Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels Corp has signed an agreement to manage Melco Crown Philippines Casino Resorts City of Dreams hotel in Manila’s newest gaming hub, the two firms said on Tuesday. The two groups did not disclose any financial details of the agreement. The twin-tower hotel to be branded Hyatt City of Dreams Manila forms part of the $1.3 billion integrated casino resort that Melco Crown Entertainment will open this year in Entertainment City, Manila’s version of Las Vegas gaming strip. It is Melco’s first casino venture outside of Macau, seeking to offer wealthy Chinese punters and other Asian high rollers…

Forbes – The Philippines hopes to be the next big thing in Asian gaming, and its biggest step toward that goal just completed its first year of operation. Solaire Resort and Casino opened in March last year (see page 77; payment required), the first of four planned US$1 billion-plus integrated resorts (IRs) in Entertainment City on Manila Bay. Solaire’s parent company Bloomberry Resorts this month released its full year results for 2013, as did its current main rival, Resorts World Manila, where ownership also holds a license for an Entertainment City IR. But the results sow doubts about building more…

Las Vegas Review-Journal – A gaming management team headed by former executives of Las Vegas Sands Corp. was removed as operators of a $1.2 billion hotel-casino complex in the Philippines late Thursday. Owners of the Solaire Resort &Casino in Entertainment City along Manila Bay told the country’s stock exchange it terminated the services of Global Gaming Asset Management of Las Vegas because of a “material breach” of their agreement. Global Gaming is headed by former Las Vegas Sands President Bill Weidner and other ex-Las Vegas Sands officials. The initial phase of the development opened in April. In a statement, Bloomberry…

Bloomberg – Philippine billionaire Enrique Razon wants to use his Manila casino venture as a springboard to expand overseas, replicating the strategy that made his family’s port company one of Southeast Asia’s largest operators. Razon, who parlayed a Manila port franchise his family obtained in 1988 into a company with operations in 18 other countries, is interested in markets with established rules for gaming licenses, such as Macau and parts of Latin America. “We just have to build the brand,” Razon said in an interview in Manila yesterday. He expects Macau’s government will allow new entrants into the world’s largest…