An artist's impression of the 'City of Dreams', a hotel and casino project featuring the world's first underwater casino to be built in Macau's Cotai island, is displayed in Hong Kong May 17, 2005. Developer Melco International Development Ltd. is selling $167.8 million worth of shares at a discount of up to 6.7 percent to the market price to finance the project, sources said on Tuesday. NO ARCHIVE NO SALES REUTERS/Handout

http://www.hkdailynews.net/upload/b-238.jpg
http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/rids/20050517/i/r2636425744.jpg?x=380&y=255&sig=xdPwFLNvtL6PaZWVV3bQhw--

also melco update its website. It has a video clip about the City of Dreams
http://www.melco.hk.cn

The underwater casino will boast 450 gaming tables and 3,000 slot machines.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/business_enl_1116430144/img/laun.jpg

Gamblers, who normally struggle to keep their heads above water in Macau, could soon be able to gamble at the island's first underwater casino.

The 'City of Dreams' complex, consisting of 450 gaming tables and 3,000 slot machines, will open in 2008.

The former Portuguese colony is cultivating a reputation as the Asian Las Vegas with a welter of new casinos and hotels under development.

Macau remains the only place in China where gaming is legal.

Investment bubble

The underwater casino will form part of a huge gaming and entertainment complex - dubbed the 'City of Dreams' - which will cost eight billion Hong Kong dollars (US$1bn, £545m) to create.

The project is the brainchild of Lawrence Ho, managing director of Melco International Development, the company which controlled gaming in Macau for many years under the stewardship of his father Stanley Ho.

The end of Mr Ho's 40-year monopoly on gaming in 2002, allied to restrictions on gambling in mainland China, are fuelling an investment boom in Macau.

The island, which returned to Chinese control in 1999, attracted more than 16 million visitors in 2004, with gaming forecast to generate revenues of US$5bn this year.

Card sharks

At the launch of the project, Mr Ho said the casino would be "surrounded by water and marine life".

The resort, to be built on Macau's Cotai strip, will also include three hotels with a total of 2,000 rooms.

Foreign operators have been circling Macau following the deregulation of its gaming industry.

Australian entrepreneur Kerry Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting firm is a minority partner in the 'City of Dreams' project while US firm Las Vegas Sands is planning to spend $15bn on a separate casino and retail development.

I read in Mingpao that even some of the building's facade will be filled with water

Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd’s Asian casino joint venture has played down fears the construction of its $US2.1 billion ($2.6 billion) City of Dreams complex in Macau has got off to a rocky start, after reporting a $US73.5 million full-year loss.

Melco PBL Entertainment warned that its plans to capture a big slice of the world’s largest casino centre could prove more costly, after revealing the costs of the soon to open 36-storey Crown Macau had blown out 13 per cent to $US584 million. The loss was largely a result of the development of its two Macau casinos.

Full story => City of Dreams Cost Blow Out (http://macaudailyblog.com/cotai-strip/melco-pbl-faces-city-of-dreams-cost-blowouts/)

i believe the reason of this is due to the increase construction material costs

Time to start thread on this...
Pics taken 31 March 2008 - Hard Rock Hotel and main podium of City of Dreams apparently topped out next day...
For more details.. see
http://macaudailyblog.com/cotai-strip/melco-pbl-tops-out-hard-rock-hotel-and-city-of-dreams/#more-1348
(free plug for Ggaaxx !)

Project will have 2200 rooms, Dragone show, 420k sf casino, live music etc.. and eventually create 12000 jobs. Phase one expected in first half of 2009.

Sorry about pics.. bad weather and sunset..
http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/6611/dsc01543jw9.jpg
Venetian lake on left, with One Grantai behind TV screen. CoD on right.

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/5049/dsc01544gj8.jpg
Two main buildings on CoD. There are more buildings less advanced behind these buildings. Not sure which one is Hard Rock Hotel....
One is oval, the other circular (and has something rotating).

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/7091/dsc01558uy3.jpg
Looking up the main road towards One Grantai (on hill).

