Hoiana Suncity, the high-end casino at the heart of the Hoiana development that is managed directly by Suncity Group, has plans to stand out from the crowd.
There is an old adage that if you’ve seen one casino you’ve seen them all, but that doesn’t mean all experiences are equal. Opened to its first guests in late June 2020, with a Grand Opening scheduled for mid-2021 pending the resumption of international leisure travel, Hoiana Suncity is the world’s first casino specifically designed, built and managed by a VIP Promoter, or junket, with the listed arm of Suncity Group one of three investors in the expansive US$4 billion integrated resort project that is Hoiana.
“Hoiana Suncity is the entertainment complex within Hoiana, Vietnam’s premier beachfront integrated resort, and aspires to be the finest entertainment hub in Southeast Asia,” explains Alex Khoo, General Manager of Hoiana Suncity.
“We have taken to heart the unique Vietnamese culture and hospitality and put it into everything from our design features to our service standards. The mystery and beauty of Vietnam is part of everything that we do.
“Hoiana Suncity provides industry leading entertainment and experiences to our guests as the best in class in Vietnam and Asia.”
Adds CEO of Hoiana’s joint venture operating entity, Hoi An South Development Ltd Steve Wolstenholme, “It is the people working there that bring uniqueness so what we’ve tried to do as a resort and casino is bring a lot of Vietnamese charm, and specifically central Vietnamese charm, into our customer experience. This is important for us because we are very close to Hoi An and Hoi An has global recognition as being that charming, culturally alluring Vietnamese experience.”
A central component of Suncity’s push to become a fully-fledged casino and IR operator in its own right – in the last 12 months it has acquired a majority stake in Summit Ascent Holdings and its Russian casino Tigre de Cristal, and inked a deal to develop a hotel and casino in Manila’s Entertainment City – Hoiana Suncity is all about providing guests with the hallmarks that have made Suncity the market leading VIP Promoter in Asia.
Managed by Suncity Group subsidiary Suncity Group Management Consultancy Limited (SGMC), Khoo says Hoiana Suncity “offers the same level of the Suncity prestige tip-to-toe hospitality service in Vietnam that they are known for in Macau and other regions.”
To achieve this, he adds, the casino uses IGT’s casino management system while deploying Suncity’s own proprietary system for table and player transactions. Suncity’s Baccarat Display System is also incorporated, displaying varieties preference of road indication with special lighting features with a “modern look and feel,” as is the company’s Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in the Rewards Club, aimed at streamlining the membership experience.
Walker Digital has provided its table system and Paltronics the jackpot system and media display for slots, while EGMs and ETGs include products by Aristocrat, Scientific Games, IGT, Aruze, Interblock, GameSource and Spintech.
Once fully decked out in 2021, the casino will boast 140 gaming tables and 1,000 slot machines, split between VIP, premium and mass and across three distinct gaming areas, including an exclusive Sky Casino, covering a combined 10,415 square meters of floor space.
As a predominantly high-end operation, VIP will comprise the majority of those tables with 86 set aside for VIP play and another 18 for premium gaming, leaving 36 for the main gaming floor. There are currently 346 gaming machines in operation of which 53 are premium slots and the other 293 on the mass floor.
According to Khoo, Hoiana Suncity will provide its guests with an unprecedented diversity of entertainment options, both on the gaming floor and in the surrounding resort.
“Nowadays customers are looking for a unique mix of experiences and entertainment,” Khoo explains.
“Hoiana offers the uniqueness of the Vietnamese culture and the authenticity of the Vietnamese hospitality.
“Our customer base appeals to a wide range of guests who are seeking unique experiences with a combination of gaming, leisure, lifestyle and entertainment options.”
Long-term the ambition is even greater. Although only one casino in Vietnam, Corona Resort & Casino on Phu Quoc, is currently licensed for locals gaming under a three-year pilot scheme announced by the government in 2017, there remains scope for expansion, and Khoo doesn’t shy away from similar intentions at Hoiana Suncity.
“At the moment the casino only allows International travelers and locals with international passports,” he says, “but over time we are committed to proving ourselves in establishing our capabilities and demonstrating our business integrity in developing the local market.
“When the time comes, we will be ready.”
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