Sheldon Adelson™ has refrained from pre-hyping his Parisian Macao, preferring to let the product speak for itself. It opened last night to the customary fireworks display, as well as a dazzling light show on the megaresort’s half-size Eiffel Tower. Additional va-va-voom has been injected by the engagement of pulchritudinous Bond girl Sophie Marceau as the resort’s poster girl. However, if you thought Adelson had gone all in on Macao, he revealed that his original plan for the Cotai Strip™ entailed 20 casinos — an ambition the Chinese government would not countenance. I mean there’s gambling and then there’s gambling. (Also, Adelson would probably have been in a world of hurt when the bottom fell out of the Macanese market.)
“When the government sent me out to Cotai, I frankly thought they were exiling me because the big activity, the resorts and the gaming, was on the peninsula. So I went back to the government after I went out to Cotai and I said, ‘Where’s the land?’ And they said, ‘Well, it’s under the water.’ And I said, ‘Do I need a helicopter or something to pick it up?’ And they said no, you’ve got to reclaim the land. We had to bring in barge after barge of sand to reclaim the land.” Does one ‘reclaim’ land that never existed or merely displace the ocean? Just wondering.
In any event, despite his lowered expectations for Macao — reported here yesterday — Adelson is still hankering for more Macanese casinos.“We have some ideas for additional work here in Macao, but not any major integrated resorts like the Parisian that we are opening today,” he remarked, Perhaps he’s feeling wistful about 
the casino site that he thought he had but which the government took back, in its own form of ‘reclamation.’ Seemingly contradicting himself, he told reporters, “There doesn’t seem to be too much more growth here. We are aggressively and continuously, let me call it lobbying for other locations throughout the Asia-Pacific countries.” Meanwhile, he took pride in the fact that all his Cotai Strip™ properties are interconnected, sparing guests from having to traipse from one to another in the Pearl River delta’s fetid climate. On the entertainment front, having already failed with Cirque du Soleil™, Adelson is attempting to do Cirque Lite with a Michael Jackson-themed production show called Thriller Live. In a somewhat tasteless bit of architectural garnish, Adelson has crowned his recreation of the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile (France‘s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) with a digital billboard 40 feet high. (That’s Adelson for you: “class” with a capital K.) Worst of all, the “streets” of Parisian will be populated with mime artists. How can Adelson inflict such cruelty upon the unsuspecting Chinese?
As for future resort ideas, Adelson floated the prospect of London– and San Francisco-themed megaresorts. But he said he would only do that in a competitive market. Were he 
someplace with restricted competition, like Singapore, he said he would prefer an “iconic” structure like Marina Bay Sands (although I have it on good authority that the stunning building was practically forced forced upon Adelson after the government rejected a sort of “Venetian Singapore.”) Regarding the appeal of themed resorts as tourists become more cosmopolitan, Adelson replied, “We wouldn’t build a thematic property if we didn’t feel this would truly attract people; in proportionately higher numbers than the non-thematic properties. “If there were five properties that were thematic… it would have a disproportionately high, strong effect of attraction for the customers. The more thematic properties you have collectively the better.”
Adelson has been cautious about predicting a recovery for Macao. At a pre-opening news conference, he said of August’s 1% bounce,”is it sustainable for a long time to come? I can’t 
answer that question, but based upon the pre-bookings we have, based upon the convention bookings we have, I think we have essentially hit the bottom.We’ve gone down gradually and I think we will go up gradually. So, Macao still has very good days to come. I can’t predict what the percentage of growth will be, but I’m optimistic about the future.” Deutsche Bank‘s Karen Tang was less circumspect. “We conclude that Macau is now at the start of a mass-led[gross gaming revenue] recovery. Importantly, both base mass and premium mass are growing again.” One patron told an Associated Press reporter, “Macau gambling is unsustainable because of central government corruption and the overall economic slide.” He then went to wager $450 at the casino.
Also, after MGM Cotai and Lisboa Grand Palace open next year, it looks like Macao will have a good long time to absorb all the new capacity. “We estimate this stage to last till 2030. After 2030, we expect the industry to enter maturity stage, which will be characterized by a steady but low-growth and high-dividend payout,” wrote AM Capital‘s David Williamson. By that point, operators will also know whether their concessions have been renewed or nationalized. In the meantime they’re all going to be on their best behavior.
* Giving equal time to the competition, the Las Vegas Review-Journal took a journalistic joyride on Steve Wynn‘s gondola attraction at Wynn Palace. Rising to a 91-foot apogee, the SkyCabs orbit the water feature in front of Wynn Palace, which correspondent Richard Velotta rates as superior to the aquatic shows at Bellagio and Wynn Macao. 
The two terminals of the route are denoted by giant dragon mouths. It takes 10 minutes to complete the circuit, provided that you have the $12.50 it costs to ride the SkyCabs, which seems rather a buzz kill. As far as interior design, Wynn has gone floral in a big way, deploying at least 186,000 plants.
The casino prides itself on its Chinese aesthetic. “Mr. Wynn has tied the design of the property to Chinese culture and you can see it in all the colors and textures that have been used in the design,” Assistant Director of Public Relations Barry Cheong told Velotta. The latter, duly impressed, wrote that “The development is rich in public art. Wynn acquired tapestries, paintings, sculptures and porcelain Qing Dynasty vases that dot corners of the resort. Rooms, halls and walkways have detailed inlaid tile features.” To accentuate the feeling of splendor, Wynn has laid out wider-than-usual hallways in the hotel and even the most modest room boasts a 65-inch TV set. The four penthouses — 3,900 square feet apiece — are larger than a single-family residence, by far. Unlike Parisian, Wynn Palace is definitely for the high-end customer.
