“Most expensive hotel in the world” reopens in Macau after years of financial difficulties

The five-star development combines modern architecture with European baroque aesthetics and offers 199 suites, all with private elevators and personalized room service available at any time.

O hotel The 13 Palace in Macau, once described as one of the most expensive and luxurious buildings ever built in the world, has reopened after years of closures and changes of ownership.

According to the hotel’s online platform, reservations are available from this Monday, with prices between 3,900 patacas (450 euros) and 6,500 patacas (750 euros) per night.

Designed in 2013 by Hong Kong businessman Stephen Hung as “The 13 Hotel”, the project was the target of an investment of 1.4 billion dollars (1.3 billion euros), with an average cost of seven million dollars (6.5 million euros) per room, having already been designated as “the most expensive hotel in the world”.

The hotel’s design was created in collaboration with architects and designers from Japan, Hong Kong and the United States, including renowned American architect Peter Marino.

The property targeted the VIP gaming sector, which at the time represented the largest percentage of local casino revenues, and was expected to include up to 66 VIP gaming tables.

However, the hotel was never able to obtain a casino license in Macau, with the opening successively delayed and with Hung’s eventual departure from the project in 2018.

The hotel partially opened in 2018 without a casino and suspended operations in 2020with the company that owns it, The 13 Holdings, changing its name to South Shore Holdings, and facing serious financial problems until a court declares bankruptcy in 2023.

In June last year, the hotel was sold for 600 million Hong Kong dollars (69 million euros) to Chang Fu Investment Ltd, a company linked to the family of the Macau hotel businessman, Loi Snail Snailwhich carried out several renovations.

Among the new features, the golden façade replacing the previous red one, new restaurants, and a swimming pool with a vertical green wall, already recognized by Guinness as the largest in the world, which extends from the 5th to the 20th floor, with a total area of 2,964 square meters.

One of the most extravagant symbols in the hotel’s history was the order for a fleet of 30 Rolls‑Royce Phantoms, valued at 20 million dollars (18.1 million euros), the largest order in the brand’s history.

The fleet ended up being sold in 2019 to pay off debts, and the hotel currently operates 13 electric vehicles from the Chinese brand JAC Motors for VIP transport.

The hotel’s new executive director, To Ka Hei pointed out, in statements to the local media, that he hopes that, with this “completely renewed image, it will be possible reverse the stereotypes of the past and offer a unique option in Macau’s luxury leisure tourism market.”

In recent years, the VIP gaming sector in Macau has undergone a profound transformation. The ‘junkets’ model, which for decades dominated the market by bringing in VIP customers and granting credit, was dismantled between 2021 and 2023.

A new 2023 gambling law imposed stricter rules, forcing promoters to work only with one of six licensed concessionaires and under greater supervision.

As a consequence, VIP gaming’s percentage of total gross gaming results fell from almost half in 2019 to just over a quarter in 2025, although it continues to represent billions of patacas in revenue.

Current growth is driven mainly by pasta segmentwhich has become mainstream, with local authorities promoting a greater focus on non-gambling attractions and entertainment options.