Bloomberry names ex-Marina Bay chief as new COO

By Doris C. Dumlao
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Thomas Arasi, New Bloomberry Resorts Corp. COO

MANILA, Philippines–Gaming firm Bloomberry Resorts Corp. has promptly filled the void in its top management team by bringing onboard the former president of Marina Bay Sands Pte. Ltd. as its new chief operating officer.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday, Bloomberry said Thomas Arasi – an American who is a veteran in the gaming and hospitality industry – would assume office on Oct. 11.  The new executive will be responsible for leading the effort in ensuring the ramp-up of the operations and profitability of Solaire Resort Casino.     “We are pleased to welcome Thomas Arasi to Solaire. We believe his credentials and experience will be key to achieving our expectations for Solaire,” Bloomberry chair and president Enrique Razon Jr. said in a press statement.

While leading Marina Bay Sands, Arasi was credited with completing the development, opening and creation of this large and complex real estate project and was cited to be instrumental in helping Marina Bay Sands achieve an unprecedented profitability of $1.5 billion in annual cash flow.

Bloomberry is confident that Arasi’s expertise would be put to good use when Solaire embarks on its $500-million expansion program by the fourth quarter of next year.

Last month, Bloomberry scrapped its management services agreement with Global Gaming Philippines LLC (GGAM), the Las Vegas-based management firm contracted to nurture and operate the gaming property, citing “breach” of their management services agreement (MSA). At present, it is locked in a bitter dispute with the Las Vegas-based management firm it contracted to run Solaire Resort Casino. GGAM fought back by initiating arbitration proceedings, claiming that it was Bloomberry that was guilty of a breach of the MSA.

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Bloomberry names ex-Marina Bay chief as new COO

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Singapore American School Senior Amazes Audiences

(Newswire.net — September 30, 2013) Singapore, Singapore –  Featured on the American daily television show, Oprah, when she was only 13, Singapore American School (SAS) senior Julia Abueva continues to amaze audiences in the Philippines as well as Singapore.

Everyone’s so supportive [here], that’s what separates Singapore American School [from other schools],” Julia said.

This talented young woman has quite a long resume, performing in musicals theater productions, on television as well as having independent recording contracts. Having starred in the musical Spring Awakening as Wendla last year and playing Diana’s daughter Natalie in Next to Normal next month in Singapore, Julia will appear in Rodgers Hammerstein’s Cinderella in Manila, Philippines in October.

Surprisingly, when talking with Julia, she seems just like any other high school student. Julia has attended SAS since Kindergarten and is looking forward to graduating this spring. She says that one of the best things about being a student at SAS is “meeting kids from all over the world” and “being able to travel around the world” with her close school friends.

SAS offers a unique Interim Semester experience, designed to enhance the curriculum by providing high school students with diverse educational experiences beyond the traditional classroom. The themes include global studies, service learning and eco-adventure.

During her freshman year, Julia travelled with classmates to Northern India; last year she went to Cheng Du, China on a service-learning trip to the Cheng Du Panda Conservation. She said that in addition to learning about the pandas and working with them, they had American and Chinese tour guides who were from the area, and that they experienced Chinese culture and explored Chengdu and Ya’an.

Julia said that, “It was fun to be in another country with some of my closest friends.” She also shared that in Singapore, the culture is a mix of Malay and Chinese, so thee students really appreciated learning more about Chinese culture. She said, “Meeting [their Panda Master, Mr. Wong,] was definitely unforgettable, it reminded me that doing something you’re passionate about is extremely important.” Here is a great video about their experience: China Panda Conservation 2013

If you haven’t guessed, Julia’s passion is performing. When sharing about her appreciation for Singapore American School, Julia said, “SAS has been very supportive since the beginning and allows me [to have a] flexible schedule so I can do everything I want to do.” During her senior year, she is working on a Capstone Project with her advisor, Mr. Bart Millar, creating a compilation of all the shows that she’s doing throughout her senior year. Asked about her plans for after graduation, she replied that she is applying to colleges and wants to continue her musical career in New York City, NY, United States.

“[SAS] always feels like home. You see old teachers and principals… always feel welcomed and like family. [I’m] so grateful that [I will] get to be [an] SAS alumni.”

Singapore American School (SAS) is an independent, non-profit, coeducational, college preparatory day school offering an American curriculum from preschool through grade 12. Established in 1956, the school primarily serves the American and international expatriate communities of Singapore. SAS is registered with the Singapore Council for Private Education, affiliated with the Office of Overseas Schools through the U.S. Department of State, and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

For more information about Singapore American School visit www.sas.edu.sg.

Singapore American School Senior Amazes Audiences

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Korean Grand Prix: Singapore disappointment still fresh for di Resta

Force India pilot Paul di Resta has admitted the disappointment from Singapore is still ‘fresh’ heading to Korea this weekend.

The Scot looked set for a good result at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and was running in the points until he crashed out with just seven laps to go.

It was a bitter blow, especially as it means he has now gone five races without finishing in the top-ten, his last points coming at his home race at Silverstone back at the end of June.

