Resorts World expands presence in Asia, US

MANILA, Philippines - The Resorts World gaming and entertainment chain is expanding its presence in two continents as Genting Group chairman Tan Sri Kok Thay Lim unveiled plans for Resorts World Miami.

Resorts World currently operates three sites in Asia: Resorts World Genting near Kuala Lumpur, Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore and Resorts World Manila in Newport City. A fourth site, Resorts World Bayshore City in Pagcor Entertainment City along Manila Bay, is on the planning stages. The Resorts World franchise in Manila operates through Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., a joint venture between Genting Hong Kong and Andrew Tan’s Alliance Global Group Inc. (AGI).

Resorts World Miami will be the second North American site for the group, after Resorts World New York in South Queens. It will be the first casino in the Big Apple and is slated to open in the fourth quarter.

One of Miami’s finest, globally renowned architectural and interior design firm Arquitectonica, was appointed to draft the master plan for Resorts World Miami.

In his speech during the project’s inauguration, Arquitectonica co-founder and principal Bernardo Fort-Brescia said: “I have visited Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore and was impressed by the design, the quality of landscaping, the world-class art and the high caliber of the project’s operations. Resorts World Miami will be a great contribution to the tourism, entertainment and real estate markets of Miami and South Florida.”

Resorts World Miami is strategically located along Miami’s famed waterfront. It will be developed over 5.6 hectares of land, which Genting acquired from The Miami Herald newspaper for $236 million.

“I believe Miami is destined to become one of the greatest global cities in the world,” Lim said. “With planes now able to fly non-stop from Singapore and Hong Kong, Miami will soon connect Asia with the Americas.”

The Genting Group, worth $45 billion, hopes to one day open a casino in its proposed luxury resort, although Florida laws strictly allow gaming only in tribal lands. Thus, the company started early in its bid to get political and community support for gaming to be approved, a process that could take years. An early supporter is Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado on the plans for a casino on the resort’s ground level with resort amenities on the higher floors for non-gambling tourists. “The way they have presented it, I do support that. What they’re trying to do here is smart: bringing tourists to the resort. If you want to go to the casino, fine,” the mayor said.

The Resorts World Miami project is a sort of second homecoming for Lim, after Genting Group acquired Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line in 2000. He visited Miami for the first time as a university student from London four decades ago. “I enjoyed all that Miami could offer to a young man and I fell in love with Miami and have come back many, many times. I always feel at home,” he shared.

With Miami’s long stretch of beaches, plus the plethora of restaurants, shopping, hotels and entertainment options to be lined up in the master plan for Resorts World Miami, tourists will likely feel at home as well.

The synergies that can be expected from the two North American sites and those in Kuala Lumpur and Sentosa in the areas of gaming, hotel operations and entertainment bode well for Resorts World Manila and the upcoming Resorts World Bayshore City. “We congratulate Genting Group on the start of their Resorts World Miami project. With Resorts World soon operating sites in first-world cities such as New York and Miami, Asian tourists will certainly view Resorts World Manila positively,” noted AGI chairman Andrew Tan.