Marina Bay Sands is an Integrated Resort fronting Marina Bay in Singapore. Developed by Las Vegas Sands, it is billed as the world’s most expensive standalone casino property at $8 billion, including cost of the prime land.
With the casino complete, the resort features a 2,561-room hotel, a 1,300,000-square-foot convention-exhibition center, the 800,000-square-foot The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands mall, a museum, two large theaters, seven “celebrity chef” restaurants, two floating Crystal Pavilions, an ice skating rink, and the world’s largest atrium casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines. The complex is topped by a 1,100 ft-long SkyPark with a capacity of 3,900 people and a 500 ft long infinity swimming pool, set on top of the world’s largest public cantilevered platform, which overhangs the north tower by 200 ft. The 20-acre resort was designed by Moshe Safdie Architects.
Originally set to open in 2009, Las Vegas Sands faced delays caused by escalating costs of material and labor shortages from the onset. The severe global financial crisis also pressured the company to delay its projects elsewhere to complete the integrated resort. Although Marina Bay Sands has been compared on scale and development costs to MGM’s CityCenter, the latter is a mixed-use development, with condominium properties (comprising three of the seven main structures) being sold off.
The resort and SkyPark were officially opened on June 23rd and 24th 2010 as part of a two-day celebration, following the casino’s opening on April 27th that year. The SkyPark opened the following day. The theaters were completed in time for the first performance by Riverdance on November 30th. The indoor skating rink, which uses artificial ice, opened to a performance by Michelle Kwan on December 18th. The ArtScience Museum opened to the public and the debut of a 13-minute light, laser and water spectacle called Wonder Full on February 19th, 2011 marked the full completion of the entire Integrated Resort.
The grand opening of Marina Bay Sands was held on February 17th, 2011. It also marked the opening of the seven celebrity chef restaurants. The highly anticipated Broadway musical The Lion King debuted on March 3rd, 2011. The last portion of the Marina Bay Sands, the floating pavilions, were finally opened to the public when the two tenants, Louis Vuitton and Pangaea Club, opened on September 18th and 22nd, 2011 respectively.