Melco Crown Philippines’ chairman and president, Clarence Chung, confirmed on Tuesday the third and last hotel brand to join City of Dreams Manila’s portfolio. Hyatt Group will manage what would be Hyatt Manila.
Melco, which will operate City of Dreams Manila, had already announced the entry of two hotel concepts – the luxury hotel Crown Towers and F&B-focused Nobu Hotel.
Speaking to an audience of investors during the tourism breakout session of the ASEAN Finance Ministers’ Investors Seminar on Tuesday, Chung said the strategy of their Manila integrated resort is to replicate the successful business model of City of Dreams Macau, known for both gaming and entertainment.
“We bring in a house of brands like the Crown Towers, Nobu Hotel, and the Hyatt Group. We have three hotel brands inside the City of Dreams, and we try to bring in other attractions. This Thursday we’re going to have another launch of an entertainment feature in the City of Dreams Manila. It would be the first ever family entertainment center in the world, and we’re partner with one of the renowned entertainment group in the world,” he said.
Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. said the entry of brands like City of Dreams and Resorts World, together with the brands that these resorts bring with them has helped boost perception on the Philippines.
“An often overlooked aspect of the marketing of any brand, especially country brand is that the primary objective is not just to attract tourist traffic, but to attract other brands,” said Jimenez.
“It is the presence of these brands that reinforce or create a halo on the country brand.”
City of Dreams Manila is lined up to be the second fully operational integrated resort in Entertainment City once it opens in the second half of 2014. With Melco’s already existing clientele in Macau, experts anticipate City of Dreams Manila to have the leverage over Solaire Resort and Casino, which is expanding to include a mall and more hotel rooms.
But Melco and hospitality players in the area are still cautious, saying that the improvement in road and airport infrastructure would still take long to be completed. The government eyes completion of NAIA Terminal 1 and 3 rehabilitation projects by January 2015 and August 2014, respectively. Likewise, NAIA Expressway Phase 2 is scheduled to be finished by 2015.