The first phase of Suncity Group’s US$4 billion integrated resort Hoiana will focus on “hospitality and experiences” according to the development’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Steve Wolstenholme.
Providing an insight into Hoiana, due to open in 2021, during a presentation on Day 2 of the ICE Asia Digital online conference on Tuesday, Wolstenholme explained that Suncity and its fellow shareholders, Chow Tai Fook and VinaCapital Group, were aiming to provide experiences that specifically appealed to their key target markets across Asia.
“Hoiana is pretty incredible,” he said. “What we are about to launch is the first phase which is limited to hospitality but also experiences, and these experiences are very much aligned with what the market wants – particularly when we look at our primary markets in China, South Korea and Japan.
“Those markets are where the opportunity is and when we look at those markets they certainly want to experience something unique. We’ve done a lot of research to ensure we are providing what they want to see.”
Among the key features of Hoiana are a links-style golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr and opened last year, a food and beverage offering focused on “authentic Vietnamese food” and four hotel brands run by Rosewood Hotel Group – Rosewood Hoi An, New World Hoiana Hotel & Residences, Hoiana Hotel & Suites and Khos.
It will also boast a casino with 140 gaming tables and 300 slot machines, which Wolstenholme notes is not on the same scale as casinos in Macau or Singapore “but it has a uniqueness about it, a certain DNA in our casino that is not just about glitz and glamor but also cultural DNA which is where we can be something that people have not experienced.”
Wolstenholme added that while the majority of Hoiana’s guests would come from Southeast Asia, “we do expect to have guests from the Rosewood Hotel Group database that will come from all over the world.
“Yes we will have gamers but also family and people who want to experience Vietnam, so this is not just about gaming. Gaming is an important part of our integrated resort but it is not the only part and certainly we want to provide a Vietnamese experience to our guests.”
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