“The disappointment still feels quite fresh,” di Resta confirmed when quizzed on his feelings about Singapore in the countdown to the 14th round in the 2013 F1 World Championship in Yeongam. “When you have a race like that you just want to get back in the car as soon as possible.

“[But] after the race I went back to Europe for some training and to get myself ready for the final push of the season. October will be the busiest month of the year so it was good to have some quality time at home before we spend the next couple of months travelling.”

“The Korea International Circuit is an unusual track, but definitely a place that I enjoy driving,” he continued. “The three sectors are all very different with long straights linked by hairpins, some high-speed corners and a slower technical part of the lap. The tyre choices are the same as in Singapore so it will be interesting to see how they perform. We’ve always gone well on the supersofts, but struggled more on the medium compound so hopefully we can switch it on this weekend.”

Team-mate Adrian Sutil meanwhile will be looking for his third points finish from the last four races this Sunday – and his first in Korea after retiring in 2010 and only finishing eleventh in 2011.

“Singapore was a lot of work for one point, that’s for sure! In the race I started on the mediums to do something different with the strategy and that worked out quite well. In the closing laps I was right on the back of the train of cars fighting for points. My tyres were so worn that it was hard to push, so getting a point was a good feeling after a long race,” he stated.

“I’m now looking forward to Korea and I quite like the track. I haven’t been so successful there yet, but I want to make up for that this year,” added the German.

“The circuit has a nice layout and a nice flow in the second part of the lap with some high-speed corners. Let’s see how the supersoft performs because the corners are very hard on the tyres. That could open up some interesting strategies.”

Korean Grand Prix: Singapore disappointment still fresh for di Resta

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Meritus Hotels & Resorts Advances Service Levels to Singapore MICE Market ... - Virtual

Hotel group to use online toolset to deliver exceptional service and responsiveness to its meeting planners and delegates.

Waltham, MA, USA and Singapore (PRWEB) September 30, 2013

Singapore-based hospitality group Meritus Hotels Resorts now has the most technologically advanced meetings and group management solution available for its planners and guests.    

The adoption of Passkey’s award-winning hotel booking solution, GroupMAX, will allow Meritus to offer meeting planners not only a personalized booking experience for every event, but will allow its guests to book their stay for any event at Meritus using any web connected device. Both Meritus’ flagship hotel, the Mandarin Orchard Singapore, and its Marina Mandarin Singapore property are deploying the GroupMAX toolset as of this Fall.

The implementation of GroupMAX by Meritus adds to the momentum Passkey is experiencing in international markets, where over 50 major hotel properties in Europe and Asia have added GroupMAX to their arsenal over the past 12 months.

At Meritus, every planner will have the opportunity to enjoy a custom designed website for their event and every attendees will be able to browse a wide range of accommodation options and make their hotel bookings online. Moreover, planners will have access to a live dashboard to track their room block from any web connection.

“There certainly is a lot for us to gain,” remarked Paul Stocker, regional vice president of sales at Meritus Hotels Resorts. “But the driving force in our decision to deploy GroupMAX is what it allows us to offer our MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) clientele. We will not just be fulfilling meeting planner requests; we will be consistently exceeding their expectations and enabling new levels of their success.” Specifically, planners hosting events at the two Meritus properties will enjoy:

• 
      Increased block pickup: The ability for attendees to book their rooms online has been proven to consistently increase booking pace and room block pickup.



•     Visibility into event performance: Advanced dashboards and reporting make it easy for planners and hotel staff to view up-to-date information and make timely decisions.


•     Secure, automated room lists: GroupMAX’s room list tool ensure that all attendee data is PCI (Payment Card Industry) secure. In addition, planners can make their own changes online, avoiding the often tiresome back and forth with hotels.


•     A rich attendee booking experience: Attendees can now book their event accommodations from any connected device using event-branded, visually rich booking websites. In addition they’ll be able to browse a wide variety of room upgrades and hotel add-on options such as Wi-Fi, spa services, late checkout, etc., all in a simple and fun booking experience.

“For hotels, having the right tools to serve this growing and highly competitive market is often the difference between mere survival and major success,” commented Passkey’s president and CEO, Greg Pesik. “We are delighted with Meritus’ decision to deploy our technology and are looking forward to its impact on the local event landscape.”

About Meritus Hotels Resorts    

Meritus Hotels Resorts (http://www.meritushotels.com) is part of the hospitality division of Overseas Union Enterprise Limited, which is amongst the key property players in Asia, and one of the few integrated developers in Singapore boasting a complete portfolio of prime assets across the retail, commercial, residential, and hospitality sectors.

Meritus is an award-winning hospitality brand inspired by the richness of its Asian heritage, providing guests its signature Asian grace, warmth and care through hotels and resorts strategically located in key cities and idyllic resort destinations in Singapore, Malaysia, Mainland China, and Indonesia. Its growing portfolio currently includes the flagship Mandarin Orchard Singapore, Marina Mandarin Singapore, Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort Spa Langkawi, Meritus Mandarin Haikou, Meritus Shantou China, and Meritus Surabaya City Centre.

