After an about eight-year renovation project, the refurbished Grande Hotel Macau on Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro (commonly known as San Ma Lou in Cantonese) was unveiled yesterday, according to JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle) Macau and Zhuhai General Manager Oliver Tong Wai Lok, who told The Macau Post Daily he believed that the boutique hotel will open very soon.
The renovation of the landmark started in April 2017.
Tong made the remarks at the Finance and IT (FIT) Centre of Macau in Nam Van.
According to Tong, the renovated property, which had been vacant since 1996, consists of 96 guestrooms, with its interior retaining its original features.
The high-rise hotel with an over 80-year history was built in 1937 and first opened in 1941, but then closed in the mid-1990s. The current property owner is Hong Kong-based Winford International Investments Limited, which was established in 2006.
Tong said he believed that the legendary hotel will be the top pick for tourists who would like to gain a deeper understanding of Macau’s history.
Notices on the hotel doors yesterday indicated that the renovation project is still in progress, noting that the hotel has not yet opened.
The hotel’s traditional Chinese name is “Gwok Jai” (“International”).
According to the “Memória de Macau” website, the 9-storey hotel was inaugurated on March 7, 1941. At that time, the building was considered to be a “skyscraper”, as then it was the city’s tallest edifice.
This photo taken yesterday shows the entrance to the renovated Grande Hotel Macau on Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro, with notices indicating that the hotel is not yet open. – Photo: Yuki Lei
