George W. Bush didn’t have much luck with the term, but his fellow Republican Sheldon Adelson didn’t shy away from saying “mission accomplished” when referring to the official grand opening of Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. Parent company Las Vegas Sands Corp. has spent the year since the opening in April 2010 debuting subsequent phases.
With the opening of the lotus-shaped ArtScience Museum, all elements of Marina Bay Sands are now open. The casino, the 2000-plus hotel rooms, a dozen restaurants featuring celebrity chefs, a million square feet of meeting and convention space, a huge shopping mall, and the crowning achievement of a seven-acre SkyPark with pools and a spa 55 stories above the street are now in business.
Gaming, says Adelson, is only a part of the attraction. “Our casino accounts for only less than 2 percent of our operations, so it is a very small part,” said Adelson. “Obviously we have so much more to offer.”
Nonetheless, gaming revenue at Marina Bay Sands has been spectacular.
At the same time, Las Vegas Sands has requested more land in the area to continue its growth in Singapore. Adelson says demand is rapidly catching up with supply, and Marina Bay Sands should be at capacity within 18 months.
“The demand that this property has created for MICE is rapidly taking us to the point where we’ll even have to ration space,” said Adelson, referring to the meetings, incentives, conventions and expositions business. “We need all the land we can get. We are burdened by our success.”
