According to a ranking company insider, pent up demand among gaming patrons was so strong that the snaking queue for the hotel last Saturday evening was estimated to have been a kilometer long before it started admitting guests at 7 p.m.
More importantly, all — not just some, but all — 2,700 slot machines same some action courtesy of these gamers in just the first few hours of operations.
Exactly how many playing guests are we talking about? The Solaire insider said the company monitored a total of 14,000 guests playing in the two-level casino over a period of less than 18 hours from Saturday evening going into Sunday afternoon.
If you think that’s an awfully large number of slot machines (as this number dwarfs the number of gaming tables which comprise only about an one-eighth of the floor area), the insider said this was because they expected Solaire Resort North to cater more to the mass market.
Apart from the massive casino areas, Solaire Resort North has several upscale restaurants mirroring most of the dining establishments in its older sister, Solaire Entertainment City.
And, of course, this property is anchored by a massive tower which, once in full operation, will have 520-odd hotel rooms. At present, only around 360 rooms are open for occupancy, we hear. But operations are expected to ramp up rapidly over the next few months.
It’s early days but, this early, it looks like the $1-billion bet on the northern Metro Manila gaming and hospitality market by billionaire Enrique Razon Jr. will result in a big payout.
Senior Reporter
