Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited?(NASDAQ: MLCO) has announced that its latest hotel development will be opening soon. The $1.1 billion Morpheus hotel tower designed by the?late Dame Zaha Hadid?will be ready for guests by June 15, based on information provided by CEO and chairman of Melco, Lawrence Ho.
According to Asia Gaming Brief, a press briefing was held in Macau at the Grand Hyatt this week, with Melco offering a sneak peek of the ultra-luxurious new tower. Morpheus is a visually unique hotel due to its unusual exoskeleton exterior, an architectural element that has never been seen before.
During the briefing, Ho reportedly stated that with Morpheus, Melco wanted to be different ‘from the get-go’. When speaking of the gaming and non-gaming aspects of the property, Ho pointed out that he wanted to create an integrated resort that is ‘beyond gaming’.
According to the CEO, with most of Melco’s resorts, less than five percent of GFA includes gaming. Morpheus and City of Dreams were designed to target the premium mass segment. Ho stated: “With COD, it was always meant to be a next-gen IR. That was always the goal of Morpheus too, which completes our COD rebrand.”
The news of the opening date comes just a few days after it was announced that Morpheus will not be using junkets to attract high rollers. Lawrence Ho revealed this news as well, stating that instead of using junkets, the new property will use their own database to diversify their customer base instead of relying on premium players. Ho stated that eventually, it is better to create your own database than to rely on junkets.
Morpheus will feature approximately 772 guestrooms, suites and villas,?which will be complemented by?facilities that reportedly exceed 5-star hotel standards, along with special event facilities, an exclusive lounge, specialty restaurants and a sky pool that rises 130 meters above ground, according to the press release.