By Dimas Anggakara

Standing tall above the glitz of Macao’s gambling heartland, the Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cotai Central (Cotai Strip; 85-3/2880-2000; sheratonmacao.com; doubles from US$180) is the largest hotel to open in the world this year. Its 3,896 guest rooms and suites—just over half of which will open in early 2013—are designed with both leisure and business travelers in mind, and the hotel houses the largest Sheraton club in the world—570 guest rooms and suites as well as a lounge with seating for almost 300. From here, guests have a choice of four restaurants, Bene (casual Italian fare), Feast (live cooking stations serving almost 400 covers), Xin (pan-Asian), and Palms Lounge (all-day dining and high tea). Anyone looking to scratch the surface of Macao beyond the glamorous Cotai Strip can contact the hotel’s concierge service, which is headed by Aris Azhar, for the inside track on what’s on and Macao’s UNESCO-listed sights, while Sheraton’s Shine Spa is on hand to cast out the exertions of the day.