Crown Macau “missing a few jewels”

by Jennifer Welker/Destination Macau

MACAU – Nearly a week after the opening of the Crown Macau, it is still the talk of the town. Almost every conversation we are having with people in the leisure and hospitality industry is prefaced by, “Hey, were you at the Crown opening?”

None are saying this to be kind. It was indeed a night to remember, for everything that didn’t go right.

Perhaps the most biting criticism so far has been from investment bank JP Morgan, which titled its post-opening report, “Crown Missing a Few Jewels”.

A more common tongue-in-cheek refrain has been, “I had no idea until now what a six-star experience was like. It was quite something.”

Then there are the jokes doing the rounds: “How many electricians does it take to screw in a light bulb at the Crown? Obviously, one too few.”

They are all referring to what can most kindly be described as a series of unfortunate events on May 12, as the Crown Macau had its opening ceremony on Taipa island.

To say that the event was the most-hyped of any in the “New Macau’s” short history would be an understatement. Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat was reportedly paid US$3 million to appear in a massive pre-opening media campaign, the cornerstone of which was a television commercial that also went out via websites.

A press release sent out by the PR company handling the event billed it as the “Party of the Year.” Rumors swirled through local media that Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Kylie Minogue and Tom Cruise were scheduled to appear.

Slogans such as “Where great things happen,” and “The six-star experience” were emblazoned across newspapers and billboards in Hong Kong, Macau and China – or at least they were, until mainland censors stepped in.

The reality of what unfolded on the day was, to judge by most reactions, a big disappointment.

For a start, many members of the media were fuming within an hour of registration, when it became apparent they were not going to be allowed inside the new property.

Instead, they were fenced into an enclosure in front of the building while members of the public were let in through the front doors in small groups.

But that was nothing compared to the frustration of the VIPs inside the big tent nearby, where the gala dinner was being held.

At the registration desk, sweat was rolling down the faces of people waiting in line. “We’ve been standing here forever because they can’t find our seats,” said one angry guest, dressed in a tuxedo. “They asked me, ‘Who invited you?’ and I didn’t know what to say other than, “You did!”

Apparently, even the most senior of Macau officials were asked that question.

Soon afterwards, attention shifted to a man submerging himself in a tube full of water. It was all a part of the DRAGONE act. A VIP standing nearby said, “We’ve come up with two theories about him: it’s either a gambler who lost his shirt or the marketing guy at Crown who’s now drowning in his sorrows.”

Inside the tent, hundreds of people were still helplessly trying to locate their seats at around 9:00 pm, when an executive climbed on stage and said: “Please sit down. If you cannot find your seat, just sit down anywhere, we would like to get the evening started.”

The first dish was sashimi, which was quickly devoured. Owners Lawrence Ho and James Packer got up on stage to say a few more words about the six-star experience, to which the crowd applauded.

Then another hour passed by, waiting for food to arrive. People were fanning themselves with the gorgeous menus. Several dishes arrived all at once and were plopped in the middle of the table for each person to help themselves. There were no serving spoons, just a pair of chopsticks.

At last, it was the moment we were all waiting for – we had been promised a spectacular performance from DRAGONE – and the Crown delivered.

Sadly, by this time, nearly half the guests had already gone.
Lawrence Ho personally apologised to a number of guests at the end of the evening for what had happened.

Just about every senior hotel and casino executive in the room must have empathised with him. It is not an easy thing to open a new property in Macau, and is becoming harder all the time due to a tightening labour market.

Then again, no one else had promised to deliver a “six-star experience”.

A week or more after its grand opening, the Crown Macau is struggling to attract visitors to its five-floor casino, according to spot checks conducted by Destination Macau.

Our latest visit was shortly before noon today, when we walked into the newest casino, on Taipa Island, and found staff to be far outnumbering visitors. On the fifth floor, where the high minimum-bet tables are located, we found not a single customer.

We went next door, to the Greek Mythology casino, which was packed, mostly with mainland tourists, and we then visited the Wynn Macau on Macau peninsula, which was nearly full on its mass gaming floor.

The Crown opened on Saturday, May 12. In response to queries about facilities that were open and doing business, we were directed to a press release from the operating company, Melco-PBL, which said the following:

The Crown Macau “… opened with approximately 38 VIP tables, 130 premium mass tables and 479 gaming machines operational. In full and final configuration, Crown Macau will have approximately 80 VIP tables, 142 premium mass tables and 550 gaming machines.

“We expect that the additional 54 gaming tables and 71 gaming machines will be operational within approximately four weeks.

“{The Crown Towers hotel will be operational with approximately 60 rooms available within three weeks. Approximately 216 hotel rooms, including all villas and suites, will be fully operational by the end of July 2007.”

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