Solaire Resort & Casino

THERE are 1,200 slot machines at the gaming areas of Solaire. PHOTO BY RAOUL J. CHEE KEE

The refreshing sight of tropical plants, twin water walls, and elegant, subdued lighting welcomes guests to the newly opened Solaire Resort & Casino—the latest entertainment complex built to bring in more tourists to Manila.

YAKUMI serves seafood imported daily from Tokyo’s Tsukiji market. PHOTO BY RAOUL J. CHEE KEE

Apparently no expense was spared to build this luxury.

Chandeliers made of hundreds of curving glass pieces are strung together in a spiral-like design.

There are polished, light-colored marble slabs in most of the public spaces on the first and second levels.

FRESH, the 24-hour coffee shop, offers international buffets all-day. PHOTO BY RAOUL J. CHEE KEE

The colorful but predominantly red carpets designate the gaming areas that contain 1,200 slot machines and 300 gaming tables.

The second floor, for serious high rollers, has private rooms with lush, tufted couches and seats on brass casters costing $700 each.

No mirrors

Amid the glitz, there are no mirrors except those installed in toilets and those on the second floor hovering above.

THE GRAPHIC yellow, black and red color scheme at Red Lantern is dynamic and contemporary. PHOTO BY RAOUL J. CHEE KEE

In an exclusive interview, architect Paul Steelman told Inquirer Lifestyle that mirrors were a no-no in casinos because people don’t want to catch a reflection of themselves while they’re on a slump or a winning streak.

“We want every single person who comes here to feel great. It doesn’t matter whether you have $10 or $10,000. We want you to feel uplifted that you ‘can beat this place.’ If you see yourself in a mirror, you will see the flaws, the pimples, the tired-looking eyes. All of a sudden, you don’t feel empowered,” Steelman said.

This is just one of over a hundred rules he and his team have come up with, and taken note of, in his long career of designing some of the world’s splashy casinos.

STRIP loin steak served with a side of roasted bone marrow at Strip Steakhouse. PHOTO BY RAOUL J. CHEE KEE

Unlike other buildings, he said, casinos are different because there are over a dozen major departments to think about, including the gaming areas, full-service restaurants, retail spaces and guest rooms.

Like a living embryo

“It’s like a living embryo. It has to pulsate to the exact heartbeat to make everybody feel as if it’s a personalized service. Designing a casino is an absolute science,” Steelman said.

A HEFTY serving of Steak tartare at Strip Steakhouse includes toast points. PHOTO BY RAOUL J. CHEE KEE

Still, the owners made it a point to hold focus group discussions with regular casino goers before construction could begin to find out what they wanted from or expected of Solaire.

“They wanted Las Vegas,” Chief Operating Officer Michael D. French said. “Filipino players want the free drinks, the pretty female greeters, the glitz and the glamour. They repeatedly told us: ‘We want to be treated like we’re important.’ That is what one can expect at the gaming areas on the first floor.

French said that Filipino players are very social beings. They like to talk and drink and head over to a nice restaurant afterwards to spend some of their winnings. In Macau, the players are very focused on the game, the atmosphere is very business-like.

SOME of the desserts at Fresh, the 24-hour coffee shop at Solaire. PHOTO BY RAOUL J. CHEE KEE

“That’s why we decided to separate the two very different ways of playing: the first floor has a Vegas-like vibe, while the second floor is for Macau-type players who can spend hours at the table,” French said.

Dining choices

Fortunately, there’s more to Solaire than the gaming floors; it has dining outlets that look really promising. During a press preview held days before the hotel’s opening, we checked out some of the signature restaurants: Finestra (Italian), Red Lantern (Cantonese), Yakumi (Japanese), Lucky Noodles (Asian selection), Fresh (international buffet), and Strip Steakhouse where we feasted on Steak tartare and US strip loin cooked medium.

Seafood is flown in from Tokyo’s Tsukiji market for Yakumi; other ingredients are also imported.

ONE OF two large scale prints by Team Manila hangs on the wall of Lucky Noodles, the casual dining restaurant that serves a selection of Asian dishes. PHOTO BY RAOUL J. CHEE KEE

Steelman’s vision for Solaire is very distinct. Artistic renderings were brought to life with minimal changes. For example, the palette at Red Lantern may have been limited to the red carpeting and the yellow chairs, but the way these primary colors were used was fresh and modern.

Oversized black calligraphy splashed on the walls and glass panels imparted the look of graffiti, but in an oddly tasteful way.

The property’s food court was the only space still unfinished during our visit, but the candy-colored orbs hanging from the ceiling are sure to be one of the most “Instagrammed” images of the casino.

4,500 Filipinos hired

Steelman likened Solaire to the Mirage Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas that tried and succeeded in changing the concept of tourism by mixing dining and entertainment with gaming tables.

“When the Mirage was built, Las Vegas had 17.5 million tourists. Today, after six new (Mirage) buildings, there are over 40 million tourists. The Mirage was the first hotel on the Strip to do that, and Solaire is the first in Manila to do the same,” he said.

To prepare for the influx of tourists, Solaire has hired over 4,500 Filipinos including 400 professionals already working in casinos in Macau and

Singapore.

“We held job fairs and job caravans throughout the country. We talked to 50,000 people, eventually narrowing it down to the 4,000-plus we hired,” French said.

