Perhaps inspired by the closing line in Grand Budapest Hotel, which I must have seen on half a dozen planes in the past month, I decided to say goodbye to Westin Macau. This place has always been an easy BRG, and also very generous with C&P availability, and true to form, it was wide open on its last weekend as a SPG property.

I started visiting Macau in 2004, so I essentially missed out on the “6 star” period when the Westin (along with the old MO) was the best hotel in Macau. It was moderately dilapidated when I first saw it, and since then, it has fallen into greater disrepair. Despite that (and in contrast to the sometimes harsh reviews on FT), it was one of my favorite Westins in Asia, amazing value, and a great getaway from Mainland China and the madness of modern Macau.

I've never stayed in a hotel on its very last day with a chain, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect (although I once checked into a Radisson that had turned into a Marriott the night before my arrival; they couldn’t find my reservation but made sure, first thing in the morning, to deliver bibles to the rooms. Priorities! But, I digress.) I suppose I expected a bit more of a somber mood from the staff. In fact, nobody seemed to care. The hotel remains open (as Grand Coloane Resort), and most of the staff will keep their jobs. In my mind, I had pictured some sort of farewell party with regulars making a pilgrimage, or perhaps the GM inviting repeat guests for a last drink by the pool, but none of that came to pass. On Friday, the place was dead, with only a handful of people at the pool; Saturday, things picked up, however not due to Starwood Plats flocking in, but some regatta. I peeked at the pre-arranged elite packets sitting at the front desk, and there were four Golds and three Plats. Consequently, my perfect streak of suite upgrades remains unbroken. I had seriously considered using a SNA, but clearly, the enormous demand I envisioned didn’t materialize.

During my stay, the changeover was in progress. The Westin logo on the tower was painted over, and the entry doors had the new name affixed. The elevator doors were de-Westined. Club Westin turned into Club Coloane. The Westin shuttle buses disappeared. I trust these won’t be driven off by the GM to his next assignment, so expect them to make a return to the Grand Coloane. Other things were already gone -- the loungers on the suite balcony and my ice bucket. 90 degrees and 95% humidity, and they take away my ice bucket?! You’d think that if they were to take anything, it’d be the flat screen TVs. Say what, flat screen TVs? Don’t they have those “pride of the 1980s” models (“yes, it’s a little bulky, but hey, at least it has a remote”)? In a twist of irony, my suite was remodeled, with brand new flat screen TVs, and a DVD player. Plus, new carpet. And! They painted the walls outside. It’s on the 8th floor only, and not the $50 million remodel some people have been asking for upthread, but it’s a huge improvement!

I always found the place quite relaxing, and the pool is just lovely (especially midweek, when it’s dead). Yes, the last few years the decay of the exterior was rather excessive, and if you'd trained a camera on the worst eyesores, you could have probably gotten some decent footage for an episode of “Locked up Abroad” here. On the other hand, who could not be in love with the huge balcony, the view of Hac Sa beach, or the 1990s prices on the pool and room service menu (59 patacas for a cocktail, 94 for a Chicken Cesar)? In my view, this is a major loss for Starwood. Clearly, they couldn’t tolerate a hotel that’s so run down that numerous Tripadvisor posts state that “I’ll never stay at a Westin again.” But for Plats on a HKD1000 BRG or C&P, this place was excellent value, and I will thoroughly miss it.

Now, obviously life goes on (this is true everywhere, and certainly in Macau’s hotel market). I had held off cancelling my remaining reservations, in hopes that the deflag announcement on the SPG website was merely part of the negotiation strategy we sometimes see (c.f. LM Khao Lak or IC Berlin), but alas, the Westin appears to be gone for good. SPG.com has started listing a new St Regis Macau, to be opened August 2015, but if history is any guide, this date may be anything but set in stone. In the meantime, the Sheraton is an adequate hotel –- if you’re used to domestic US Sheratons, Macau will likely be your best Sheraton experience ever (the same goes for Hyatt and Conrad). However, these are soulless, giant casino hotels, and if you’re looking for resort-y relaxation away from the hustle and bustle, there’s no replacement for the Westin in sight.