Inside Asian Gaming

January 2015 inside asian gaming 23 suites, on Sky Tower’s second level and linked to the original Bay Tower VIP area, bring its VIP table count to 180. Bay Tower has larger gaming suites, nine of them housing Solaire’s fixed junkets. Sky Tower’s smaller suites cater to direct VIPs and casual junkets as well as players who want private rooms. Direct VIP buy-ins begin at HK$300,000. Solaire takes bets in both Hong Kong dollars and Philippines pesos. Minimum bets on the VIP area’s open floor begin at HK$2,000 with a HK$1.5 million maximum. Player pampering enrichments extend to exclusive F&B for VIPs only. Macallan Whisky and Cigar Bar, named for the premium Scotch whiskey brand, has a clean, elegant look and full drink service, featuring whiskey tasting menus. The separate cigar divan—Mr Arasi admits to enjoying an occasional cheroot—has a clubby feel, and offers Cuban as well as Philippine smokes. House of Zhou features northern Chinese cuisine, a counterpoint to Solaire’s original Cantonese restaurant, Red Lantern. The VIP enhancements are the latest step in a revamp of Solaire’s gaming business that began when Mr Arasi came on board, replacing Global Gaming Asset Management. (Bloomberry and GGAM remain in arbitration over termination of their five-year management contract.) The resort has added hundreds of gaming machines— including 223 linked to the Sky Tower opening—and about two dozen tables to its main gaming floor, bringing the overall mass table count to 384. Off the main floor, the premium mass Solaire Club for top- level Solaire Rewards Club members has 30 tables, half of them baccarat. Blackjack, its cousin pontoon and roulette are also popular in the market, more similar to the table mix in Singapore than Macau. SINGAPORE SKILLED Mr Arasi worked in the Singapore market as CEO at Marina Bay Sands and thinks that experience has helped him at Solaire. “Here, like in Singapore, you had to define your niche and tap into the opportunity that is unique in the circumstances of that particular market,” he says. “In Singapore, we had to very quickly excel in a pan-Asian marketing strategy. We could not enjoy one gigantic market providing Suites in Sky Tower range from 124 square meters to a whopping 936 square meters. Interiors by Solaire Director for Interior Design Samantha Drummond mix the hotel’s signature orange with earth tones and basic black to luxurious effect. Sky Tower expands Solaire’s VIP gaming with 66 tables in 10 bright and airy private gaming suites, “the most gorgeous gaming salons ever to see a deck of cards,” Mr Arasi contends. The new suites, on Sky Tower’s second level and linked to the original Bay Tower VIP area , bring its VIP table count to 180. Cover Story