“ The opening of any multifaceted resort has many moving pieces … the opening of Solaire North was a credit to all involved”
“ The opening of any multifaceted resort has many moving pieces … the opening of Solaire North was a credit to all involved”
Greg Hawkins, Solaire North
A cut above: Solaire North opened its doors last May
and was a credit to all involved.” Nevertheless, there have been significant adjustments to the resort that continue beyond year one, including SJM Resorts’ gaming chief reportedly leaving Macau to become Solaire North’ s COO on 1 July.
On Solaire North’ s main gaming floors at levels two and three, Hawkins says management changed the product mix, adding more table games to meet greater than expected demand. After opening with all new gaming machines, management brought in older machines from Solaire Entertainment City because customers asked for them.
TOP-TIER PLAYERS, FIRST-CLASS FOOD
From September last year, Solaire North began VIP operations on floors 36 and 37 and continues expanding its outreach to high rollers. The resort currently has eight VIP rooms serving premium direct customers and a handful of junkets. Hawkins notes that VIP players are“ promiscuous,” wanting to play at more than one casino, especially to change their luck. So premium players can shuttle between the two Solaire properties by car or even helicopter from Solaire North’ s rooftop. He adds that at Solaire North“ VIP is in its infancy.”
Solaire North arranges golf for guests, nearby and in Clark, about a 75-minute drive to the north. The resort is trying to broaden its customer base by leveraging its relative proximity to Clark.“ We think we offer a superior experience,” Hawkins says.“ The international market is looking for world class accommodation, service and comfort.”
The street level of Solaire North has also undergone major adjustments. Initial plans for ground floor retailing yielded to the reality of three nearby shopping malls. Only Solaire Boutique for logo merchandise and designer gift items survives from the original retail blueprint. Solaire North may be the only $ 1 billion casino property in Asia without a jewellery shop on premises.
Management replaced retailing with additional F & B. Cafe Mangrove, named for the lobby sculpture, opened in November combining all-day dining with an evening hours music lounge. It was joined in January by Trattoria e Dolci baking pizzas in a special steel oven imported from Naples to be served alongside wines, Italian accented cocktails, cold cut platters and salads. Dolci( sweets) revolve around a full palate of gelato flavours to be taken straight or combined with Italian or unique house baked treats.
Club Quezon will debut later this year as a supper club with 230 seats. Hawkins is collecting ideas for converting a space beside the main entrance now displaying paintings – spectacular artworks adorn wall space throughout the resort – into another F & B or related outlet.
Solaire North’ s first-year results indicate that, even in Metro Manila, Philippine land-based gaming still has room to grow. Bloomberry plans to supplement its two current resorts with a third property in Cavite on the south side of the capital region. A company official tells iGB that detailed plans for Cavite are on hold in order to focus on restoring Solaire Entertainment City’ s lustre. The success of Solaire North raises the possibility that a satellite property may not be a distraction from fixing the Entertainment City flagship but an integral part of a comprehensive solution.
MUHAMMAD COHEN is a former US diplomat and current iGaming Business Asia editor at large. He covered the casino business in Asia since 2006, most recently for Forbes, and wrote Hong Kong On Air, a novel set during the 1997 handover about TV news, love, betrayal, high finance and cheap lingerie.
iGB L! VE 2025 • ISSUE 138 • 19