Raising the roof

Macau adds another capstone to its long list of world records and honorifics with The Spectacle, casino resort MGM Cotai’s tech-savvy, landscaped atrium space.

- Al Gerard De La Cruz

Macau has never been a stranger to superlatives. The second richest territory on earth is the Las Vegas of Asia, but with three times the American city’s gambling revenue.

The one-time Portuguese territory is also linked to Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Zhuhai by the world’s longest bridge over water, which opened in October. It birthed the world’s first fusion cuisine and holds the highest commercial bungee jump facility on earth.

In January, the Guinness World Records proclaimed the self-supporting, free-span grid shell glazed roof over The Spectacle—a USD37 million atrium space at casino resort MGM Cotai—as the world’s largest. It is the latest in a long line of firsts and superlatives at the USD3.4 billion property opened by MGM China Holdings Limited last year.

This is neither MGM China’s first rodeo with the world record database—nor its first lion dance. MGM Cotai’s sister property, MGM Grand Macau (China), had snatched the Guinness twice for The Winston, a MOP94,880 (USD11,777) cocktail, and a 113.3-kilogram dancing lion.

“When we conceptualise about MGM Cotai, we want to make it a new ‘go-to’ attraction for Macau, to create something more innovative, bigger, and more appealing,” says Grant Bowie, the company’s chief executive officer and executive director.