Starwood to Build St. Regis in Macau

Starwood Hotels & Resorts reached an agreement on Thursday with Las Vegas Sands Corp. to develop a St. Regis and Sheraton in Macau, a city that increasingly is being called the "new Las Vegas." The St. Regis, Starwood's luxury brand, will have 460 rooms and 400 residences and will open in 2009. The 4,000-room Sheraton Macao is expected to open its doors in 2009, and will be the largest hotel on the Cotai Strip, a planned development of resort casino properties. The new properties are only part of a major spurt to develop hotels in Macao. The Venetian Macao is targeting a May 2007 opening and will be joined thereafter by other prominent hotel brands such as Four Seasons, Hilton, Fairmont and Raffles.