The Londoner Macau opening delayed
Sands China announced it will postpone opening of The Londoner Macao. The internal renovations have largely been completed, but the company wants to wait until the number of guests crossing Macau’s border increases. The schedule for a soft opening for the venue will be determined by the numbers in the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), once it resumes.
The venue was planned to open in September.
Despite nearby Guangdong Province easing restrictions for travel and removing mandatory quarantine for Macau’s visitors since mid-July, visitor numbers are still down because IVSs are still not available and COVID-19 cases coming from Hong Kong also creates new restrictions for travellers from the city.
Sands China president Wilfred Wong said, “The hotel occupancy rate is still low. The Londoner Macao’s rooms and facilities will be ready in the third quarter, but it won’t help drive the company’s performance as visitor numbers remain at a very low level.”
A good launch is important to the company as Sands China lost more than $500m in Q2. Sands China launched several activities to promote the casino but stated it only brings in a small amount of visitors.
The Londoner Macao was previously under the name Sands Cotai Central, and cost $2.2bn to transform it. With internal transformation nearly completed, the venue’s external renovation should be finished in 2021.
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