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Tourism


DOUBLE FIRST


For Okura Hotels and Resorts, opening in the Galaxy Macau is a double debut: for the  rst time, an Okura hotel is sharing premises with other hotels and gamblers are among clients it wants to attract, says the property’s general manager Harmen Dubbelaar


BY EMANUEL GRAÇA PHOTOS BY ANTÓNIO FALCÃO


F


or Hotel Okura Macau general manager Harmen Dubbelaar the opening of the property does not mean the hotel is  n-


ished. Although its 488 rooms in the Galaxy Macau  rst welcomed guests on May 15, there are always adjustments to be made, he says. “When opening an hotel, you are very busy in


the  rst months,  ne-tuning the operation, mak- ing sure that everything runs seamlessly, making sure that all the staff are up to scratch to deliver the experience,” he told Macau Business. Although a veteran in Japan’s Okura Ho-


tels and Resorts chain, Mr Dubbelaar admits that opening the Macau hotel was a challenge. First, the Okura shares premises with a casino. The gambling fraternity “is one of the market segments that we traditionally don’t have in our other properties,” says the Dutchman. “We knew from the offset, when we signed our management agreement with Galaxy Entertainment Group, that this would be one of the challenges.” Another novelty for Okura is to operate a ho-


tel in a resort with two other hotels, in this case the Galaxy Macau and Banyan Tree Macau. “This is truly an integrated resort. There are no fences, so to speak,” says Mr Dubbelaar. In some environments, that might create ad-


ditional competition to attract patrons. “The three properties have managed to maintain their true individual identity,” he says. “When you enter Hotel Okura Macau, there is a level of tranquillity and elegance there. Soft colour tones are used.”


JULY 2011 It adds to the Japanese ambience of the prop-


erty, as do the kimono-clad women greeting guests in the lobby, or the origami birds placed on pillows in each room. “They are actually not just purchased. We pur-


chase the paper but we fold them by ourselves. We have origami classes for all employees across the board – doesn’t matter whether they work in the kitchens or in our guest services.”


Power of three Instead of the dif culties, Mr Dubbelaar highlights the gains from being one of three hotels in the same complex, such as the increased bargaining power with suppliers that combined purchasing affords. Staff eat at a combined restaurant for all three ho- tels, which saves space and other resources. Patrons can use several shared facilities, such as


the rooftop wave pool, that any one hotel would  nd hard to offer. “That makes our span much larger.” Okura and Banyan Tree are already partners


internationally, having had a worldwide marketing alliance for six years. “So, we are married in this same building now, which has also prompted us to market together. The three properties [including the Galaxy Macau] are on the road together.” So far, Hotel Okura Macau has been successful,


Mr Dubbelaar says. The hotel, which opened with all its rooms, restaurants, bars and other facilities avail- able from day one, boasted an occupancy rate above 90 percent in its  rst month. The level of acceptance by visitors is “beyond my expectations,” he says.


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