Our most popular blog posts have irrefutably been those on Melco’s Crown Macau (MPEL). The interest came from not only the general public, but also a few financial forums… Yahoo and MSN come to mind. Anyway, given your keen interest in this topic, I feel compelled to keep you abreast of happenings and give you, when I can, the bird’s-eye-view from a Macau vantage point. Here it is…
As you may have read elsewhere, Crown Macau is located on Taipa Island. Macau is tiny, but some say the short trip across the Pearl is a billion dollar gap. Well, perhaps it’s not that large, both figuratively and literally… Allow me to 开门见山 for you putonghua-ists…
The Crown Macau has a bus that shuttles punters from central Macau (right in front of the Hotel Sintra and Fortuna Japanese Restaurant, which is a hop, skip, and a jump from Grand Lisboa) to Crown Macau. Well, I’ve walked past this bus everyday for the last month+. And… the bus has been empty. The poor sweetheart waiting to greet customers seemed so lonesome. I wanted to jump in the bus, head across the strait, and throw a few tokens into the heart of the beast, just to give her some sense of purpose. Well dear friends, times have changed. The past week, the shuttle bus has not only had people, but also a queue! I’ll say it again for the flabbergasted… A Queue! And today, on my way to the office, the bus was chockablock jammed with punters, eager as beavers. I’ll make a trip out that way in the coming week and give y’all the 411 on whether there’s a noticeable difference on the floor.
Dear readers, accept my unconditional apologies for not “sounding the trumpet” the past days. I’m away from the office on a little R&R, thus I’ve been slightly neglectful of my obligations to you. We drew winners in the blog contest last week. Check them out on the contest entry page. While away, I had my mate AH go check out the Thai boxing duel. Here’s what he had to say.
Managed to get some complementary tickets to see the ‘Fury in Macau’ Kick boxing event held at the Macau East Asian Games Dome in Taipa last weekend (2nd June).
Excellent event!
Several kick boxing bouts where spread out over the evening with plenty of supporting entertainment to keep eyes and ears occupied. The boxers originating from Thailand, Australia, China, etc were generally evenly matched providing an entertaining display of kick boxing skills and aggression with plenty of knock downs and the occasional KO! (No pantomime antics here, this was the real thing!). A knowledgeable crowed ensured the atmosphere reflected the nature of the event and kept everybody on the edge of their seats.
A slick production, well worth seeing if it happens again.
Word of warning: Make sure you arrange transportation home before you go; there isn’t a great deal of public transport around the East Asian Games Dome last thing at night.
It’s me again… AH sure describes a good event. I was surfing on YouTube in the arvo and came across a few videos posted by fight fans who also attended the event. This one has a few good moments…
On Sunday last, I partook in some late night revelry with a few confreres, who were hosting a fleet of Japan’s ANA flight attendants holidaying in Macau. As one of Macau’s most outspoken advocates for the positive change transforming Macau from that of a one-activity town to an all-encompassing holiday destination, I felt it was my duty to be at the heart of the action and report the events to those of you closely following the developments afoot in Macau.
The evening began in Macau’s Lan Kwai Fong District, which is opposite the Kun Iam Statue. Lan Kwai Fong is home to a dozen bars and eateries. We went to Moonwalker which has live music most days. My seven new Japanese friends captured a fair bit of attention and soon were on stage with the band.
Stop 2 was D2. There was a little trouble gaining entry, as one member of our group failed to meet the dress code. Our plea was that it was a Sunday and they should be lenient, especially since we were so many. They balked at this suggestion. I phoned someone with clout and it turned out she was in England on holiday and unable to sway anyone. After some aggressive negotiation, Shirley arrived at a winning solution and within moments we were in to drink champagne in Macau’s newest night spot. I was impressed with how the staff handled our little situation. Kudos to D2. BTW, I was surprised and impressed that the club was full on a Sunday night. Even when I dragged myself out at four in the morning, there was still a healthy crowd.