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/4369/dsc01562aa8.jpg
I'm guessing this circular building could be Hard Rock... it'll be cool have a band going on with views rotating all round the strip !!. Note further City of Dreams projects behind - likely phase 2 with more major hotels.

Great Update , MacauVillager !!

According to the rendering on the company's website. The oval building is Crown Hotel, the circular building is Hard Rock, and the buildings in the back are the twin Hyatt hotels.

This project will make Macau even more exciting !!! The designs are wonderful!!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e307/bigphilip/Macau/city-of-dreams-cotai-strip.jpg

Great! It should be another good news for the Macanese!

Hope that they would't simply informed non-skilled labours from Philipine, Malaysia and China.

Thanks for ur sharing!

Good day!

Wow - thanks for the pics they're great! Does anyone else have any info/media clippings on this project? Any other piccies? I can't believe it's being built so quickly. Does anyone know overall cost?

By far and IMHO the best looking project on the Cotai Strip!
So far, living up to the renderings.

2 architec friends of mine are now working in the city of dream project (posted by Australian subcontractors), they mentioned the site right now is a 24 hour site. They are working flat out to have the project completed on time.

Glad someone is still showing confidence.

Glad someone is still showing confidence.

I don't think it is a confidence issue. The company has already gone IPO, raised money from the market, so they better complete within schedule so that the shareholders and bond holders are not pissed.:bash:

Hope Uncle Stanley can make sucess with this Casino. It's time to kick out the americans.

The cladding is almost complete for the circular building and about 80% complete for the Crown tower.

City of Dreams to stage major recruitment fair this week
Tuesday, 03 February 2009
City of Dreams, the integrated entertainment resort set to be open on the Cotai Strip, officially announced yesterday its major recruitment drive of 7,000 positions in Macau.
The property, developed by Melco Crown Entertainment Limited, is scheduled to unveil its door in the first half of this year.
As part of the recruitment drive, the company will be hosting a Macau Recruitment Fair on February 7 and February 8 on Level 2 at the the Macau Tower.
Under the theme ‘No Dream is Too Big’, the two-day fair will showcase career opportunities that are available to the people of Macau.
Combining entertainment, nightclubs, accommodation, regional and international dining, luxury shopping and a casino, City of Dreams will contribute to "making Macau the leading leisure destination in Asia", the company statement said.
The urban resort will also bring to Macau world-renowned brands such as Crown, Grand Hyatt, Hard Rock and Dragone.
“In 2009, City of Dreams will welcome leisure and entertainment customers from across Asia and around the world,” said City of Dreams President Greg Hawkins.
“The operations of City of Dreams will initially require over 7,000 talented employees. The vast majority will be hired from the local community and we are now actively seeking outstanding and committed people here in Macau to join us," Hawkins added.
According to the president, the aim of the recruitment fair is to "identify people in Macau who want to learn and have a strong desire to develop their skills and knowledge in this exciting destination leisure industry".
"City of Dreams will be offering continuous training with the opportunity for promotion,” he said.
“Our employees are a key part of our future success and we aim to prove ourselves as the employer of choice in Macau," he added.
People who wish to attend the fair are required to pre-register at the City of Dreams recruitment website at www.cityofdreams.com.mo.

Any updates on opening date? Nothing on their site.

http://www.cityofdreamsmacau.com/cityofdreams.html

There was speculation that Crown wanted to sell 1 building of serviced apartments, but I can find no information. Has this plan been shelved?

Macau's next big casino resort will open this year despite the global financial meltdown that has put the brakes on the city's gaming boom.

City of Dreams resort president Greg Hawkins said they will hire 7,000 people, a fifth of whom will be from overseas, including Hong Kong.

The resort will boast a Crown Casino, Grand Hyatt hotel, Hard Rock, a permanent Dragone show, and Asia's only multimedia 360-degree visual attraction called The Bubble. The first two phases, including a 420,000-square-foot casino and 1,400 hotel guest rooms, will open within the year.

He also believes the situation will improve by the time their development opens in the second half of the year.

Full article at;

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=78979&sid=22945596&con_type=1&d_str=20090303

He also believes the situation will improve by the time their development opens in the second half of the year.


