Bloomberry eyes casino projects in PH, overseas

Solaire in Entertainment City to open in 2013

AFTER bringing his port terminal operations to other parts of the globe, business magnate Enrique Razon Jr. is scouting for local and overseas expansion opportunities for his integrated gaming-hotel business under Bloomberry Resorts Corp.

During the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting yesterday, Razon said Bloomberry would be focused not only on the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corp.’s Entertainment City, where Bloomberry’s $1-billion Solaire gaming and hotel complex would be the first to open in the first quarter of 2013.

Razon said his group would look at other promising locations and develop the brand Solaire as a class of its own. After the stockholders’ meeting, he told reporters that like International Con- tainer Terminal Services Inc., this could be a homegrown Filipino brand that could be brought to other locations.

“It depends on what markets open up. I’m talking more about some possibilities not only in the Philippines but likewise outside [the country],” Razon said.

For instance, he said his group would look at the casinos that might be privatized by Pagcor. If and when new territories open up to new casino licensing, like Macau for instance, he said Solaire would look at such an opportunity. But he said Solaire must be up and running first before looking at any expansion to new locations.

Even for the hotel operations, while it was easier to sell rooms with an international brand on board, Razon said that would be less profitable because the developer would have to pay these hotel operators. “If you want to move to other areas, you need to have one brand, a homegrown Filipino brand like ICTSI,” he said.

The first phase of the 8.3-hectare Solaire Manila complex will have a gaming floor area of 18,500 square meters, including 6,000 sq m of exclusive VIP gaming areas, 1,200 slot machines and 300 gaming tables. It will also have 500 hotel rooms, suites and bayside villas as well as specialty restaurants and food and beverage outlets. It will have a 1,000-seat grand ballroom, spa and fitness center, and a bay view promenade. It will also have a multilevel parking building with 3,000 parking slots.

After this initial phase, Razon said Solaire would add 300 luxury suites in its hotel portfolio. Phase 2 of development involves a 1,000-room tower club, Razon said.