Forbes Asia coverage of Hong Kong’s Richest emphasized that non-gaming revenue helped boost Galaxy Entertainment Group in 2020 and that bodes well for the future of the Macau casino operator controlled by Lui Che Woo and family. This month, Galaxy announced its Phase 3 expansion will feature a Raffles Hotel, scheduled to open in the second half of this year at its flagship Galaxy Macau.
“The Raffles brand and heritage is perfectly complementary to our strategy of delivering greater, elevated experiences, and true to our ‘World Class, Asian Heart’ mantra,” Galaxy vice chairman Francis Lui, who runs the business on behalf of father, says. Galaxy has been especially adept at landing Asian brands not yet present in the Hong Kong-Macau tourist area, starting with Okura and Banyan Tree in Galaxy Macau’s first phase.
The iconic Raffles brand in a spectacular architectural package fits Lui’s vision of making Galaxy Macau a travel destination with gaming, not just a casino. That vision coincides with Beijing’s goal to create a “world center for tourism and leisure” in Macau. With casino concessions due to expire next year, that convergence also bodes well for Galaxy’s future.
Former US diplomat and broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a contributor to Forbes and Inside Asian Gaming, columnist/correspondent for Asia Times, and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.