Chalk one up for Melco Resorts & Entertainment and its chairman, Lawrence Ho, as it tries to impress Japan with its plans for an integrated resort like no other.
In a presentation in Tokyo last week, Ho met with Melco’s Japanese team, including President Ako Shiraogawa to discuss initial plans for developing a unique and original plan for a Japanese integrated resort.
“It’s still early days in the long road ahead to a potential IR in Japan,” said Ho. “So while some details may change along the way, what absolutely will not is this: We will do in Japan what we have done since our very first day, what we have delivered in Macau, the Philippines and Cyprus: build with local partners, invest in extraordinary world-first architecture and design, create sophisticated entertainment experiences, and embed state-of-the-art technology into everything we do.”
Dubbed the “City of the Future,” the Melco’s concept aims to become the most advanced gaming and entertainment destination in the world, while still holding true to the distinct history and heritage of Japan. Melco’s team of architects, advisors and environmental specialists will work to make the site both energy-neutral and aesthetically daring. Design teams have imagined a futuristic façade that seamlessly integrates into the surrounding environment while subtly expressing key motifs in Japanese landscape design. And integrated throughout the entire property will be the world’s most advanced facial recognition technology for enabling responsible gaming and security.
Conscious of Japan’s abiding interest in avoiding problem gambling, Melco has come up with a unique solution. A biometric intelligence system would aim to make the proposed Melco IR the safest and most protected site possible using commercial technologies today. At the event, Melco announced that it would also offer the Japanese government back-end access to and data sharing with these systems to ensure the most effective collaboration in safeguarding against potential gaming-related social issues.
“This proprietary technology demonstrates our deep commitment to developing and implementing practical solutions for the government’s ongoing consideration of how to uphold socially safe integrated resorts,” said Shiraogawa. “Its back-end technology can be updated as regulations evolve and on the front-end, the state-of-the-art biometric interface eliminates nearly all risk of human error.”
Ho also pledged to move Melco headquarters from Macau to Japan should the company win an IR license.
“We dream big, think different and deliver more,” he said. “What does that mean in practice? Our resorts add to their communities. The City of the Future will make its surroundings even better. It will cultivate sustainable local consumption. And it will attract the most valuable type of tourism—mass luxury.
“In the months ahead, we look forward to sharing more on how our teams and partners, our entire approach, is oriented around delivering the answer to one simple question: How do we give Japan not just the best, but the kind of offer that will keep getting better?”
