Solaire Resort & Casino

Solaire Resort & Casino
The casino interior in 2013
Location Entertainment City, Tambo, Parañaque, Philippines
Address 1 Aseana Avenue
Opening dateMarch 16, 2013; 11 years ago (2013-03-16)
No. of rooms
800
  • Phase 1: 488
  • Phase 2: 312
Total gaming space18,500 m2 (199,000 sq ft)
Notable restaurants
  • Food Court
  • Finestra
  • Yakumi
  • Red Lantern
  • Fresh
  • Waterside
  • Oasis
  • Kiwa
  • The Patisserie
  • Lucky Noodles
  • Solaire Food Bar & Grill
OwnerBloomberry Resorts and Hotels
Sureste Properties, Inc.
Operating license holderPAGCOR
Coordinates14°31′23″N 120°58′53″E / 14.523166°N 120.981260°E / 14.523166; 120.981260
Websitehttps://www.solaireresort.com/

Solaire Resort & Casino (formerly known as Solaire Manila) is a resort and casino in Entertainment City, a complex built along the Bay City area of Parañaque, in Metro Manila, Philippines.[1]

History

Solaire Resort & Casino was the first development to break ground in PAGCOR's Entertainment City, an integrated resort envisioned by former PAGCOR Chairman Efraim Genuino for the Manila Bay area. The 120-hectare (300-acre) reclaimed area was designated as a special economic zone by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.[2]

The resort is run by Bloomberry Resorts Corporation, headed by Enrique K. Razón, Jr., chairman of the Manila-based company, International Container Terminal Services Incorporated.[3] The project required an investment commitment of $1.2 billion pursuant to a casino license from PAGCOR.[4] After Resorts World Manila was built in August 2009, the state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) issued a provisional license to Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Incorporated; the facility was launched as "Solaire Manila", and broke ground in July 2010. The hotel tower was topped out in June 2012 alongside a parking garage.

In October 2012, Solaire Manila was renamed "Solaire Resort & Casino" and Phase 1 was completed in the first quarter of 2013. Leading the official opening of Solaire Resort and Casino were President Benigno Aquino III, Bloomberry Resorts Corporation Chairman and CEO Enrique K. Razon Jr., Chairman of PAGCOR Cristino Naguiat Jr. and other guests, inaugurating the casino resort at 15:00 PST (GMT+8) on March 16, 2013–exactly 492 years after Ferdinand Magellan had arrived in the Philippines.

Development

The complex, covering a total of 8.3 hectares (21 acres), houses two 17-storey hotels. Bay Tower and Sky Tower have a total of 800 rooms, suites and villas. Solaire features a column-free grand ballroom which can accommodate a maximum of 1,300 guests. The Forum has eight function rooms and two boardrooms with audiovisual equipment. The complex includes 18,500 square metres (199,000 sq ft) gaming area containing 1,620 slot machines and 360 gaming tables. The complex includes convention facilities as well as leisure, live entertainment, dining and retail hubs.[5] In retail, there is a mall called The Shoppes at Solaire operated by Ayala Land Inc. In 2014 there was an intention to stock premium brands.[6] The project includes a second parking building, and "The Theatre at Solaire", with 1,740 seats and retail space of 60,000-hectare (150,000-acre).[7]

Solaire Resort & Casino was managed under a five-year contract by American firm Global Gaming Asset Management,[8] (which owned a 9 percent stake in the project[9]) until September 2013.[10] Solaire's COO Michael French was replaced by former Marina Bay Sands CEO Thomas Arasi.[11]

An arena which is to be part of the casino complex, was planned to be among the proposed venues for the Philippine hosting bid for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.[12][13]

Solaire Resort & Casino was designed by architect and designer Paul Steelman of Las Vegas-based Steelman Partners[14] with interior design provided by Steelman Partners affiliate company DSAA (Dalton, Steelman, Arias & Associates) and the interior lighting design by affiliate shop12.[15]

In 2024, Solaire Resort was bestowed the Forbes Travel Guide 5-Star Excellence Award for the 8th consecutive year.[16]

Solaire Resort North

Solaire Resort North

On March 19, 2024, Bloomberry announced the opening in late May of its second integrated resort Solaire Resort North, a US$1-billion investment covering 1.5 hectares and that “stands at 38 floors” at Vertis North in Quezon City. Designed by architecture firms Aedas and Casas+Architects, its interiors were crafted by the Habitus Design Group.[17]

The second resort opened on May 25, 2024.[18] The five-star integrated resort hotel's amenities include a lobby lounge, pillarless grand ballroom, banquet and conference rooms, 530 guest rooms, including deluxe rooms, premiere to diamond suites, L-shaped swimming pool with cabana cityscape views. Solaire has leisure facilities, health club, a first-in-the-country spa-salon, Solaire Boutique, PACE and children's water park. The 14 restaurants include Red Lantern, Yakumi, Finestra Italian Steakhouse, Fresh International Buffet, among others. Solaire has 10,000-hectare (25,000-acre) space for 4 luxury gaming levels which include Solaire Online and casino games like 160 tabletop game, 2,600 slot machines, VIP spaces, Baccarat-Mega Six, Pontoon Trilux Bonus and Blackjack.[19][20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Solaire Resort & Casino to open by 1st quarter of 2013". ABS-CBN News. Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  2. ^ O'Keeffe, Kate (April 18, 2012). "Making a Play for Philippines as a Gambling Mecca". WSJ. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Enrique Razon's Shipping Play". Forbes. June 22, 2011. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "Manila challenges Macao with $1.2b casino". Investvine.com. March 16, 2013. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  5. ^ Gonzaga, Robert (February 8, 2012). "Razon's Bloombury project on track". INQUIRER.net. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  6. ^ "Philippines' Ayala Land to operate mall at $1.2 billion Solaire casino venture". Reuters. May 13, 2014. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  7. ^ "Bloomberry aims to complete first expansion of Solaire in Q3 2014". BusinessMirror. Archived from the original on March 24, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  8. ^ James A. Loyola (April 5, 2012). "Bloomberry Taps GGAM For Casino". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  9. ^ Jenniffer B. Austria (December 27, 2012). "Global Gaming acquires 8.7% of Bloomberry". Manila Standard Today. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  10. ^ Doris C. Dumlao (September 13, 2013). "Bloomberry fires Solaire COO". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  11. ^ Jennifer B. Austria (October 2, 2013). "Solaire hires ex-Marina Bay Sands chief". Manila Standard. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  12. ^ Miravite, Myke (January 2, 2015). "Solaire, SM Group propose to build stadiums to boost PH's FIBA World Cup hosting bid". Rivals.ph. Archived from the original on March 25, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  13. ^ Joble, Rey (January 4, 2015). "Multi-million coliseum to be put up by US-designed team". Business World Online. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  14. ^ "Bloomberry's Solaire Resort & Casino to open in March". abs-cbnnews.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  15. ^ "Steelman Partners Announces the Creation of Several New Companies". Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  16. ^ "This resort entertainment city receives 8th 5-star Excellence Award". Manila Bulletin. February 12, 2024. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  17. ^ Cordero, Ted (March 19, 2024). "Solaire Resort in Quezon City to open in May". GMA Integrated News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Dingding, Yummie (May 25, 2024). "Solaire Resort North ribbon-cutting with PBBM". Daily Tribune. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  19. ^ "A new era of hospitality begins: Solaire Resort North ushers in luxury in Quezon City". Bilyonaryo. May 25, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  20. ^ Domingo, Katrina (May 25, 2024). "Marcos Jr. expects boost in jobs, tax revenue from new casino-resort in QC". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
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