Macao opens $2 billion resort with a giant copy of London’s Big Ben

Tourists in Asia no longer have to take long haul flights to visit the UK’s Big Ben or to snap a shot of London’s iconic red double-decker bus.

They can now do the same in Macao, the so-called Las Vegas of Asia.

The Londoner Macao, a British-themed luxury casino resort in the Chinese gambling hub, held its grand opening ceremony on Thursday.

And English football celebrity David Beckham was there to grace the event. 

The Chinese gambling city has added yet another luxury casino resort along Cotai Strip, a term that Las Vegas Sands uses to refer to an alley lined with hotel casinos, shopping centers and theaters.

“You can’t get a better hotel room than what we’ve put in the Londoner. You can’t get better spa experience, you can’t get better food experience,” Las Vegas Sands CEO Robert Goldstein told CNBC on Thursday.

He said the opening of hotel “exemplifies our commitment to quality,” and added: “The rooms are as good as they are anywhere in the world.”

The resort has been operational for the last two years, but its opening was delayed due to strict Covid-19 restrictions and travel rules.  

The $2 billion resort holds replicas of the UK’s iconic buildings. They include the Palace of Westminster, the British prime minister’s official residence on 10 Downing Street, and the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, among other monuments in London.

Las Vegas Sands owns The Londoner Macao, along with The Venetian Macao, The Parisian Macao, Sands Maco, and The Plaza Macao & Four Seasons Hotel Macao — all located along the Cotai Strip, the company website showed. 

Replicas of famous European landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Venice’s grand canal can be seen at the other hotels. 

Goldstein is proud that the luxury resort developer has brought Italy, France and England to Macao, a Chinese special administrative region. 

“Who doesn’t love Paris? It seemed like a natural fit to me to finish off the triumvirate of Italian, French, and then English,” Goldstein said. 

The biggest highlight for visitors to The Londoner Macao is no doubt the “Changing of the Guard entertainment extravaganza,” according…