Simon Sio Restores Historic Hotel Central in Macao

Simon Sio, a 65-year-old businessman from Macao, has achieved his childhood dream of owning the Hotel Central, which he vowed to buy after being expelled from it as a child. After founding his real estate development company, Lek Hang Group, in 1991, he purchased the hotel in 2016 and officially reopened it in 2024 following extensive renovations. The Hotel Central, opened in 1928, is significant to Macao's history, having been the first hotel to feature an elevator and a two-storey casino. Sio's motivation for acquiring the hotel was to restore it as a cultural landmark rather than out of spite, as he felt a deep emotional attachment to it. The renovation involved innovative techniques and a total investment of approximately USD$274 million, resulting in a retro-styled hotel that preserves its historical essence. Sio emphasizes the importance of historical preservation in tourism, highlighting the declining state of Macao's heritage sites amidst modern development.