back in 2007, it’s fitting that the Venetian remains the grand centre point of the glitzy Cotai Strip that has grown around it.
Ben Blaschke
Editor-in-Chief