My two cents: I think D2 will be and its predecessor DDs was successful because they can balance a multinational crowd. I think that the new big clubs need to cater to both.
D2 is in the AIA Tower across the street from Grand Emperor Hotel right on Nam Van Lake.
Crown Macau opened by James Packer and Lawrence Ho of the Melco - PBL Group
In my last post, I griped about not being able to attend the Crown Macau grand opening. Well my fortunes changed by the end of the week. My press pass was finally approved and thus I relay to you the events of Saturday night. I was in Hong Kong in the arvo, so it was a mad dash to get back Macau side. I raced from the ferry terminal across the bridge to Taipa only to be met by throngs of punters eager to rush through the doors to lay down the almighty (HK) dollar. For the life of me, I couldn’t find where I was to obtain the press pass. A maze of gridiron fencing corralled the thrill seekers on the sidewalks. I caught some of James Packer’s (Australia’s richest person) and Lawrence Ho’s (son of Dr. Stanley Ho) opening presentation replete with the requisite Chinese lion dance. Realizing I was going to miss the whole shebang, I further pursued finding the press pass. I was finally brought before a British gentleman by the name of Simeon. I’m going to sing a little praise here. It was a frantic scene in front of the Crown Macau during the opening. I can understand that my request for my press pass was not too high on anyone’s list of things to do. However, this overly competent senior VP from Ketchum PR took it all in stride. Despite everything else he was dealing with, he hand delivered my pass at the Regency Hotel and escorted me to the media area. (Top work. If you need high-level PR work, contact Simeon at Ketchum PR. Cheers.)
While in the Regency Hotel waiting for my press pass, I saw Dr. Stanley Ho for the first time. He strolled right past me with an entourage of about a dozen bodyguards. Dr. Ho’s corsage was about the size of my family garden, but with more expensive flowers. I also think that Bill Murray walked through the lobby too, though I’ll need someone to confirm that.
Now the event… Bit of a debacle. So the opening ceremony was held in a giant tent about 500 meters from the Crown Macau. It was erected on swampy reclaimed land. Apparently it was near-impossible to find one’s table at the outset of the evening and there was no air conditioning as I can attest. Given the warm, humid temperature the inner confines of the dastardly tent can be likened to a reptilian solarium. By the time I entered the tent with my press pass, near-on a quarter of the guests had left due to the oppressive conditions. I knew some proper invitees and joined them at one of the many free seats for the show. The show was vaudevillian mastery: Acrobatics and bewildering stunts choreographed to an impressive score. Some highlights of the Dragone performance include the breakdancing body contortionist’s solo act in the cage, Ghostbusters-esque Stay Puft Marshmallow Men, and the leaping, flipping, rolling crew of gymnasts. I was also thoroughly wowed by the artificial waterfall that controlled the location, quantity, and timing of the “released” water to display images and words. The waterfall literally rained women, umbrellas, the words Crown Macau, and the logo.
The private after party was the capstone to an impressive event. It seemed the after party was the only aspect that went off without a hitch. The outdoor terrace on the 25th floor overlooks the stunning Macau skyline. A dessert bar featured more chocolate than any one person should be allowed access. I spent the evening drinking Hennessy cognac and smoking Cuban Cohiba cigars, imaging that I was an actual invitee and not a lowly gatecrasher with a media pass.
New Century Hotel and Regency Hotel Have a New Neighbour
My colleague was invited last night to “test the games”. She ended up raking in the faux-chips, as you can see.
As well, I was on the 29th floor of the building next door last night and there were a bunch of people splashing about in the Crown Macau’s indoor pool, apparently checking chlorine levels and the lifeguards’ mouth-to-mouth techniques.
The Crown Macau kick-off party is meant to be on Saturday and the list of celebrities to attend is long. All of my efforts to get an invitation, including a lowly press pass, have come to naught. My megalomania is seriously being challenged and I rue the fact that I am not immensely more wealthy, famous, and powerful.
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