Mohegan Gaming’s new Inspire Entertainment Resort in South Korea will celebrate its grand opening on March 5. When complete, the $2.8 billion integrated resort (IR) near Incheon International Airport will be the largest IR in Northeast Asia, according to the Korea Times.
Dubbed the “Korean version of Las Vegas,” the resort garnered some negative reviews before the grand opening. Guests complained about overcrowding, insufficient parking and long waits for entry, the Times reported. Visitors to the indoor water park, Splash Bay, found that it had no locker rooms or showers.
An Inspire Resort official responded by saying, “We’re still at a soft opening stage, and we are collecting feedback and reports of inconvenience from guests to improve our service and repair facilities … The resort will do its utmost to improve its service and present the best experience to our guests.”
To offset traffic issues, according to the Korea Herald, the city of Incheon and the Incheon Tourism Organization have announced that city tour bus routes will be expanded to stop at the new resort.
Meanwhile, the Times reported, “hospitality insiders” said Inspire “took a lot of experienced workers from other resorts by offering them unreasonable pay raises and higher positions.
“Such indiscreet efflux of labor could leak trade secrets of the foreign-only casino businesses, disturb the market and eventually damage the competitiveness of the whole industry.”
However, according to the Korea Economic Daily, Inspire is “expected to invigorate the casino and entertainment business on the island of calm, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Seoul.” With its proximity to the airport, the IR is easily accessible from population centers in Tokyo, Osaka, Taiwan, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
It has three hotel towers with a total of 1,275 rooms; a 15,000-seat concert arena; “Aurora,” a digital corridor featuring massive LED screens; “Splash Bay,” a glass-domed indoor water park; and more than 10 restaurants. The casino offers 150 gaming tables, 390 slot machines and a 160-seat electronic table games stadium across two floors. Mohegan plans to open the remaining features by mid-year.
Inspire is a Mohegan Gaming property, run by the Connecticut-based tribal entity. Mohegan was approved to develop Inspire in March 2016, opened the property’s non-gaming amenities in November, and was awarded a gaming license in February. According to the New London Day, it was the first new license for a foreigners-only casino in the country in 19 years.
Inspire President Chen Si said in a statement, “We will continue to play a leading role in supporting and growing the local economy while offering diverse amenities and unparalleled experiences to first-time and returning guests, international tourists, K-pop and K-culture fans and casino visitors.”
“As we unveil the Inspire casino, we’re continuing to pioneer a new era of international hospitality,” said Mohegan President and CEO Ray Pineault.
