Most of Macau's hotels are located in the city of Macau on the peninsula, providing convenient access to most of Macau's sights. For a more relaxed getaway, however, there are a few hotels on the islands, mostly in a resort setting.
Of course, big spenders will have many new options in hotel accommodations over the next few years, beginning with the mega Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel (www.venetianmacao.com), opening in COTAI in mid-2007 with 3,000 rooms, 30 restaurants, and more than 350 shops, all in a Venice-themed setting complete with canals and even gondolas. MGM Grand Macau, with both a hotel and casino, is slated to open in late 2007. Other hotel properties muscling in on the action over the next few years are Hilton, Four Seasons, Conrad, Shangri-La, Hyatt, and Sheraton. In all, the Macau government expects the current 11,000 rooms now available to increase by 39,000 new rooms over the next 10 years. For updated information on the rapidly changing hotel scene, contact the Macau Government Tourist Office.
In addition to the room rates given here (which are the same whether you pay in Hong Kong dollars or in patacas), there is a 10% hotel service charge and a 5% government tax. Except for some of the moderate and inexpensive hotels, most charge the same price for single or double occupancy. However, as in Hong Kong, the prices given below are rack rates; you should be able to bargain for a better rate, especially in the off season. If you plan on visiting Macau during Chinese New Year, Easter, summer holidays (July/Aug), the two major holidays for mainland Chinese (the so-called Golden Week following May 1 and in autumn for up to 10 days from Oct 1), or the Grand Prix in November, you should book well in advance. Weekends can also be quite busy. Otherwise, you shouldn't have any difficulty securing a room even on short notice, though if you have a specific hotel in mind it's always a good idea to reserve in advance. Because most of Macau's hotels have reservations facilities in Hong Kong, I've included the Hong Kong reservation telephone numbers when available.
