Galaxy Entertainment Group has placed its chips on a calculated bet for China’s mass market to propel the first of the big resorts’ second-phase initiatives to success.
The US$5.5 billion investment by Galaxy, launched today, sees the Galaxy Macau and new Broadway Macau nearly double the resort’s size, with a marked emphasis on broadening the resort’s base beyond VIP gaming.
“The customer has changed enormously,” Kevin Clayton, Chief Marketing Officer of Galaxy Entertainment Group, told a pre-launch gathering of media.
“We have a far more discerning customer coming from Southeast Asia, North Asia and China. They’re looking for a wider selection of experiences and much broader forms of entertainment. Not just gaming.
“Broadway has been designed, developed and delivered with customers and diversity associated with those customers in mind.”
As the first major resort to open in the territory since 2012, the expansion underpins the group’s aim of establishing Macau as a “world centre of tourism and leisure”.
Hotels
The integrated destination resort comprises six individual hotels including The Ritz-Carlton, Macau, JW Marriott Hotel Macau (see here), Banyan Tree Macau, Hotel Okura Macau, and of course the Galaxy Hotel and Broadway Hotel. In total, there are nearly 4,000 guest rooms on offer.
The marriage of Asia’s largest Marriott and the all-suite Ritz-Carlton, with their associated meeting and function facilities, provides a perfect mix for the business events and incentives market, Rauf Malik, vice president of operations for both hotels, told Business Traveller Asia-Pacific.
“If you look at our market mix we have Chinese, Chinese and Chinese, and then Japanese and Korean, and then different areas,” he said. “If you look at what’s happening in the Macau environment… I think there is still room for rooms. We haven’t seen the best of Macau yet, to be honest.”
A highlight of the launch is the expanded Grand Resort Deck that now covers 75,000 sqm. It is home to several attractions including the 575-metre long Skytop Adventure Rapids; Macau’s only Skytop Waterslide comprising three nine-metre high slides; and the daily laser show “Laserama”.
Dining options have also doubled with the integrated resort now offering over 120 outlets, including eight Michelin-starred and recommended restaurant brands.
Expect to dine at restaurants such as Fook Lam Moon, Lai Heen, and Otto e Mezzo BOMBANA – the latest development by head chef Umberto Bombana, known for his three-star Michelin-rated restaurant in Alexandra House, Central, Hong Kong.
The Broadway
Broadway Macau has its own entertainment strip called The Broadway, which hosts traditional concerts and musicals. There is also a 3,000-seat venue, Broadway Theatre that can be used to host shows, events and sports tournaments. For those seeking the big screen experience, there is also the 10-screen 3D Cineplex – UA Galaxy Cinemas.
Finally, the integrated resort is also home to The Promenade – a luxury retail destination offering more than 200 high-end outlets.
“The market has certainly changed from a VIP focus to a mass market,” said Richard Longhurst, Director of Operations for Galaxy Macau, “and the vast majority of our new gaming tables is already focused on our mass market which is really where the future of Macau lies as against the VIP [market].
“We are very confident about what we have developed. We think the market has changed over the last 12 months and we are positioned to capture more of that mass market and discerning consumers.
“The majority of our development has gone into the non-gaming parts of our business, with all of the six hotels, the doubling in size of our grand resort deck, with a 200 retail shops and over 120 restaurants and bars, the diversity of our offer is quite significant.”
Regarding the significance of the China market, Clayton said around 20 million visitors arrived per year in Macau from China. “The middle income portion of China could be anything between 250 to 400 million people. Just reflecting on 20 million against 250-400 million people, Macau’s penetration is incredibly small, and therefore the opportunity for Macau is incredibly big.”
For more information, visit galaxymacau.com
John Church and Clement Huang
