"Biggest," "fastest," "tallest." All are familiar adjectives that China, from the mainland to Hong Kong and Macau, is vigorously projecting as it pursues its "peaceful rise." The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, modeled after its American sister, The Venetian in Las Vegas, is no exception to this rule of superlatives.
Opened in August 2007, this 40-story, $1.8 billion dollar behemoth of a resort appears to be made for big spenders, but the Venetian Macao also accommodates groups, budget travelers and gamers. In fact, there may just be something for everyone somewhere inside the 10,500,000 sq ft (975,482 sq m) hotel. Big enough to hold ninety Boeing 747 jumbo jets, The Venetian is alleged to be the largest single-structure hotel building in Asia and the second largest building by area in the world.
With miles of suites (3,000 in total), vast convention facilities and the largest casino in the world (550,000 sq ft or 51 097 sq m) featuring 34,000 slot machines, 800 gambling tables and an area for concerts and sporting events that seats 15,000, none can say that The Venetian Macao is not impressive, at least by the numbers.
Beyond mere numbers, the Venetian continues to astound. One area of the hotel grounds, for example, is home to a full-scale replica of one of Venice's most scenic districts, complete with gondolas, gondoliers and canals. In another area, the ceiling is painted in a fairly convincing imitation of the sky—a post-postmodern baroque extravagance that has put a crick in more than one rubbernecking guest's neck.
In short, if you like the kind of spectacular diversion on offer in Las Vegas or at Disneyland, The Venetian Macao will not disappoint. Indeed, the Venetian sometimes feels a bit like Macau's answer to Hong Kong Disneyland, offering a mix of family-friendly fun and adult-oriented gaming and entertainment that's likely to leave even skeptics with a clear sense that they've witnessed something that is very China, very 21st century, and very much a crystalization of all that globalization in all of its excesses has wrought.
In the brief time it's been open, the resort has already hosted a number of big-name concerts, including the Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce, The Pussycat Dolls, The Police and Celine Dion, and the Venetian will undoubtedly continue to attract international performing artists, as well as world-class sporting events, for years to come.
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