MANILA, Philippines,
Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In a
fanfare of 'Dreams-inspired' pyrotechnics and flashing
strobe-lights that lit the skies of Manila Bay, the doors
officially opened today on Manila's most electrifying, innovative and
diverse entertainment destination. The City of Dreams Manila
official grand launch ceremony ushered in a new era of
entertainment-inspired leisure in the
Philippines.
Thousands of excited visitors witnessed Melco Crown
Entertainment's Co-Chairman and CEO Mr. Lawrence Ho and Mrs. Sharen Ho; Co-Chairman Mr. James Packer; and Mr. Clarence Chung, Chairman & President of
Melco Crown Philippines as they were joined Mr. Cristino Naguiat Jr, Chairman and CEO of PAGCOR,
Mr. Henry Sy Jr, Chairman of SM
Prime Holdings, turned the ceremonial keys -- opening the
'Fortune Egg' of City of Dreams Manila and cascading a 'Dream
Cloud' of mechanical butterflies -- to officially mark the launch
of the integrated resort.
Hundreds of international and regional media joined the
assembled ranks of the Philippines
media corps to witness the launch of City of Dreams Manila, set to
become the "must experience" destination in the Philippine capital.
Celebrations of Manila's newest
world-class gaming and entertainment destination included a
thrilling 'Concert of Dreams', watched by an excited crowd of some
5,000 movers and shakers, starring headliners Ne-Yo, international
R&B heartthrob, and Kelly
Rowland, the Grammy-award winning singer, who was formerly
part of one of the most successful female groups of all time,
Destiny's Child.
They were supported by a host of top Philippines stars who are all the pride of
the Philippines, including one of
PEOPLE ASIA'S 'People of the
Year', Gary Valenciano; divine diva
Zsa Zsa Padilla; R&B-princess
Kyla; and the Aliw Awards 2014 Entertainer of the Year,
Jed Madela.
A glamorous red carpet entrance by leading Manila socialites Tessa Prieto-Valdes; Mia
Borromeo; Marco and Jackie
Antonio; and Manoling and Sandie
Poblador preceded a prestigious gala dinner event attended
by government officials, business partners and VIP guests.
Melco Crown Entertainment's Co-Chairman and CEO Mr.
Lawrence Ho, said: "Today marks
the beginning of a new era of world-class entertainment and leisure
in Manila. This amazing integrated
resort heralds an exciting new chapter in both the city and
the Philippines' ongoing
development and diversification as one of Asia's leading leisure and tourism
destinations.
"On behalf of Melco Crown Entertainment, I would like to express
my sincere gratitude to the Government of the Republic of
the Philippines and to PAGCOR for
their continuous support in helping us realize our 'Dream'
resort."
Said Co-Chairman of Melco Crown Entertainment Mr.
James Packer: "The Philippines is an exciting and dynamic
market. This entertainment complex has been developed to meet the
specific needs of both the local domestic visitor and the large,
rapidly growing, and increasingly diverse audience of sophisticated
leisure and entertainment seekers from across Asia and around the world."
The grand launch of City of Dreams Manila marks a major
milestone for Melco Crown Entertainment as it expands its "City of
Dreams" brand presence from Macau
and out into the wider Asian market for the first time.
As Manila's first world-class
integrated leisure destination, the new resort complex brings
together a diverse collection of contemporary international
entertainment, leisure and lifestyle brands, including Crown, Nobu,
Hyatt, DreamWorks and the Ault Group. As such, an exceptional
experience awaits all types of travelers and visitors from around
the region and the world.
City of Dreams Manila has been developed by integrated casino
resort developer MCE Leisure (Philippines) Corporation ("MCE Leisure
Philippines") in cooperation with SM Group's Belle
Corporation, and is under the sole
management and operation by MCE Leisure Philippines, a subsidiary
of Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts Corporation (a company
listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange with trading symbol "MCP",
which is a subsidiary of Melco Crown Entertainment Limited, (SEHK:
6883) (NASDAQ: MPEL), a developer and owner of casino gaming and
entertainment resort facilities in Asia.
Copyright © 2015 Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts
Corporation. All rights reserved.
All information is subject to change without notice.
Safe Harbor Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements. These
statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S.