Anyone who knows the exact month of the opening, please let us know.

Anyone who knows the exact month of the opening, please let us know.

Someone just told me the grand opening is in June. Can anybody confirm that? Any Macau resident who judging from the exterior look think it will be ready by June???

Everything is possible in China. If the money is in place they can make it.

I guess the pressure is on to open before June 12 when the Indian Oscars are held at The Venetian

http://www.cityofdreams.com.mo/

Is everything going to be ready for 12th June?

I do not know but it might make sense to be open at that time to take advantage of the hunderds (maybe thousands) of indians coming to Macau for the festival.

City of Dreams promotion has been crap...nobody knows what is happening.

There share price seems to be anything but crap lately though

There share price seems to be anything but crap lately though

Well, maybe they got good Investor Relation stuffs but lousy Public Relation employees. Time to switch roles?

City of Dreams to Open On June 1
NEW YORK, May 6, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Melco Crown Entertainment Limited (Nasdaq:MPEL), a developer and owner of casino gaming and entertainment resort facilities focused on the Macau market, today announced that City of Dreams, its urban integrated entertainment resort on Cotai, will open its doors to the public on June 1.

City of Dreams has been a passion of Mr. Lawrence Ho, Co-Chairman and CEO of Melco Crown Entertainment, since the liberalization of Macau's gaming market. "Our goal with City of Dreams, our flagship development in Macau, has been to set a new standard of gaming and entertainment experience in Asia. I believe that we will achieve this goal.

"City of Dreams is a 'must experience' next generation resort like no other in Asia, or perhaps the world, comprising distinctly branded casino floors, three separate world-class hotels, a unique shopping precinct 'The Boulevard' which wraps around the casino floors and links the three hotel towers, and an awe-inspiring fully immersive multimedia show housed in the unique theatre, 'The Bubble'."

Mr. Ho added, "The opening of City of Dreams represents a culmination of nearly five years of planning and development. As our flagship property, it represents a major step forward in Macau's transformation as the region's premiere leisure, entertainment, and gaming destination.

"In addition to creating close to 7,000 job opportunities in Macau and providing career advancement opportunities throughout our organization, we have been able to deliver on our commitment to the employees of Altira Macau by returning them to normalized work schedules. As a people-centric organization with deep roots in Macau, we remain committed to grooming our employees and to having more than 50 percent of our core management positions held by local Macau people by the end of 2011.

"With the opening of City of Dreams, I believe Melco Crown Entertainment is in the best position to thrive and add value to our stakeholders and the Macau community," Mr. Ho concluded.

The initial opening phase of City of Dreams on June 1 will feature:


* A distinctive and intimate next generation 420,000-square-foot
casino, with approximately 520 table games and 1,350
gaming machines;
* Crown Towers, with approximately 300 luxurious guest rooms,
including 33 high roller villas, offering unrivaled levels
of personalized service, lavish style, and uncompromising
sophistication;
* The exciting, music-inspired Hard Rock Hotel, with
approximately 300 guest rooms;
* Dragon's Treasure, a spectacular, one-of-its-kind, fully
immersive multimedia show within the iconic dome-shaped
theatre, 'The Bubble';
* Over 20 new restaurants and bars with food and beverage
concepts from across China and throughout the region; and
* 'The Boulevard,' a unique lifestyle-oriented retail precinct
that includes an impressive array of some of the world's
most sought-after retail brands, operated by leading travel
retailer DFS.

Grand Hyatt Macau, offering approximately 800 high-end guest rooms, is targeted for completion in the third quarter of 2009, and an original water-based theatrical show, inspired and produced by Franco Dragone, will open in the purpose-built Theater of Dreams soon thereafter. The final planned component of City of Dreams is a luxury apartment hotel consisting of approximately 800 units, which is currently on hold and subject to certain legal and regulatory approvals.

Opening Ceremonies at 19:30 on 1 Jun for VIP guests; Ho, Packer and Hawkins officiating followed by official Grand Opening at 8:00pm to the outside world.

No big-name Hong Kong stars to emcee -going a little more cautiously?


