Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING JULY 2018 36 Melco, which expects to be allocated new tables once the calendar ticks over into 2019, has left the door open to altering its gaming mix albeit with its gaze set firmly on the upper end of the market. “We would like to use Morpheus to stay on top and continue to evolve, so at this stage we want to have flexibility to look at the longer term,” explains Ho. “For example, is it premium mass on Level 2 or Direct VIP? In any case Morpheus will only be the best clients for our company.” At City of Dreams, where Melco has been busy revamping most of its gaming space – including reclaiming the substantial second floor expanse formerly occupied by PokerStars LIVE Macau to make way for more junket rooms – more premium mass and high limits slots areas have been created near the entrance to Morpheus. “Different companies will go after different segments,” Ho continues. “Some care about VIP, some junkets, some grind mass. We focus on premium mass so the design of the whole gaming floor is to facilitate that.” It is this premium mass focus that underlines the entire design concept of Morpheus, from the grand and abstract exoskeleton soaring high into the Cotai skyline to the unreserved splashes of excess spanning the facilities within. Melco’s list of collaborators on this project is as illustrious as it is long, including architectural design by the late Zaha Hadid and interiors by Macau-born, California-based Peter Remedios. “I think a guest who is coming here to Morpheus is looking for a very different experience so we responded by creating interiors that build upon that – the fluidity of Zaha’s design whereby as you travel through the spaces you discover things,” Remedios said at the launch. “You turn a corner and something else happens – you see the bar, for example. Most hotels call them mini-bars, at Morpheus they are maxi-bars – floor to ceiling. The bathrooms are totally different and the bathtubs were created specifically for Morpheus. We created a bespoke furniture collection. Morpheus is one of a kind.” FEATURES According to financial services firm Morgan Stanley, the premium mass segment accounted for 23% of Macau’s total GGR in 2017 at around US$7.7 billion and 32% of EBITDA at around US$2.3 billion. Interior designer Peter Remedios