David Beckham Is Designing a Hotel, and Here’s What It Looks Like
Soccer star David Beckham is diving into the world of design and the results are going to be positively posh. (See what I did there?) As the Global Brand Ambassador to Sands China Ltd., he’s already been promoting the company’s family of integrated brands, which include The Venetian Macao and The Parisian Macao on the Cotai Strip, a.k.a. “the Vegas of Asia.”
Now with development plans to open The Londoner Macao progressively over 2020 and 2021, the region will get a full-fledged taste of British luxury, with Beckham at the helm of the unveiling. The property itself will be modelled off of key landmarks whose exterior will include the Palace of Westminster, Houses of Parliament, and Elizabeth Tower with its hallmark clock face.
Inside, guests will be welcomed with a stylish and sophisticated aesthetic that’s married with cozy creature comforts, so think of the Crystal Palace and those charming Victorian manor homes. As for the accommodations (and stay with me here), they are offering four additional hotel brands within this one location (I guess you can’t ever fault the company for not offering enough options to its guests), and they include The Londoner Macao (594 all-suite style rooms),The Londoner apart-hotel (368 apartments), Conrad Macao (654 rooms), Sheraton Grand Macao Hotel (4,001 rooms), and The St. Regis Macao (400 rooms). And yes — Sands China Ltd. owns all of it.
For The Londoner Macao specifically — Beckham has already teased out elements of the new property within his mini-movie; and while exercising his acting chops, in the film he’s seen running around London collecting icons and trinkets to bring to Macao (all while dodging the Paps, of course).
Most of the overall hotel plans will be done in collaboration with a leading interior design firm that is based in London. However, for the aptly named ‘The David Beckham Suites,’ these rooms will be Beckham’s (project) baby; he will take the creative lead on designing the suites that are located on the top two executive floors of The Londoner Macao Hotel. This will be his very first design project — so we wonder whether he’ll consult his stylish wife, Posh a.k.a. Victoria Beckham, to lend her guidance and expertise. When asked about what he envisions for the spaces, he said that “football has been such a large part of my life so I would expect there to be some element of my career in there.”
He also remarks on the massive scale of the project and bringing the vision to life: “London is an incredible city and one I’m proud to call my home…so to create a little bit of London in Macao is exciting. I’m working closely with the Sands team to bring the elements of London that I love to the city of Macao.”
The final plans are still under wraps, with only a few teaser looks of the suites being made available to the media and public — but what is certain is that there will be no expense spared. It’s estimated that the relaunch and reno job will be at least $2.2 billion (USD). With the hefty price tag, the hotel will also include 34,000 square metres of gaming activities; 200 shops (which highlight luxury British heritage brands); British-themed Streetmosphere shows (think of the famous ‘Changing of the Guards’ event at Buckingham Palace); and plentiful feasting a la Macanese fusion food, Chinese Cuisine, Portugese delicacies, and a Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill. As Beckham surmised, “If there’s only one quintessential thing I could bring over from London to Macao, it’s the classic British pub.” In anticipation of the grand opening, I can only say that I’m absolutely chuffed and it’s going to be bloody brilliant.
