The Philippines’ Hann Casino Resort, located in the Clark Freeport Zone, has confirmed the recent appointment of industry veteran Dennis Andreaci as its new Senior Vice President of Casino Operations.
Andreaci – a former executive with Sands China and Galaxy Entertainment Group in Macau, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and Manila’s Solaire Resort, Entertainment City – had previously worked with Chairman and CEO Daesik Han on the property’s recent US$600 million expansion before officially joining the operational team in January.
Speaking with Inside Asian Gaming about the appointment earlier this week, Andreaci said his job was to put Hann Casino Resort and Clark as a whole on the international IR map.
“What I bring to Hann is the ability to take what was Widus (Hann’s original name before expansion) and what is the Clark area and make it an international destination by running it like an international company – like Marina Bay Sands, like MGM and like I did with Solaire,” Andreaci said.
“Mr Han has built a spectacular property, we have very good hotels and the F&B is all excellent, so for me it has been about bringing the standards, the policies and the procedures, the recruitment and training, the vision and marketing that goes with these integrated resorts to Hann and to Clark as a destination.
“Clark … will keep expanding and my role is to keep Hann moving forward, open up new areas and be creative in where we expand and what we do. That’s the kind of experience I have in international jurisdictions and the expertise I bring. Clark to me is the next big destination.”
Andreaci, who was part of Solaire’s opening team back in 2013, believes Hann Casino Resort is now playing a similar role in Clark to that of Solaire in Manila by setting a standard by which others will follow.
“Hann is open and trying in many ways to model itself on what Solaire has done in Manila – to be the best, build the best, bring in the best people and put in the best policies and procedures so that when the customer walks into the property you far exceed their expectations,” he said.
“Now everyone in Clark knows what the standard is and I hope [the other casino-resort operators] build to it, or at least close to it, because then it helps us grow the market as a whole.”