Announced last year, the huge expansion of the already impressive Marina Bay Sands offering includes a 570-suite hotel tower, 18,580m2 of event space and a 15,000-seat arena, designed by Populous, the team behind the likes of The Sphere in Las Vegas and London’s O2 Arena.
“With its opening in 2010, our founder Sheldon G. Adelson embarked on a journey in Singapore with Marina Bay Sands and the people of Singapore that promised to change the face of tourism in the region,” said Robert Goldstein, chair and CEO of Sands Las Vegas, which owns Marina Bay Sands.
“Fifteen years later, we have delivered on these ambitions and more.
“It has been truly incredible to witness Mr. Adelson’s vision come to life, and we are proud to carry his legacy forward with today’s groundbreaking ceremony for our new development here.
“We have every intention of delivering a product that will be the envy of the hospitality industry and usher in a new era of luxury tourism in Singapore.”
The hotel tower will be designed by Safdie Architects, the team responsible for the original and now iconic Marina Bay Sands development. On top of the new tower will be the multi-level open air Skyloop offering publicly accessible rooftop gardens and restaurants, in addition to spaces for hotel guests only featuring infinite pools and private cabanas.
“Over the years, Marina Bay Sands has been integral in strengthening Singapore’s position as a major tourism powerhouse,” said Sands’ president and chief operating officer, Patrick Dumont.
“By the time our new ultra-luxury development is complete, we will have invested more than $15 billion since we started operations in Singapore in 2010.
“This speaks volumes about our confidence in this region and the potential that we continue to see in Singapore.
“We are privileged to have benefited over the past 15 years from factors that make Singapore great – excellent infrastructure and a strong and supportive government with a forward-looking vision.
“We are proud of the transformative impact that Marina Bay Sands has had and are highly optimistic about building on this strong foundation.
“Our new development will raise the bar and redefine the ultra-luxury hospitality realm on a global scale, fueling further growth of high-value tourism while our state-of-the-art arena will attract the world’s most popular performers and usher in a new era of live entertainment in the region.
“We look forward to forging a new chapter together and continuing to contribute meaningfully to Singapore’s future success.”
The additions to Marina Bay Sands come alongside a $1.75 billion refurbishment of the three original towers in the development. The precinct also includes Sands Expo and Convention Centre, which comprises 250 meeting rooms and 24 ballrooms.
Over 220 people attended yesterday’s groundbreaking, including Singapore’s prime minister, Lawrence Wong, Sands co-founder, Dr. Miriam Adelson, alongside Goldstein and Dumont.
Construction is expected to be complete in mid-2030.
