Gold is the color of luck at City of Dreams

Too much alcohol and a lot of money,” is how, according to James Packer, founder and producer of RatPac Entertainment and co-chairman of Melco Crown Entertainment Limited, that “City of Dreams Manila” promo clip featuring Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio came about — and that’s probably him being modest. The video, which is on loop on the giant billboards over at City of Dreams, the newest and most expensive gaming and entertainment complex in Manila, is a nod to Casino, which Scorsese directed and De Niro starred in in 1995.

At the core of City of Dreams Manila is entertainment, so there couldn’t have been a more fitting declaration of the property’s scale and potential than the special promotional film, which was produced by Brett Ratner, director of movies such as X-Men: The Last Stand, Hercules, Red Dragon, and the Rush Hour film franchise. “We have scenes set within City of Dreams Manila, and as Martin himself says about the resort in the film storyline: ‘What I want you to see, is where we are in Manila. This place is incredible, it’s fantastic…’ and believe me, this place really is fantastic,” the director says.

Packer adds, “I think both Lawrence Ho (co-chairman and CEO of Melco Crown) and I probably saw the movie Casino, and it made us want to be in the casino business as well.”

“This is the first time De Niro has worked with Scorsese since Casino. It’s the first time for De Niro and DiCaprio to work together. Leo has done five films with Marty. De Niro has done nine films with Marty. It’s good fun. In both the movie business and the casino business, we sell emotion. We sell fun and make people feel things,” Packer shares at the recent official opening of the City of Dreams Manila, a project of Melco Crown and the SM Group.

Here’s what City of Dreams will make you feel: like entering another world — a one-billion-dollar bubble drenched in blinding, imposing gold. That the entire complex is peppered with golden details, inside and out, is no surprise — it is after all primarily a gaming facility — and all its other features seem to have been built around this.

Clarence Chung Yuk Man, chairman of Melco Crown (Philippines Resorts Corporation) shares, “From the Melco Crown perspective together with our partners SM Group, we spent over a billion dollars on this gorgeous complex, including two towers of the Crown Towers hotel, which has about 250 rooms, and two towers of Nobu Hotel, which has about 320 rooms — we are so lucky to bring Nobu to Asia — and two towers of Hyatt, which has about 250 rooms. We have the first-ever Dreamworks Family Entertainment Center in the world. We have Chaos and Pangaea, and we are planning to bring in something similar to the very successful Taboo show in Macau.”

As an integrated, 6.2-hectare casino resort, City of Dreams Manila is expected to operate about 380 gaming tables, 1,700 slot machines and 1,700 electronic table games.

DreamPlay by Dreamworks is the world’s first Dreamworks education-based interactive playspace for kids and adults, featuring spaces inspired by Dreamworks films including Kung-Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, and Shrek. It has an indoor climbing wall and obstacle course for kung-fu training, as well as a function venue on the second floor. DreamPlay is expected to open in March.

As in every Vegas-set casino movie ever made, casinos and clubs never go anywhere without each other. Pangaea, a global chain of luxury ultra-lounges, and Chaos night club are located inside the City of Dreams “Fortune Egg,” an interesting centerpiece for the complex that looks like it’s going to be a new landmark in the Manila Bay area.

Centerplay, a contemporary entertainment bar on the gaming floor, will be a venue for live performances from local and international artists, and possibly even the sports events that casino resorts are typically known for.

As a retail space, City of Dreams carries a roster of upper-market brands including Art of Scent, Assembly, BCBG Max Azria, Canali, Cesare Paciotti, Hugo Boss, Linda Farrow, Montblanc, Paul & Shark, Porsche Design, Qeelin, Roberto Cavalli, Rolex, SS Watches and Stuart Weitzman.

Dining is elevated to global quality with Nobu Manila featuring chef Noby Matsuhisa (it’s the first Nobu restaurant in Asia), plus The Tasting Room, Crystal Dragon, Red Ginger, and casual dining restaurants including Noodl8, DreamPlay Café, The Hyatt Café, Poolside Spaces and Wave, as well as lobby lounges like Crystal Lounge, and Nobu Tea House. The gaming area also has private dining areas like Li Ying Club, Li Ying Hin, and Signature Club.

At face value, the Philippines doesn’t really come across as the seat of luxury in Asia — at least when compared to our neighbors. But investors are seeing a different picture.

Since its soft opening last December, City of Dreams has attracted 600,000 guests. With the recent launch, which culminated with a concert featuring Ne-Yo and Kelly Rowland, the public — including our tourist population — has gotten even more curious.

“By itself, the Philippines is already quite multi-national in terms of tourist visitations. The tourism department has a target of 10 million until 2016. The Philippine gaming market is growing — last year it was about $2.3 billion, primarily local. We are the only one with Macau properties, so we do believe that we have a very strong foothold over this VIP market, in addition to in-bound VIP customers from outside the Philippines,” says Chung Yuk Man.

Packer adds, “There are 20 million people in Manila. There are a lot of young people. The economy is growing. I can see tourism growing quickly. I think it’s true — you do have more fun in the Philippines.”

With City of Dreams to add to the fun, it looks like our collective “tourist destination” dreams for a country will come true sooner rather than later.

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City of Dreams Manila is at Asean Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard, Parañaque, Metro Manila. For information, visit cityofdreamsmanila.com.