Two major events occurred at Solaire Resort and Casino in mid-December this year. On December 13, they held a baccarat tournament; people from several junket promoters took part in it and the winner was a representative of Jing City. On December 14, they put into operation a small part of City of Dreams Manila – a gaming and entertainment resort situated only half a mile from Solaire. It offerd world-class accommodations, dining and gaming spaces. The two events received great attention from both players and other guests.
December 13, Saturday night, Solaire Resort and Casino was bustling with players and supporters. The crowd was bigger than usual, as a baccarat tournament was being held at the casino. The total amount of money provided for the tournament amounted to HK$5 million. Of these, HK$3 million were intended for the top prize.
During the competition, a monitor was placed above the table so that supporters could watch each player’s move. The players themselves were people from several junket promoters. The winner was a representative of Macau Jing City junket promoter. When the tournament was over, exulted junket representatives took their cameras, put on special black jackets that read the logo of the company and snapped pictures with Solaire Resort and Casino executives. The latter then danced to Pharrell Williams’ song Happy.
On December 14, a day after the tournament, a man wearing a windbreaker with Jing City’s logo and three other people walked all the way from Solaire Resort and Casino to City of Dreams Manila for its soft opening. Positioned not too far away from Solaire, this resort is still under construction and is a joint venture of SM Group, managed by the Philippines, and Melco Crown Entertainment, managed by Macau. One day the vacant lots will be turned into condos, hotels, offices and shopping centers. To date, several restaurants and the main casino have been established. The hotel is already checking guests.
In comparison with Solaire, City of Dreams offers strong flashing lights, more tense and cutting edge music, and eastern European dancers. Solaire itself was opened in March 2013 and is chaired by billionaire Enrique K. Razon Jr. Recently, they established the Sky Tower wing which offers more meeting space, bars, additional gaming rooms for VIPs, a theater that seats 1,760 visitors, beverage outlets, food facilities and even a Chinese restaurant. According to Thomas Arasi, chief operating officer and president of the resort, “global credentials” are presented to Solaire Resort and Casino thanks to the top quality Sky Tower wing.
Several facilities will open at City of Dreams resort before Chinese New Year celebrations, which are due to take place on February 19. They include a couple of hotels, shopping mall, indoor park, gaming areas, etc. Holidaymakers will be able to enjoy a number of hotel rooms and high-quality gaming experiences.
According to management, it doesn’t really matter what the two resorts don’t have. Today there are two state-of-the-art integrated resorts in Manila and visitors can enjoy a full range of gaming varieties. Not to mention, they also have Travellers International Hotel Group’s Resorts World Manila, which is a partnership of Alliance Global and Genting. It is important to note that the purpose of the Philippine government is to attract more tourists, not to expand the gaming industry.
