Inside Asian Gaming

J ust about every new casino opening is accompanied by claims that the property sets news standards in the market.In the case of Crown Macau, that claim is justified. As discussed in earlier issues of Inside Asian Gaming , the stock price of Crown Ma- cau operator Melco PBL Entertainment took a tumble when the six-star facility opened before its VIP and hotel rooms were opera- tional. As of 14 July, however, all 216 hotel rooms, four signature restaurants, a buffet restaurant, noodle bar and world-class spa were up and running. Crown’s relatively small number of ho- tel rooms (including 8 villas and 12 suites), stands in contrast to other new casino prop- erties. Venetian Macao boasts 3,000 suites, while Wynn Macau has 600 rooms. Crown Macau CEO Greg Hawkins explains “we are trying to position ourselves as more bou- tique, more personal.” High-end dining is available on levels 10 and 11. One of the signature restaurants is a branch of Tokyo’s exclusiveTenmasa tempura restaurant, where the family of Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho—including son Lawrence, who runs Melco—regularly dine. Ready to be rated The market has already punished Melco PBL for opening Crown before the vital VIP fa- cilities were ready. Now that they are, Crown Macau CEO Greg Hawkins took Inside Asian Gaming on an extensive tour of the property to “to get a feel of what we’re aspiring to be.” Apart from the spa (on levels 15 and 16) and dining, Crown Macau has no entertain- ment or retail offerings, focusing instead on providing an exceptional VIP gaming experience. Particularly impressive were the three deluxe VIP rooms—dubbed“super salons”by Crown—on level 37 (directly below the ho- tel lobby on the top floor). The super salons are available to players bringing front money of HK$30 million (US$3.85 million), and are frankly the best-looking such facilities IAG has seen. Crown declined to provide IAG pictures of the super salons for publication, “in order that the exclusivity of the area be main- Crown Revisited With its hotel rooms and VIP salons now fully operational, Crown Macau has the potential to become a serious contender in Macau’s increasingly competitive VIP gaming market 32 Ying Chinese restaurant