GRANT BOWIE President and General Manager of Wynn Macau Resort

When the Wynn Macau resort opens in the autumn of 2006, Macau will enter a new era in its history, or better put, it will enter a new phase in its future. The $700 million resort will be the city’s first truly international multi-entertainment and gaming destination and will redefine the Asian casino experience, where the gaming and non-gaming activities move much more comfortably in harmony. Aimed at creating a previously unknown level of elegance and sophistication in dining, shopping and entertainment in the region, the luxurious Wynn Macau will cover 11 acres on a waterfront site near the city’s inner harbor. It will feature a curved signature tower; 600 hotel rooms; 100,000 square feet of gaming space, including 200 tables and 350 slot machines; seven restaurants; 28,000 square feet of retail space; a spa; a salon; and a range of entertainment facilities. The resort is a creation of Steve Wynn, who has been called “The Builder of Big Dreams.”

He is credited with having transformed Las Vegas from simply a pure gambling town into an international entertainment center par excellence with the opening of his Bellagio, Mirage and Treasure Island resorts, which boast an amazing array of attractions, such as a pirate ship battle, a dancing water show and a volcano. These three new properties brought new dimensions to gaming, helping to clean up the previously seedy image of Las Vegas in the 90’s.

Mr. Wynn, who designed the Wynn Macau resort himself, has said that he wanted to create a quality destination hotel that will be “a Disney for adults” and that guarantees exciting entertainment and a superior level of service. Children haven’t been excluded from the fun either, as both family entertainment and child-care facilities are available. An expansion of the resort was announced this year and will provide an additional 85,000 square feet (7,900 square meters) of casino space, two more restaurants, a theater and a dramatic feature attraction at the entrance. The $345 million expansion will be built on the remaining five acres of the Wynn Macau site and is expected to open in 2007.

The Wynn Macau will be the first of various projects to open in the city that is in line with the government’s vision of expanding the region’s tourism offer. According to Grant Bowie, the General Manager, the multi-faceted resort will combine both gaming and non-gaming entertainment. He says: “The key issue with Macau now is creating depth, quality and texture. The gaming industry is growing extremely rapidly and what is important now, as Chief Executive Edmund Ho has said time and again, is the need to expand, develop and grow in many dimensions.” Mr. Bowie expects that the Wynn Macau will continue to adjust its approaches and offers in an ongoing attempt to fulfill the demands of the Asian consumer, but he also stresses that the market’s expectations are evolving rapidly and that some consumer aspirations are universal. “We need to be continually lifting standards and to make sure that we are actually adding things of interest,” he explains. He goes on to say that hospitality and dining are other strengths of Macau that should draw visitors as well. When those tourists arrive, the Wynn Macau will be able to offer them a combination of activities that includes excellent shopping and fine dining, as well as gaming.

In the larger picture, Mr. Bowie says that Macau also needs to begin to promote its own distinctive identity and that government efforts to maintain the region’s heritage are extremely important, not only to preserve the past but also to create the future. “We are recognizing that Macau has a unique place both regionally and globally because it has this wonderful combination of Chinese and Portuguese heritage, as well as its gaming industry, and when all are woven together it creates a really interesting, eclectic environment,” he comments. As today’s travelers are more discerning and tourism destinations must be able to promote what their differentiating factors are, Mr. Bowie stresses that Macau must evolve as Macau and not as a carbon copy of any other place. “In this day and age in the tourism industry where consumers are so demanding, you really need to start from day one and create destination Macau,” he says.