The St. Regis Macao

The St. Regis Macao opened in December 2015 on Estrada do Istmo, on the Cotai Strip of Macau, as the fourth hotel tower of what was then Sands Cotai Central and is now The Londoner Macao. It has 400 rooms and suites in a 38-storey tower, and at its opening it was the largest St. Regis in the world.

In Cotai, that makes it a small hotel.

A house inside a resort

The complex around it counts thousands of rooms across several brands, and the St. Regis keeps its distance with its own entrance, a bronze staircase under a blown-glass chandelier, and the brand's butler service, available around the clock. The decoration draws on Macau's past as a seaport, in murals, silk screens and carpets in the blue and yellow of Portuguese tiles. Rooms start at about 53 square metres, with marble bathrooms and walk-in wardrobes, and the Presidential Suite has three bedrooms and its own gym.

The Manor and the bar

The Manor, on the first floor, is the hotel's restaurant, divided into separate rooms: a bistro-style Verandah with an indoor garden, a Wine Gallery, a Library, a private Dining Room and a Penthouse Kitchen with its own chef. Its cooking is now Mediterranean, built around seafood. The St. Regis Bar is panelled in wood and painted with a mural of cranes and lotus flowers; its Bloody Mary, as at every St. Regis, has a local version, the Maria do Leste, served with an egg tart.

The Iridium Spa is on the top floor, with views over the Strip, and the outdoor pool has private cabanas on a large deck. Guests can also use the facilities of the wider resort.

Macau's Cotai hotels are an exhibition of architecture in their own right, which OKYTO has looked at in its essay on the city's hotel buildings. The old city, with the Historic Centre of Macao, is a short drive north across Taipa.

Sources: Sands China, via Hotel Online; Hospitality Design; The Londoner Macao; Forbes Travel Guide.