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company may
also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its
periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "SEC"), in its annual report to shareholders, in press
releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by
its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements
that are not historical facts, including statements about the
Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and
uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results
to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statement. These factors include, but are not limited to, (i)
growth of the gaming market and visitation in Macau and the
Philippines, (ii) capital and credit market volatility,
(iii) local and global economic conditions, (iv) our anticipated
growth strategies, and (v) our future business development, results
of operations and financial condition. In some cases,
forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases
such as "may", "will", "expect", "anticipate", "target", "aim",
"estimate", "intend", "plan", "believe", "potential", "continue",
"is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. Further
information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or
factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All
information provided in this release is as of the date of this
release, and the Company undertakes no duty to update such
information, except as required under applicable law.
About City of Dreams Manila
City of Dreams Manila opened its doors to the public in
December 2014 and marked the formal
entry of Melco Crown Entertainment into the fast-growing and
dynamic tourism industry in the
Philippines. The new integrated casino resort at
Entertainment City, Manila Bay, Manila, is solely operated and managed by MCE
Leisure.
The dynamic and innovative resort complex, located on an
approximately 6.2-hectare site at the gateway to Entertainment
City, includes the ultimate in entertainment, hotel, retail and
dining and lifestyle experiences with aggregated gaming space,
including VIP and mass-market gaming facilities with up to
approximately 380 gaming tables, 1,700 slot machines and 1,700
electronic table games.
The integrated resort features three distinctive entertainment
venues, including Manila's first
branded Family Entertainment Center DreamPlay by DreamWorks, a live
performance central lounge inside the casino and a night club
situated at the Fortune Egg, an architecturally-unique structure
with creative exterior lighting design and an iconic landmark of
the Manila Bay area.
City of Dreams Manila is destined to deliver an unparalleled
entertainment and hospitality experience to the Philippines and will ultimately play a key
role in strengthening the depth and diversity of Manila's leisure, business and tourism
offering, enhancing its growing position as one of Asia's premier leisure destinations. It has
been developed to specifically meet the needs of the large, rapidly
growing and increasingly diverse audience of leisure and
entertainment seekers both in the
Philippines and those visiting Manila from across the Asia region and around the world.
About Melco Crown
(Philippines) Resorts
Corporation
Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts Corporation, with its
shares listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE: MCP), is a
subsidiary of Melco Crown Entertainment (SEHK: 6883; NASDAQ: MPEL).
It has developed City of Dreams Manila, a casino, hotel, retail and
entertainment integrated resort in Manila, which has six hotel towers, including
the Crown Towers hotel, Nobu Hotel and Hyatt City of Dreams Manila,
numerous specialty restaurants and bars, gaming facilities, a
multi-level car park, as well as three separate entertainment
venues. For more information about Melco Crown Philippines, please
visit www.melco-crown-philippines.com.
About Melco Crown Entertainment Limited
Melco Crown Entertainment, with its shares listed on the Main
Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "Hong Kong
Stock Exchange") (SEHK: 6883) and its American depositary shares
listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (NASDAQ: MPEL), is a
developer, owner and operator of casino gaming and entertainment
resort facilities in Asia. Melco
Crown Entertainment currently operates Altira Macau
(www.altiramacau.com), a casino hotel located at Taipa,
Macau and City of Dreams
(www.cityofdreamsmacau.com), an integrated urban casino resort
located in Cotai, Macau. Melco
Crown Entertainment's business also includes the Mocha Clubs
(www.mochaclubs.com), which comprise the largest non-casino based
operations of electronic gaming machines in Macau. The Company is also developing the
planned Studio City Project, a cinematically-themed integrated
entertainment, retail and gaming resort in Cotai, Macau. In the
Philippines, Melco Crown
(Philippines) Resorts
Corporation's subsidiary, MCE Leisure (Philippines) Corporation, currently operates
and manages City of Dreams Manila (www.cityofdreams.com.ph), a
casino, hotel, retail and entertainment integrated resort in the
Entertainment City complex in Manila. For more information about Melco Crown
Entertainment, please visit www.melco-crown.com.
Melco Crown Entertainment has strong support from both of its
major shareholders, Melco International Development Limited
("Melco") and Crown Resorts Limited ("Crown"). Melco is a listed
company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and is substantially owned
and led by Mr. Lawrence Ho, who is
Co-Chairman, an Executive Director and the CEO of Melco Crown
Entertainment. Crown is a top-50 company listed on the Australian
Securities Exchange and led by Chairman Mr. James Packer, who is also Co-Chairman and a
Non-executive Director of Melco Crown Entertainment.
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SOURCE City of Dreams Manila