They Hope to Emphasize “A Very Chinese Experience.” It should come as no surprise to those in the tour and travel industry that investors from China are eager to reap the benefit of owning hotels that will target Chinese travelers by emphasizing service, amenities and gambling opportunities that appeal to the market—in particular, hotels in Las Vegas, which has become one of the top five favorite destinations for Chinese visitors to the USA. There are two such hotels highlighted in a recent China Daily feature.
1.The long-awaited $4 billion, 3,100-room Resorts World, which will rise on the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip sometime in 2019. On its 88-acre site, there are plans for a convention center, a panda habitat and a 4,000-seat theater. The latter plans are on hold during the project’s initial construction phase. Resorts World marks the latest entry in the U.S. market for the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based Genting Group, which owns resort and casino properties around the world.
- The smaller (206 rooms) Lucky Dragon Hotel & Casino, pictured above, which promotes itself as “Las Vegas’ first casino resort designed from the ground up to create an authentic Asian cultural and gaming experience.” It is scheduled to open in December just off the Strip on Sahara Avenue.
Lucky Dragon executives said its new casino will also focus on a niche domestic market–Chinese-Americans and Chinese people who live in “ethnic enclaves” in the U.S. This includes residents of California, the Pacific Northwest, the U.S. East Coast and Las Vegas itself. The casino game mix will be heavily focused on popular games including Baccarat, Pai Gow, Fan Tan, and Sic Bo, and will boast several Feng Shui-designed private gaming parlors.
One indirect consequence of the Lucky Dragon project will be some long-term visitors from China. The developer is a privately held entity called the Las Vegas Economic Impact Regional Center. The casino is financed with funds from Chinese investors through the EB-5 visa program, which grants long-term residential green cards to foreign investors who put up a minimum of $500,000 in jobs-creating projects.
