Macau casino operator SJM Holdings Ltd has vowed to push forward with developing the city’s first Karl Lagerfeld Hotel after the iconic fashion designer it was named after, Karl Lagerfeld, passed away in France overnight.
SJM first revealed five years ago that it had reached an agreement to construct the world’s first hotel to be fully designed by Lagerfeld at its Cotai integrated resort Grand Lisboa Palace, due to open in early 2020.
Addressing news of the 85-year-old’s passing, SJM said it was “deeply saddened by the news of the passing away of Karl Lagerfeld and offers our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Our thoughts are with them and with all those in the design world to whom he was such an inspiration.
“It has been an honor for SJM to work with him and we look forward to completing the Karl Lagerfeld Hotel at the Grand Lisboa Palace in Macau as a legacy to his creative genius.”
The 85-year-old was reportedly suffering from pancreatic cancer and had been showing increasing signs of ill health in recent months.