Coming soon

At the moment, there are only two retail stores at Solaire: Lucerne and a still unnamed jewelry store. But once the second phase of development is completed in roughly 18 months, there will be new things to see.

Aside from 300 additional guest rooms which will bump up the existing total to 800, planned highlights include cinemas, a theater and a slew of high-end stores.

Asked if Chanel would finally open a boutique in the country to sell more than just perfume and makeup, Solaire director of marketing and communications Joy Wassmer said that several officials from the French luxury brand had already made a site visit, but wanted to verify first who their next-door neighbor stores would be.

There is still much to look forward to at Solaire, since only half of its 16.3 hectares have been developed. “For casinos to be successful, they have to be part of the current entertainment trends which might include a full-sized theater,” Steelman said. “One thing for sure, it will always be about aspirational design. It won’t be gaudy or over the top.”

Steelman then likened Solaire to the iPhone. “The phone couldn’t be simpler in design, but then again it looks good on everybody. That’s what Solaire is all about.”

Bradley Stone (right) and Garry Saunders (left), president and executive vice president for Solaire Resort and Casino, respectively, talk about the first phase of its project inside the Entertainment City in Paranaque City which will open on March 16, 2013.

MANILA, Philippines—Unfazed by possible resistance from Church groups, Solaire Resort and Casino promised a “new tourism” for the Philippines when it opens its first casino-hotel complex on Saturday within the Entertainment City in Paranaque City.

Solaire, owned by Bloomberry Resorts of ports tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., is the first of four casino-resort developers in Entertainment City to open its doors to the public with no less than President Benigno Aquino III expected to grace its inauguration.

The three other companies licenced to build inside the Entertainment City, a project of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, are the Travellers International Hotel Group, Inc.; the SM Consortium; and Tiger Resorts Leisure and Entertainment, Inc.

“Our slogan is ‘The game is about to change.’ And I think as you walk through this property today, you will see that we brought gaming and experience and the environment… to a different level here,” Bradley Stone, president of Global Gaming Assets Management (GGAM) for Solaire Resort & Casino told members of the media, who were invited to tour the casino three days before it opens to the public .

“I think this is the start of new tourism for the Philippines,” Stone said.

Sitting on an 8.3-hectare lot inside the Entertainment City, the first phase of Solaire’s project features a 488-room luxury hotel, seven “world-class” restaurants, four bars, and two-story casino stations with nearly 300 table games, 95 VIP tables and 1, 200 slot machines.

The first floor of the casino building is a spacious gaming area with luxurious restaurants and entertainment areas as well as food courts designed for Filipino customers while the second level features private gaming salons with own comfort rooms, television, and good view of the Manila bay designed for international players.

Solaire’s chief operating officer Michael French described the gaming area a “two casinos in one.”

“We designed the casino experience to appeal to different customers—meaning the main casino (area) in this level was designed for the Filipino customers and the casino above, the VIP casino is for the international customers which are primary Chinese,” he said.

Unlike Filipino customers who prefer a Las Vegas-style experience, French said the Chinese are “very serious” players.

“If you go to Macau and if you go to the casinos, what do you see? There’s a lot of Chinese people playing and they are very serious. They are drinking tea, water and there’s no laughing out, no playing out. They are very serious,” he said.

After all, French pointed out that one of the government’s goal in putting up the Entertainment City was to bring in more tourists in the country.

For the first year of its operations, Solaire expects that majority of its customers – about 65-to-70 percent –would be local and only about 35 percent would come from other countries.

But in the next two to three years, the ratio of local and international players might become 50-50, French said.

Solaire hopes to complete in September next year the Phase 1A of its project, which will include a retail shopping mall with 30 to 40 luxury brand stores; an 1800-square-foot theater designed to accommodate Broadway shows; a night club; additional 300 all-suite rooms, another 3,000 parking spaces, and new restaurants.

French said they are still holding preliminary discussions for the Phase 2 of their project.

Once the entire project is completed, Solaire expects at least 10,000 to 12,000 “foot-traffic” a day.

“In our first phase, we don’t have a lot of the attractions that would bring in casual people…There’s no shopping center, no theater compared to Resorts World,” said French.

“So when we open Saturday, we have our casinos open and our restaurants are open. There’s no cinema, there’s no theater, shopping so foot-traffic will probably lower,” he pointed out.

And amid possible criticisms when it formally opens its casino operations, Stone promised that their business would create a lot of opportunities rather than harm for the Filipinos.

“I think there’s particularly effort by Pagcor to have an open dialogue with the Catholic Church. We have social responsibility too… We never tried take advantage or hurt people in terms of giving too much gaming,” he said.

“Our goal is not (to) hurt people. This is an entertainment venue,” Stone said, expressing his hope that he could “work closely” with the Church and other groups to address any concern about the gaming industry.

French said over 400 Filipinos working in various casinos in Singapore and Macau have returned to the country to work for Solaire.

“All of them took a step up in status – meaning if they were supervisors before in Singapore, they came back here as chief managers. If they were dealers, they came here as supervisors,” he said.

“With the promotion, they’re able to make an income similar to what they made where they worked before. But the cost of living is a little different in Manila versus Singapore.”

French said Solaire interviewed 50,000 people throughout Metro Manila and the provinces to choose 4,500 employees.

Vegas and Macau combined

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