Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | December 2011 10 into Galaxy Macau, they immediately feel welcome, and they feel they’re in a place where they can feel comfortable during their holiday—whether their holiday is for five hours or for five days.” And the friendliness of Galaxy Macau’s staff goes well beyond the welcome staff, permeating the casino areas, hotels and F&B outlets. As for maintaining service standards throughout the property, Mr Mecca explains, “we spend a great deal of time and energy training our people, not just when they first join us—we have the dealers’ school and training classes when they join—but then on a regular, ongoing basis. We have dedicated people in every department who spend their entire time on the floor, and there are impactful behaviours that we monitor, that are all geared towards providing the required level of service. You’ll see that every one of the security guards, as you enter, they’ll make a motion of welcome. And the dealers, after each hand, they’ll look up at the customers and make sure everything is okay. Every department in the property participates in the programme and our goal is to provide a level of service second to none in the industry.” Integral to keeping Galaxy Macau’s employees motivated is the hands-on approach of GEG’s senior management. “It’s about all of us being present,” comments Mr Mecca. “All of us participating with these young people, being out here supporting them every day and being onside with them. So they know that we’re out there too. We’re not hidden up there [in corporate offices], we’re out here with all of these young people greeting the guests, supporting them, and making sure they have all the tools that they need to get the job done.” Value propositions With Galaxy Macau, GEG wanted to create “a set of game-changing amenities for Macau,” states Mr Mecca. “We wanted to provide a set of overall facilities that didn’t exist here. That’s not only good for our company, that’s good for Macau. Every property that opens now should add value to the proposition of the integrated destination resort.” Galaxy Macau’s centrepiece attraction is the lush, tropical, 52,000 square metre rooftop Grand Resort Deck, where a 350- ton white sand beach surrounds the 4,000 square metre Skytop Wave Pool. Both the resort’s two grand main lobbies offer free visual spectacles—one featuring a giant diamond rising majestically from a fountain, and another a series of giant crystals that display colourful visual effects triggered by motion sensors as visitors walk by. Meanwhile, the branded lobbies of the Banyan Tree Macau (featuring the sumptuous Banyan Tree Spa) and Hotel Okura Macau in the property’s second tower have their own distinct charm. Galaxy Macau offers a combined 2,200 five- star rooms, suites and villas, including 1,500 rooms at the Galaxy-branded hotel. The property also houses the city’s most diverse pan-Asian selection of F&B outlets under one roof and on 15th December will inaugurate a state-of-the-art nine-screen UA Galaxy Cinemas multiplex—eagerly anticipated by residents of Macau, where there are currently no modern multi-screen cinemas. Mr Mecca states: “We have invested a great deal to expand our non-gaming offerings to help further the government’s goal to diversify Macau’s leisure and entertainment offerings and position Macau as a world class tourism and leisure centre. And we will continue to do so.” Home-field advantage In addition to its top-notch customer service and amenities, Galaxy Macau also benefits from the regional experience of GEG’s local leadership—namely, Chairman Dr Lui Che Woo and Vice Chairman Francis Lui—as well as the international expertise of its imported senior executives, such as Mr Mecca. “The Lui family has been doing business in Hong Kong, mainland China and Macau for over fifty years,” says Mr Mecca, “so they understand who the customers are and how to care for them. As a company, we focus on providing a product offering and service standard that is uniquely Asian. This differentiates us from various Western product offerings in Macau that were merely transplanted from Las Vegas.” Mr Mecca adds: “They [the Lui family] have been in the hospitality and hotel business, the restaurant business, and they understand how to develop properties, they understand how to build great hotels. They care very much about the community, they care very much about the guests, they certainly care very much about the shareholders, and they care very much about each and every team member. “They are gentlemen. They are caring people, they appreciate loyalty and are very loyal. It has been an absolute pleasure working with this company and working Majestic display—Galaxy Macau’s diamond fountain Cover Story