新濠天地将于6月1日梦想成真 -- 开幕典礼于晚上7时30分隆重揭幕 晚上8时正式对外开放

http://finance.ifeng.com/usstock/realtim...

Got to say the lights on COD are awful.
They have been testing ( i hope that's what it is) nightly. I can see Hard Rock hotel being funky - but the rest looks cheap and tacky and messy. At least the Hyatt should stay dignified.

Hope you did not buy Grantai facing that way - then you better get good black-out curtains and night shades.

Official Website:
http://cityofdreams.com.mo/en/

Tour inside COD titled: Will Sands Be Buried by a City of Dreams?

http://www.marketwatch.com/video/asset/y...

Well well well ... time to say byebye to Venetian kingdom in Cotai?

Before always needed to pay the Venetians room prices to stay at the Cotai , from now on more democratic prices at 1500 MOP a night at the Hard Rock

BTW how do you walk from the Venetian to COD, they have a bridge crossing?

BTW how do you walk from the Venetian to COD, they have a bridge crossing?

There is supposed to be a bridge that connects Venetian across the road to the new Sands' projects Shangri la/Sheraton but the project was halted so I don't think the bridge is completed.

I also don't recall there was any traffic light from Venetian to COD, at least 6 months ago when I was there. Let me know how you walk from COD to Venetian when you are there...the roads are wide, not so easy and safe to walk across without traffic light!!!

BTW how do you walk from the Venetian to COD, they have a bridge crossing?

I think that's a trick question....
I think you need to catch the Venetian comp bus back to Macau Ferry terminal, then switch back to the CoD comp bus !!!

I remember last time hard to get around in Macau, esp with Children as some Sands buses (stayed in Peninsula) did not allow children onboard (or something similar). Generally, all the buses serve their own destinations well (eg Venetian- Sands- Macau Ferry).

So I doubt there'll be an easy air-conditioned walkway between the two (probably will separate with barbed wire !!).

Good to see prices at Hard Rock OK... but I don't think it's my style (hate hotel/rooms, love pool bar the aqua-aerobics).

City of Dreams Dragon Treasure at The Bubble (I assume this is the scene on opening night):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJSHv_Y7hGg

Went to Cotai Sunday/Monday....

There is a shuttle between Venetian-Four Seasons-CoD til 10pm. However, walking is not too much of a problem as there is a zebra pedestrian crossing.

CoD mall had lots of foot traffic (didn't really look at casinos tho, but at least one seemed a very quiet, tho this is Monday, prob most quiet day). CoD foot traffic had lots more younger people and seems successful even on Monday - not surprising since I guess Hard Rock is attempting to appeal to this market (tho not sure if they spend much in casinos).

Like Venetian, good quality food a bit of a problem (esp local Mecanese). There apparently isn't a restaurant in Hard Rock ! There is fast food court, cheapie places and a couple of Chinese restaurants. Appparently missed the top restaurants are at Crown as they are at far end) which has western Grill, Japanese, Chinese).

Stayed at Four Seasons.... this is by far the best hotel in Macau (esp for Kids) with good pools and Cabanas (huts) free of charge. It has added a new dimension to Macau in terms of a resort (near to top resorts in say Thailand, tho obviously no beach)...The cabanas have TV so kids can laze all day !!! However, I've not tried Crown (looks good) or Wynn, which I suspect better for adults esp if they are into gaming. It is also much quieter/relaxing then elsewhere.

(tho not sure if they spend much in casinos).
Well not much, as you can see:
http://finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=MPEL#chart1:symbol=mpel;range=5d;indicator=volume;charttype=line;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale=on;source=undefined

There apparently isn't a restaurant in Hard Rock !
Unbelievable.
Read the comment on this blog:
http://www.macautripping.com/tripping/post.php?p=365

The wynn is very nice too, spent a morning lazying around the pool, a bit small, but have all the feel of a resort, (not many people of using it, maybe for now people are not coming to Macau to relax), service is pretty good, they use Phillinos to service english speakers and Mainlanders to service Chinese speakers

Yes... Wynn pool looks very nice..
Have heard lots of good comments on Wynn being best, esp if you want to be on Peninsula and close to all the casinos.
But always would feel strange swimming there with kids. The main entrance leads to it, and same with Buffet area, so feel like goldfish.

