Here are some more numbers: In its first month of operation, the Sheraton served as many as 83,000 buffets. Its main ballroom weighs in at almost 5,000 square meters—the equivalent of 11 basketball courts—while the outdoor swimming pools measure a total of 12,000 square meters. Once the Earth Tower opens, the hotel will house 6,256 of Sheraton’s signature Sweet Sleeper beds, meaning staff will have to fluff more than 15,600 pillows (add in the duvets, and that’s nearly 15 tons of feathers). In the feng shui–themed spa, therapists go through 137 liters of massage oil a month. And lighting the two towers will require in excess of 90,000 light bulbs—almost five times as many as at the Eiffel Tower. That statistic will gain more luster in coming years, as a half-size replica of the Eiffel Tower is erected nearby at a themed Parisian resort, part of the same massive Sands Cotai complex.

This is another unusual aspect of this Sheraton; as a tenant at the Sands Cotai devel- opment, it has to work in conjunction with competing brands Conrad, Holiday Inn, Four Seasons, the Venetian, and the soon-to-open St. Regis. In total, that’s almost 10,000 rooms, with Sands providing services like security and many of the food and beverage outlets.

Launched in 2007 on landfill between the islands of Coloane and Taipa (Cotai is a portmanteau of those names), this complex and hotel are testament to the vertiginous rise of disposable income in the East. From my room, I look out on surrounding construction sites filled with cranes and new foundations and marvel at the fact that five years ago, Cotai was more two of clubs than ace of spades—a dusty brownfield without any of the glitter and flash on display today.

Now, plans are afoot for a US$1.5 billion theme park nearby, along with a US$4 billion Wynn and US$2.5 billion MGM resort complexes. It’s quite something to be the largest hotel among all this—and a considerable challenge. “Sometimes, it’s a bit like walking on the moon,” says Josef Dolp. “But skillful sailors are made by rough seas.”

Cotai Central, Taipa, Macau; 853/2880-2000; sheratonmacao.com; doubles from US$620