On Monday, City of Dreams Manila finally came true.
The Philippines’ newest integrated resort has officially opened following a full-day program that consisted of a concert starring Ne-Yo and Kelly Rowland, gala dinner, and a tour for members of the press.
Melco Crown Entertainment’s Co-Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho and Co-Chairman James Packer, who both opened the integrated resort on Monday, stressed the company’s confidence on the domestic gaming market and the Philippines as a tourism destination.
Says Ho, “The vision was always to find great locations in Asia to build integrated resorts. We’ve been very selective. Other than Macau, the Philippines is the first place that we have decided to go into.
“Our philosophy is simple: We want to build things that we’re proud of, build integrated resorts that will last over time. And so the market must be big enough to build them. And it’s no wonder that the Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies anywhere in the world in the last few years. This journey for us started two and a half years ago, and we’ve see the market pick up.”
Clarence Chung, chairman and president of Melco Crown Philippines, furthers that City of Dreams Manila will be an “added choice” for guests of City of Dreams Macau.
He also stressed that the mix of gaming and non-gaming revenues will be different between the two properties. “It would be not as extreme mix as in Macau given the fact that we have a lot of amenities here — hotel rooms, entertainment [in City of Dreams Manila.]” Guests going to Macau are “serious” gamblers compared to the leisure market expected in the Philippines, he says.
City of Dreams Manila opened some facilities to the public in December last year. With the grand launch, Melco formally unveiled the two branded clubs called Pangaea and Chaos; three hotels, namely Nobu, Crown Towers, and Hyatt; at least 14 restaurant outlets; and 15 luxury retail stores.
Melco and DreamWorks have also developed the world’s first family entertainment center, due to open in the first quarter of 2015.
City of Dreams Manila’s VIP and mass-market gaming space is composed of approximately 380 gaming tables, 1,700 slot machines, and 1,700 electronic table games.