Plus, tho I don't have a bad body, I'm no supermodel...
Maybe Wynn should hire some and leave them in pool :)

Yes... Wynn pool looks very nice..
Have heard lots of good comments on Wynn being best, esp if you want to be on Peninsula and close to all the casinos.


Yes, I don't like the pool in Wynn, I find the idea to walk through the lobby to lead to the pool rather weird and uninviting. But the rooms are pretty though, bigger than the room at Four Seasons Hotel, and has its own character not found in most other hotels. I like the room in Four Seasons too, and for families, it is perhaps more convenient with access to bigger shopping mall and the Cirque de Solil show. The room in Altira Crown (not the one at Cotai, the first Crown) is also very nice with modern look and its own living room and huge tub. MGM is also pretty but I just thought the room size is smaller than its competitors, but I think MGM has the prettiest lobby. Macau actually offer the best hotels now in this region.

Like Venetian, good quality food a bit of a problem (esp local Mecanese). There apparently isn't a restaurant in Hard Rock ! There is fast food court, cheapie places and a couple of Chinese restaurants. Appparently missed the top restaurants are at Crown as they are at far end) which has western Grill, Japanese, Chinese).


For food quality, the best is Lisboa and not those American related casino hotels. I think Stanley Ho must be a serious foodie; Galera Robuchon and Tim's Kitchen are both just top of the league in this category.

Definitely SJM's Casinos are much better served in restaurants than the Yankees' Casinos. But that's all about culture.

Definitely SJM's Casinos are much better served in restaurants than the Yankees' Casinos. But that's all about culture.

Generally speaking, don't think the service is better at Lisboa but Robuchon and Tim's Kitchen are in a league above others in terms of culinary standard. The service at the casino in Lisboa is quite notoriously bad though...

http://www.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20090618/44829.jpg


I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel whose design is unusual The only major drawback back for me was that smoking is permitted everywhere - even in the F&B outlets

E HARD ROCK HOTEL
City of Dreams, Estrada do Istmo, Cotai, Macau Tel: (853) 8868-3338; fax: (853) 8867-3338 Email: contactcentre@cod-macau.com; web site: http://www.cityofdreamsmacau.com

Published: 18/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Horizons
City of Dreams, a recently launched integrated entertainment complex in Macau, bills itself as blending the traditional culture of the Orient with the spirit of Las Vegas.


Located right in the heart of the former Portuguese colony, it offers not just electrifying entertainment and a spacious casino, but also regional and international dining, shopping opportunities galore plus a choice of three top hotels designed to suit different tastes and lifestyles: they are the Crown Towers, Hard Rock and Grand Hyatt Macau.


One of the must-see programmes while at the City of Dreams is "Dragon's Treasure", a free, 10-minute visual extravaganza staged in a dome-shaped theatre called The Bubble.

If you get cabin fever or simply tire of splashing out big bucks in the casino, go for a long stroll through the older districts of this historic city. The Cathedral of St Paul is only about half an hour's walk away and is well worth a visit.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/media/content/20090618/44829.jpg

OK peoples lets keep it cool here. Another more offensive posts will never see the light of day here!

I think you went a little too deep on the deletions. I don't think my post was offensive. Respectfully requesting an apology on behalf of another (whom I often disagree with) should not be cause for a deletion. Reconciliation is an important part of dialogue in my view.


Glidewide

Your post was not offensive, the other guy post was! Totally unacceptable. Some people thinks that this forum is the Far West...

I think you went a little too deep on the deletions. I don't think my post was offensive. Respectfully requesting an apology on behalf of another (whom I often disagree with) should not be cause for a deletion. Reconciliation is an important part of dialogue in my view.


Glidewide

I also included deleting your posts because I just want to get back to the thread discussion.

Forumers will get curious of what happened and I don't want to see more :bash:

Sorry I missed the fun. I must say your past posts have been culturally eye-opening...

Let's smoke the Indian Peace Pipe...