Inside Asian Gaming

Encore at Wynn Macau The Spa at Encore expansive integrated resorts in the Vegas-mould. While his old Vegas rival, Sheldon Adelson, is building Cotai properties that feature multiple interconnected hotels, Mr Wynn aims to build a single property surrounded by open public areas and to keep the entire development resolutely upmarket. AccordingtoMrWynn,withtheCotaiplot,“[Wynn]shouldcontinue being who we are and exercise more imagination and more creativity and take advantage of the real estate opportunity being presented by a larger piece of property to create a richer experience than we could do in an urban setting, like the downtown peninsula area.” The rooms, meanwhile, “will be like in Encore,” Mr Wynn has told the media. “By doing so we appeal to people other than gamblers, by creating opportunities at prices that cannot be duplicated in any major city.”Apparently, the idea for Encore came partly from requests of junket operators for more elegant suites for their clients priced at under US$400 a night. We must wait at least three years to see whether Mr Wynn will really be able to stand out from the rest of the Cotai crowd. For now, these images of Encore at Wynn Macau support the claim that he’s ahead of the Peninsula pack. Café Encore With Wynn Macau and the Encore expansion, Mr Wynn has set lofty expectations of his planned 52-acre Cotai property, construction of which is slated to commence next year and be completed by 2014. Free from the space constraints of the Macau Peninsula, Mr Wynn has said the Cotai property will boast lush gardens and landscapes, roomy bars and restaurants, and spacious rooms. On Cotai, Macau’s casino operators will vie for customers with 99 Noodles INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | September 2010 50