Final Singapore Casino Bid Unveiled

Las Vegas developer Mark Advent and his company Eighth Wonder (as well as a consortium of other including Isle of Capri Casinos, Melco PBL and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide) have finally peeled back the wrapping on their proposed integrated resort in Singapore and its all about Harry.

  "There will be only one Harry's Island, and that Harry's Island will belong only to Singapore, chairman Mark Advent said a news briefing Tuesday."He is a combination of James Bond and Indiana Jones, with a little bit of Hemingway thrown in for good measure.”

The winning bid will be built in an area know as Sentosa and is expected to attracts upwards of 15 million per year by 2014.

The resort is jam packed with 10 hotels and amenities that when complete is expected to create more than 15,000 and generate billions in spending annually. The project is set to include such fabulous elements as wedding pavilions designed by Vera Wang and a soccer stadium named after soccer legend Pele. A spa and wellness center operated by spiritual guru Deepak Chopra, an oceanarium managed by EarthEcho International, a company headed by Philippe Cousteau, the grandson of the late French undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau.

"There is a spirit that is special about Sentosa regardless. It is an amazing place. It is a lush tropical serene paradise, and now it is evolving as a place for commerce, hospitality, residential and, ultimately in the future, an integrated resort," Advent said during the news conference. "So it's a very fine balance to figure out that place where all of these different elements could co-exist in a manner that is sensitive to all. Ultimately, when you isolate it into an integrated resort directive, there is a huge opportunity to create world-class excitement, entertainment, must-see appeal just by the type of project we are proposing."

French celebrity chef Alain Ducasse would also debut a cooking school and have input on the more than 50 proposed food and beverage outlets. Also on tap are more than 35 rides and attractions created by a cofounder of Universal Studios Robert Ward as well as a 7,500-seat theater within the caldera of an artificial dormant volcano.

The show would be created by Dragone Entertainment, whose founder originally created the popular Cirque Du Soliel shows that have now become a Las Vegas mainstay. The company also masterminded Le Reve, a production at the AAA Five Diamond Wynn Las Vegas.

"Our main concern of this venture would be to create a show which will be done for the Asian people, that people recognize themselves in this show and, at the same time, we want it to be an attraction to a worldwide public,” said Louis Parenteau, President of Dragone Entertainment. "People in Singapore have already seen the touring show which Franco Dragone has created. The permanent shows of the nature that we are talking here is of a totally different, totally different world. The theatre itself and all the mechanics and technical are done so that you create a universe which is totally peculiar to the show.

"Our shows are not using any language exactly for that purpose because we want the show to be accessible to a larger public. But we want people here in Singapore, China and Malaysia to feel this is going to be something which belongs to this market and will grow as our shows are always work-in-progress."

Both Genting International Ltd. and Kernzer International Holdings Ltd. debute their plans for their integrated resorts last month. As part of their bids, Kerzner indicated it would build Atlantis Sentosa, which would include the world’s largest aquarium while Genting’s Resorts World is focusing on creating a Universal Studios theme park.

A winner is to be announced by the end of the year.

In May, Las Vegas Sands Corp. was awarded the right to build a property in the Marina Bay District and will be constructed for about $3.6 billion. Called the Marina Bay Sands it is being developed by many of the same people who created The Venetian in Las Vegas.

The Marina Bay Sands will include a 2,500 room hotel, 1.2 million square feet of flexible meetings, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE) space, one million square feet of retail space, three large entertainment venues and a casino. The casino will sit on a 50.9-acre waterfront site with a skyline view of city’s downtown. The resort is scheduled to open in 2009 and LVS will have the opportunity to run the casino for a minimum of 30 years.

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