Aug

30

Cotai advertising campaign

Filed Under Macau, Macao, Cotai, Cotai Strip® | Leave a Comment

If anyone has seen any of these ads, please forward them to me so I can post them to share with everyone.  Here’s the article from BrandRepublic.Asia:
Macau’s Cotai Strip launch activities continue in earnest today with the launch of a new advertising campaign for several key properties.

Developed by OgilvyOne Hong Kong and OMD, the campaign promotes the new Plaza Casino, which is located at the new Four Seasons Hotel next to the Venetian Macao.

The campaign also includes TV and outdoor work for Zaia, the new Cirque Du Soleil act which is debuting at a purpose-built theater at the Venetian.

The Plaza Casino campaign sees several newspaper front pages wrapped with the print and advertorial advertisements.  Read more

Aug

29

Zaia press release, photos, and video

Filed Under Macau, Macao, Cotai, Venetian Macao, Cirque de Soleil, Cotai Strip®, Zaia, Cotai Arena, Shows | Leave a Comment

zaia

(see below for more pictures and video)

ZAIA, the very first permanent Cirque du Soleil production to open in Asia, celebrated its world premiere on August 28, 2008 at the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel in Macau to coincide with the 1st Anniversary of its host resort-hotel.

Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian-based global entertainment company providing high-quality artistic entertainment. Cirque du Soleil productions have played to almost 80 million spectators in over 200 cities on five continents. In 2008, Cirque du Soleil is presenting 17 shows simultaneously throughout the world. Each production fuses innovative acrobatics, theatre, dance and music with spectacular costumes, lighting and make-up. Cirque du Soleil has successfully toured to 13 cities in Asia, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei and Shanghai with Big Top productions but ZAIA will be the first production to be housed within a permanent theatre in the region. Read more

Aug

28

More Cotai Strips

Filed Under Las Vegas Sands, Cotai Strip® | Leave a Comment

Sheldon Adelson hopes to spend another $12 billion on a new Cotai Strip like development.  Read all about it at Global Casino BOOM.

Aug

28

An odd press release

Filed Under Macau, Macao, Cotai, Macau Studio City, Shopping | 1 Comment

Here is an odd press release.  Its from Taubman touting their Mall at Macao Studio City. But Isnt Macao Studio City delayed you ask?  Why yes, I think it is!  Thats what makes this press release so odd.

Taubman Asia, a subsidiary of U.S. mall REIT Taubman Centers, Inc. (NYSE: TCO), today revealed a glimpse of what is destined to become Asia’s most luxurious shopping center, featuring an unparalleled line-up of flagship stores including A. Lange & Sohne, Alfred Dunhill, Berluti, Bulgari, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Cartier, Chopard, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Ermenegildo Zegna, Fendi, Franck Muller, Gucci, Miu Miu, Montblanc, Omega, Piaget, Prada, Roger Vivier, Tod’s, Van Cleef and Arpels, and Versace. Additional major fashion brands have committed and are expected to be announced in the coming months. Read more

Aug

28

Cotai Strip takes next step, opens Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cirque’s Zaia, and more shopping

Filed Under Macau, Macao, Shopping, Four Season's Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip®, Zaia | Leave a Comment

Las Vegas Sands Celebrates Opening of Second Cotai Strip(R) Property and Launch of New World-Class Retail and Entertainment Offerings

One year after the hugely successful opening of Macao’s first truly integrated casino resort — The Venetian Macao — Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS - News) today celebrated the opening of its second Cotai Strip(TM) property, the Four Seasons Hotel Macao. The celebration also marked the world premiere of Cirque du Soleil’s ZAIA at The Venetian Macao, and the official opening of the luxurious new Shoppes at Four Seasons.

“Today marks yet another significant milestone in the overall effort to transform Macao into an international leisure and business destination,” said Sheldon G. Adelson, chairman and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp. “The key to building a successful tourist destination is being able to assemble the critical mass of attractions needed to make the location more unique and compelling than its rival destinations. That is why we continue to add more and more important components, like luxury retail and world-class entertainment, to our Cotai Strip development. The Cotai Strip’s array of leisure, entertainment, and business offerings has already helped Macao attract a greater number of visitors from across the region and beyond and in the longer-term its popularity will further facilitate Macao’s evolution into an extremely successful and desirable international tourist destination.”

The new Four Seasons Hotel Macao, which is owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp., but operated and managed by the world-renowned Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Read more

Aug

25

LVS sets terms on Cotai Strip financing

Filed Under Macau, Macao, Cotai, Las Vegas Sands, Cotai Strip® | Leave a Comment

Bloomberg is reporting that LVS is closing on a loan to help fund its Cotai Strip hotel casino expansion.  The article reports that LVS is paying more then it had to pay for a loan it took out in 2006, which shouldnt be surprising considering the state of the credit markets.  Even if costs a little more this time around, LVS and its investors should be relieved that financing is in place to continue with the Cotai Strip expansion, which would explain why LVS’ stock was actually up today when the rest of the market was down about 2%.
From Bloomberg:  Read more

Aug

25

APT Hosts Charity Poker Event at StarWorld in Macau

Filed Under Macau, Macao, Poker, Galaxy Starworld Casino | Leave a Comment

The $1.5 million APT Macau offers Asia’s largest ever guaranteed prize pool and runs from the 27th - 31st August at the Galaxy StarWorld Casino Resort and Hotel. Tuesday 26th August is a hectic day as the Asian Poker Tour officially hits town!

