One of the world’s elite global luxury hospitality brands – the Nobu Hotel - will open its doors to the Asian market at the City of Dreams Manila this year. This would be the Nobu group’s first-ever business venture in Asia.

The Nobu hospitality brand was made famous by the world-renowned Japanese Chef Nobu Matshuhisa, Academy award-winning actor Robert de Niro and Hollywood producer Meir Teper.

It has been named as one of “luxury’s 25 Most Innovative Brands by Robb Report” and “One of the Hottest New Hotels of 2013” by CNN Travel. Currently, the Nobu Hotels have branches in Las Vegas, USA and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Three other branches will soon rise in London, Bahrain and Manila.

The group is building a 321-room trendsetting boutique hotel at the City of Dreams Manila integrated resort in Entertainment City. The luxury hotel will house a Nobu restaurant that will serve the most sought after signature dishes of Chef Nobu Matshuhisa.

De Niro was instrumental in bringing Chef Nobu to New York and to the rest of the world. “Nobody expected that the Nobu in New York will last. Some came to the restaurant to satisfy their curiosity but Nobu has lasted the test of time,” he said during the formal announcement of the hotel’s operation in Manila last January 27, 2014 at the National Museum.

The celebrity-studded event was graced by key officials of the Nobu Hotel chain, Melco Crown Entertainment (operator of the City of Dreams Manila), SM Group and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Cristino Naguiat, Jr. said the entry of the Nobu hotel brand to the Philippines is definitely going to give a big boost to Entertainment City’s image as the next best leisure and gaming destination in Asia. “The Nobu Hotel group is a luxury brand that has earned international accolade. Since it has already established its own market niche, its presence in the Entertainment City will surely bring in more tourists from all over the world,” he said.

Meantime, Lawrence Ho (Co-Chairman and CEO of Melco Crown Entertainment, Ltd.) cited the partnership of the City of Dreams Manila with the Nobu hotel chain as a major step towards their vision of providing world-class amenities to their clients. “We want to broaden the appeal of the Philippines as a leading leisure destination in Asia by creating diverse innovative lifestyle and entertainment offerings. We are proud to be the first resort in Asia to carry the Nobu brand,” he said.

Nobu Hospitality CEO Trevor Horwell said that the Nobu brand is designed to attract group markets. “We came to Manila because of the City of Dreams. We are confident with our great partnership with Lawrence and James Packer. We are looking for other opportunities but we first want to open this hotel in Manila successfully. We believe that we can do well and raise the bar of hospitality in Manila and in Asia,” he said.

Meanwhile, Clarence Chung, Chairman and President of Melco Crown Philippines reported that the development in the City of Dreams Manila is progressing well. “The City of Dreams Manila is expected to open in October this year. I am pleased that the City of Dreams has sound strategic mix of trend-setting, celebrity-inspired hotel brands that will bring unparalleled services to business travellers, VIPs and other guests.”

Chung added that they are bringing nothing but the best in their City of Dreams Manila project. “We will continue to work closely with our partners as well as PAGCOR and the Philippine government to further realize our goal of helping redefine the Entertainment City and Manila as one of the leading leisure and entertainment destinations in Asia,” he said.

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