CalvinAyre.com takes us to the grand opening of City of Dreams Manila with a VIP-filled and star-studded Concert of Dreams event held on February 2 at Roxas Boulevard, Parañaque, Metro Manila.
As expected, Lawrence Ho and James Packer led the opening festivities, offering Filipinos a brief look at the two foreign casino titans sitting (and standing) side-by-side. During the press conference for the resort’s grand opening, Ho divulged to the gathered media that he has always had his eye on Manila as the next logical expansion for Melco Crown, which he and Packer co-own.
“Our vision was always to find greatest locations in Asia for integrated resorts. We’ve been very selective,” Ho said, almost sheepishly. “After Macau, Manila is really the first place we decided to go into.”
The resort’s grand opening also coincided with an extravagant “Concert of Dreams” headlined by world renowned artist Ne-Yo and former Grammy-award winner Kelly Rowland. The two foreign acts delighted the thousands who attended the concert, which also featured standout local acts that included Gary Valenciano and ZsaZsa Padilla.
Ne-Yo, specifically, was excited to be part of the festivities and made it known that he has grand expectations for City of Dreams Manila and the Philippines itself as an up-and-coming global destination for gamblers. When asked about the possibility of Manila becoming the next Las Vegas, the American R&B singer explained his thoughts to CalvinAyre.com.
“It’s possible,” he said. “So far, so good. [City of Dreams Manila] is incredible. If they keep doing it like this, I guess they can be.”