At 3.30pm, the APT Poker Room on Level 2 will be opened. This is followed at 4.30pm by book signings on level 16 by US poker legend Doyle Brunson (also on the 27th). At 7pm a special charity Celebrity Poker Challenge will take place. Proceeds go to Caritas De Macau, the social service organization of Macau.

Taking part is Manny Pacquiao, the best pound for pound boxer in the world and the first Asian boxer to win four world titles in different divisions. The charity game will also feature movie actor Michael Wong, singer Renee Dai, commentator Angie Mak and models Natalie Ng, Erica Yuen, Janice Man, Cha Cha and Wylien Chiu, Tracy Ip and Tila Tequila.   Read more

Aug

23

Couple interesting data points

Filed Under Macau, Macao, Cotai, Statistics, TOURISM, Cotai Strip® | Leave a Comment

1) Wow…

Macao’s value of total retail sales amounted 9.15 billion patacas (1.14 U.S. dollars) in the first half of this year, a remarkably increase of 43 percent year-on-year, according to the figures Wednesday released by the city’s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).

2) This number may be about 4% higher than last June, but it still needs to go a lot higher. Las Vegas has 10x the number of hotel rooms that Macau has, yet Vegas still posts 90% plus occupancy rates month after month, year after year. Read more

Aug

22

APT invites Michael Phelps to poker tournament

Filed Under Macau, Macao, Poker | Leave a Comment

michael phelps macau apt poker tournament

With the recent revelation by 8 time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps that he is a big poker fan and that he was looking forward to playing again, the Asian Poker Tour (APT) have written him an open letter inviting him to stop off on his way home and play in the APT Macau next week.

The second leg of the Asian Poker Tour gets underway at the Galaxy StarWorld Hotel and Casino Resort in Macau on August 27th running until August 31st and GUARANTEES a prize pool of US$1,500,000 and a first prize of US$500,000 – the largest to date in Asia.

Amongst those committed to take part in the USD $5300 ($5000+$300) main event include a range of the biggest poker names in the world including ‘Godfather of Poker’ Doyle Brunson, Todd Brunson, J.C Tran, John Juanda, Kenny Tran, Nam Le, Quinn Do, Steve Sung and APT Manila champion David Saab. In the next few days even more star names will be published so watch this space! Joining the stars are players who have won seats to the event by qualifying through online satellites at PartyPoker.com, Datapoker, Titan Poker, Bodog, JBetPoker, Virgin Poker and Poker Trillion.

Here’s the letter: Read more

Aug

22

LVS tries to calm fears before Cotai Strip’s Four Seasons Hotel opens

Filed Under Macau, Macao, Cotai, Four Season's Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip® | Leave a Comment

A week before the opening of Las Vegas Sands’ newest $1 billion addition to Macau’s Cotai Strip, company President Bill Weidner downplayed Chinese media reports that the government wants to slow visitation into the gambling enclave.During a conference call Wednesday to discuss the Aug. 28 opening of the 360-room Four Seasons Macau, which is attached to the company’s massive 3,000-room Venetian Macau, Weidner said the bulk of the company’s Chinese visitors come from areas of the country that would not be affected by government-imposed visa restrictions.

Weidner also said company officials aren’t even sure China wants to enact the restrictions.

“This would be the fourth wave of visa restriction tweaking since 2000,” Weidner said. “I think the primary reason is they want to separate the wheat from the chaff. The restrictions are aimed at bringing a higher quality of visitors.”   Read more

Aug

19

Oh no, not again

Filed Under Macau, Macao, TRAVEL | 1 Comment

The Chinese Central Government is at it again.  Apparently they may be considering REALLY restricting Mainland Chinese travel to Macao:

A Morgan Stanley research note quoted news accounts in Asia indicating the Mainland Chinese government has considered additional restrictions on visas to Macau as part of its effort to slow gaming activities on the part of its citizens. One limit being floated: restricting visas so gamblers could visit every six months instead of the current allowance of every two months. Morgan Stanley said the Chinese government has made it clear it wanted to further restrict visits, and Read more

Aug

18

Zaia

Filed Under Macau, Macao, Cotai, Venetian Macao, ENTERTAINMENT, Sheraton Macao Hotel, Cirque de Soleil, Cotai Strip®, Zaia | Leave a Comment

The Wall Street Journal has a nice background article about the Cirque du Soleil show Zaia that will begin later on this month at the Cotai Strip’s Venetian Macao Resort.

The article is well worth a quick read, and there were a few things I found interesting. One was that Cirque contract with the Venetian Macao is for ten years.  I have no idea how long the contracts run for in Las Vegas, but ten years is certainly a long one.  Also, Cirque is preparing a second Cotai Strip show that will run at the Sheraton Macao Hotel Cotai Strip in 2009 (cant remember if I knew this). Read more

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