Marina Bay Sands has announced design and programme enhancements to its expansion project. Full-scale construction of the project is anticipated to begin by July 2025 with targeted completion by July 2029.
The expansion is designed by Safdie Architects, led by Moshe Safdie, who were the architects of the existing property. It will include a luxury hotel tower with a sky roof, a 15,000-seat entertainment arena and additional premium MICE as well as new food and beverage and nightlife offerings. The state-of-the-art arena is designed to be the leading live entertainment venue in Asia and is intended to deliver world class premium hospitality experiences.
Singapore has recently played hosts to global pop icons such as Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars who all performed at sold-out concerts.
Marina Bay Sands’ expansion will play an important role in driving additional inbound travel to Singapore. The arena will help attract top entertainers from Asia and around the world who previously may not have included Southeast Asia on their tours, while the additional MICE space will help attract more new-to-Singapore events.
“With the ongoing support of the Singapore Government, this development will further enhance the leisure and business tourism appeal of Singapore. It optimises the site’s programming elements and is designed to drive high-value tourism growth to Singapore,” said Patrick Dumont, President and Chief Operating Officer of Marina Bay Sands’ parent company, Las Vegas Sands.
“The all-suite hotel tower will set new standards of hospitality, the state-of-the-art arena will help attract the highest-calibre global entertainment events and artists, and the additional convention and exhibition space will extend the success of Singapore as a leading MICE destination. This significant investment in Singapore will help ensure Marina Bay Sands is ideally positioned to grow its economic, employment and visitorship contributions in the years ahead”.
The expansion project is separate from a US$1.75 billion reinvestment in the existing property. The largest reinvestment since Marina Bay Sands’ opening in 2010, it has already seen the complete refurbishment of Hotel Towers 1 and 2, in addition to new dining offerings and luxury lifestyle amenities for high-value travellers.
Refurbishment work is now focusing on Hotel Tower 3, in addition to the Hotel Lobby and Sands SkyPark. It will include a reimagined VIP arrival experience, new premium dining and retail offerings, lobby transformation and renewed focus on wellness experiences for guests.
Since opening in 2010 at a development cost of US$5.6 billion, Marina Bay Sands has provided significant benefits to Singapore’s tourism sector, with over 470 million people having visited the resort since its opening. The resort has also meaningfully contributed to the business tourism appeal of Singapore, having hosted more than 1,750 new-to-Singapore MICE events since the opening of Marina Bay Sands.
Marina Bay Sands has also benefited the economy of Singapore through the creation of new jobs and support for local businesses including small- and medium-sized enterprises. The integrated resort directly employs more than 11,500 Team Members, with the figure expected to rise progressively in the years ahead to support the expansion of the resort.
