Posted on June 18, 2012 10:16:05 PM [
BusinessWorld Online ]
BLOOMBERRY RESORTS Corp. has begun
work on a 300-room hotel attached to its flagship Solaire Manila casino-resort
near Manila Bay after the company clinched additional space from the
government, a ranking official yesterday said.
“Right now, we have an additional eight
hectares that we can expand into in the future. As a matter of fact, we have
already started work on the foundation of our first expansion that will open
one year from the opening date [of Solaire Manila], around the first quarter of
2014, ” Michael French, Bloomberry chief operating officer, told reporters in a
chance interview.
“The expansion would have some 300
guest rooms, some retail [units], a theater, a night club, and more gaming
space, ” Mr. French added.
The five-star Solaire Manila complex
is set to rise in the Bagong Nayong Pilipino Entertainment City in Parañaque
City.
According to earlier reports, the
first phase of the 14-storey Solaire Manila will feature an 11-storey hotel
atop a three-level podium, as well as a 10-storey parking building, with the
casino and gaming area alone expecting to occupy some 22, 268 square meters.
“We are on track in our construction
for opening in the first quarter next year, with a little over 80% already
completed. While we haven’t set the metrics yet on [human] traffic flow, we
intend to be a major destination in Metro Manila and in the Philippines, ” Mr.
French said.
“We think the gaming market is quite
good. We’re bullish and positive about the local gaming market. We found that
the more casino products are introduced, the more the market grows, such as is
the case in Macau, ” Mr. French added, referring to the gambling destination
where he once worked. -- Franz Jonathan G. de la Fuente
________________________________________________________________