Meritus Hotels Resorts was conferred the Heritage Brand Award at the Singapore Prestige Brand Awards 2012. The Group was also cited Global Winner for Luxury Hotel Chain at the World Luxury Travel Awards 2012, and Most Admired Enterprise in the categories of Growth and Innovation at the 2012 ASEAN Business Awards.

Meritus Hotels & Resorts Advances Service Levels to Singapore MICE Market ... - Virtual

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Former CEO of Marina Bay Sands chosen to run Bloomberry's Solaire

By: Krista Angela M. Montealegre, InterAksyon.com

October 1, 2013 11:00 AM

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InterAksyon.com means BUSINESS

MANILA – Bloomberry Resorts Corporation of ports magnate Enrique K. Razon has named the former head of Marina Bay Sands to run the operations at the $1.2-billion Solaire Resorts Casino.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Bloomberry said the company appointed Thomas Arasi as president, chief operating officer (COO) and board member of the listed company beginning October 11.

In a board meeting today, Razon resigned as president of Bloomberry to give way to Arasi.

“We are pleased to welcome Thomas Arasi to Solaire. We believe his credentials and experience will be key to achieving our expectations for Solaire,” said Razon, who chairs Bloomberry and International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI).

The appointment of a new president came weeks after Bloomberg terminated its management contract with Global Gaming Philippines LLC, the local arm of Global Gaming Asset Management (GGAM), which operates casinos in Las Vegas, Macau and Singapore. In terminating the contract and sacking GGAM representative as Solaire COO, Bloomberry cited material breach of contract.

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Arasi has held various management and senior operating positions in the gaming and hospitality industries. He was formerly president and chief executive officer of Marina Bay Sands Pte Ltd where he oversaw the development, opening and operation of the $5.7-billion integrated resort development in Singapore, steering it to profitability of around $1.5 billion in annual run-rate EBITDA.

EBITDA refers to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, and as such indicates profitability before adjusting for the impact of financing, taxation and other non-cash transactions.

Arasi also held senior positions with InterContinental Hotels Group as president of three major divisions, and was formerly the president of Tishman Hotel Corporation.

At Solaire, he will lead the Philippine casino’s continued ramp-up in operations and profitability with the opening of the $500-million Phase 1-A expansion by the fourth quarter next year.

Bloomberry achieved profitability in the second quarter with a net income of P22.7 million, a turnaround from the net loss of P126.9 million in the same period last year, on strong gaming revenues at Solaire, which opened in mid-March to become the first casino to start operations at the Entertainment City of state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

InterAksyon.com means BUSINESS

Former CEO of Marina Bay Sands chosen to run Bloomberry"s Solaire

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Solaire hires ex-Marina Bay Sands chief as president, COO

 MANILA, Philippines – Enrique Razon’s Bloomberry Resorts Corp. has named a former Marina Bay Sands chief as the new president and chief operating officer of Solaire Casino Resorts. 

In a statement, Bloomberry said it appointed former Marina Bay Sands president and CEO Thomas Arasi as Solaire president and chief operating officer. He will assume office on October 11.

Arasi replaces Razon as president of Solaire. Razon will remain as chairman and chief executive officer of the casino resort. 

As COO, Arasi replaces Michael French, who was fired by Bloomberry last month. French was the representative of Global Gaming Philippines LLC (GGM), who was also fired as manager of Solaire.

“We are pleased to welcome Thomas Arasi to Solaire. We believe his credentials and experience will be key to achieving our expectations for Solaire,” Razon said. 

As Marina Bay Sands president and CEO, Arasi was said to be “instrumental in helping the Singapore casino development eventually achieve unprecedented profitability of circa $1.5 billion in annual run-rate EBITDA.”

Bloomberry is hoping Arasi would be able to do the same for Solaire. The company said Arasi will lead the effort to help Solaire achieve profitability, as well as the casino resort’s $500 million expansion, which will open by fourth quarter of 2014. 

The $1-billion Solaire opened in mid-March to much fanfare, as it was the first casino to open at Pagcor’s Entertainment City.

In the second quarter, Bloomberry said it posted a P22.7 million profit, on the back of Solaire’s P3.59 billion revenues. 

Solaire hires ex-Marina Bay Sands chief as president, COO

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Bloomberry Resorts takes former Marina Bay Sands honcho as Solaire Resort president and COO

LONDON (Reuters) – A thief was caught not so much red-handed as green-faced in London after breaking into a car in that sprayed him with a liquid that glows emerald under ultraviolet light. Yafet Askale, 28, denied entering the vehicle that police set up with a dye-trap in Harlesden, northwest London, to catch thieves in June. But he was found guilty of stealing objects inside the car after police produced photos showing his face covered with the liquid, invisible under normal light. … …

Bloomberry Resorts takes former Marina Bay Sands honcho as Solaire Resort president and COO

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