Cotai Strip megaproject in Macau ranks as the biggest construction undertaking in Asia

"Getting the timing right is a struggle, even for the most experienced of operators. Take Las Vegas Sands, the American gaming firm whose Cotai Strip megaproject in Macau ranks as the biggest construction undertaking in Asia since Hong Kong built its new airport in the 1990s. Last November, in the fine print of a filing with United States securities regulators, Las Vegas Sands said it expected to spend US$1.8 billion (HK$14 billion) - almost double its previous estimates - on the Venetian Macau, the anchor resort among the more than 20 casino hotels envisioned for the Cotai Strip. It also said the resort will open only in the first quarter of 2007, breaking the promise it made to the Macau government of a June 2006 completion. The first phase of the Cotai Strip project features the Venetian and six other resorts with more than 10,000 guest rooms, meeting and convention facilities, eight theaters able to seat more than 20,000 people and casinos that Las Vegas Sands says will be the most exciting Asia has ever seen." more: