Macao has long been known as the region’s standard-bearer for luxury hospitality, and this year, its hotels earned well-deserved recognition on the global stage. In October’s 2025 Michelin Key awards, three Sands China properties – The St. Regis Macao, The Londoner Hotel, and Four Seasons Hotel Macao – received the coveted distinction.
A Michelin Key is the hotel world’s equivalent of a restaurant star, awarded to properties that deliver what the guide considers “a very special stay.” Judged on architecture and design, service quality, personality, value, and connection to place, Michelin Keys highlight hotels that offer something truly memorable to discerning guests.
For any hotel, receiving a key is an achievement. For one company to earn three in the same year speaks to a rare level of consistency, standards and vision. Each of these Sands China properties expresses a different style of luxury, yet all share a commitment to thoughtful design, attentive service, and meaningful guest experiences, helping to cement Macao’s place among the world’s leading luxury destinations.
The St. Regis Macao: Contemporary glamour with echoes of old Macao
There’s a romantic, old-world charm to The St. Regis Macao – a feeling that you’re stepping back into a more polished era. As the Michelin Guide notes: “Everything about the St. Regis Macao is carefully designed to evoke the elegance of an earlier time… While the décor is contemporary, it’s full of echoes of the past,” nodding to Macao’s history “as a Portuguese seaport.”
That sensibility fits naturally within The St. Regis legacy. The brand’s original New York hotel helped define early-20th-century luxury, and you can feel quiet traces of that era here in Macao: the heritage-inspired detailing, the soft textures, and the gentle Art Deco lines that add timelessness without tipping into nostalgia.
Beyond the rooms and suites, the hotel’s personality comes through in its five-star facilities, from the Iridium Spa to the Athletic Club. But the real anchor is The St. Regis Bar, which channels the spirit of the iconic King Cole Bar in New York, long synonymous with old-world glamour and evening jazz. Live music sets a familiar St. Regis tone, while the bar’s house version of the Bloody Mary – the Maria do Leste (Mary of the East) – gives the classic drink a Macao twist, adding both local flavour and a hint of history.
The Londoner Hotel: A London dream brought to life in Macao
Looking for a slice of London in Cotai? The Londoner Hotel gets you remarkably close. The Michelin Guide says it best: “Here you’ll find an atmosphere that’s perhaps more thoroughly London than the English capital itself.”
Inside the broader Londoner Macao integrated resort, this intimate all-suite retreat leans fully into its British influences, treating London less as a theme and more as a design language. Suites echo the feel of contemporary London townhouses: elegant and thoughtfully curated. There are also 14 exclusive suites designed in collaboration with a true British icon, Sir David Beckham. Layers of contemporary art and carefully chosen details keep the suites feeling inviting rather than overly polished.
Guests also have access to The Residence, a members-only lounge that blends the cosiness of a Victorian drawing room with the polish of a modern West End club, and an exclusive pool deck, complete with hot tubs, private cabanas, and unbeatable views of the resort’s Big Ben replica.
Dining is another strong point; the resort’s breadth and reputation draw celebrated chefs and a wide range of top-notch restaurants. Choose from the two-Michelin-starred Huaiyang Garden, inventive Portuguese plates at Chiado, elevated British classics and pints at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, or a refined afternoon tea at Churchill’s Table, to name just a few, all within easy reach of your suite.
Four Seasons Hotel Macao: Understated luxury in the heart of Cotai
For those seeking a serene escape amid Cotai’s larger-than-life scale, slip into the Four Seasons Hotel Macao, which the Michelin Guide notes bears an uncanny resemblance to the grand hotels of Monte Carlo.
“Once inside the lobby, under the rotunda, you’ll certainly be struck by the heavily European Casino Royale atmosphere of it all,” the Michelin inspectors observe. Yet behind the sweeping staircases, cream-coloured columns, and sparkling chandeliers lies a far quieter experience. With just 360 rooms and suites, this is a warm, calm, and intimate property.
The rooms lean into a clean, modern aesthetic with crisp lines and a soft, muted palette of creams, dove greys and light woods. Spacious marble bathrooms – complete with plush bathrobes, double vanities, and soaking bathtubs with televisions hidden in the walls – keep things decadent.
The full-service, Michelin-praised spa offers a wide range of treatments, including a signature ritual using crushed diamonds and ylang-ylang oil. Dining is led by the Michelin-starred Zi Yat Heen, serving refined Cantonese cuisine and inventive dim sum (also available via room service), and The Study, a whisky-forward bar with glittering Strip views and a Forbes Travel Guide 2025 Star Bars Award.
As Michelin notes, “The services are so comprehensive it’s easy to imagine never setting foot off the grounds.”
A landmark achievement for Sands China
From the heritage-infused elegance of The St. Regis, to the British flair of The Londoner and the refinement of the Four Seasons, Sands China’s portfolio showcases the remarkable quality of luxury experiences found in Cotai today. Together, these Michelin-recognised properties reaffirm Macao’s growing status as one of the world’s most compelling destinations for luxury travel.
