Macao's newest luxury hotel has opened its doors.

The $2.4bn Venetian Macao is the largest single structure hotel in Asia and the second largest building in the world.

Like its sister-property in Las Vegas, The Venetian Macao is a renaissance Venice-themed property featuring stunning replicas of Venice landmarks such as St. Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace, Campanile Tower, and three indoor canals with gondolas and singing gondoliers.

The hotel has 3,000 all-suite guest rooms and with one million square feet of retail space, which is more than any shopping mall in Hong Kong, The Venetian Macao now becomes a major destination for the region's top shoppers.

William Weidner, Las Vegas Sands: "The Venetian Macao is truly a destination within itself and its presence will help Macao realize its future as a multi-day stay leisure and business destination for millions of people across the region."

The casino floor, at 550,000 square feet, is the largest in the world and is home to 870 table games and more than 3,400 slot machines.

The facility also features the 15,000-seat Venetian Arena, which made its debut by holding the hotel's star-studded Grand Opening event on Monday 28 August.

In the coming weeks, the arena will also play host to a pair of NBA exhibition games and a match-up of tennis legends Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.

"In this day and age its commonplace to throw around phrases like historic, groundbreaking, and revolutionary," said Sheldon Adelson, chairman and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Sands, the parent company of The Venetian Macao.

"But it is no overstatement to say that the opening of The Venetian Macao represents a massive paradigm shift for Macao and the future of tourism development in Asia."

The Venetian Macao also has 1.2 million-square feet of meeting, convention and exhibition space, more than twice the amount of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The facility features the largest pillar-less ballroom in Asia and has the catering facilities to provide a five-course banquet for 15,000 guests.

Early next year, the 1,800 seat Venetian Theatre will open featuring an original production from world-renowned Cirque du Soleil.

"All of the amazing offerings inside The Venetian make it not only the first fully integrated resort in Macao, they make the building the first-of- its kind anywhere in Asia," said William Weidner, president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands.

"The Venetian Macao is truly a destination within itself and its presence will help Macao realize its future as a multi-day stay leisure and business destination for millions of people across the region."

The article Luxury hotel for Macao originally appeared on 999 Today