RESORTS WORLD AT SENTOSA ON TRACK TO OPEN IN EARLY 2010

All Structural Buildings to Top Out by July 2009

SINGAPORE, 25 June 2009 – Resorts World at Sentosa today announced that it will complete all structural buildings by July 2009, 27 months after it broke ground in April 2007.

The 49-hectare resort is on track for an early 2010 soft opening, which include Universal Studios Singapore, Resorts World Casino, its resident show theatre, part of its dining strip FestiveWalk and four hotels – Hotel Michael, Maxims Tower, Festive Hotel and Singapore’s very own Hard Rock Hotel.

Fitting out of the hotels’ façade and installation of the Universal Studios Singapore attractions – already begun – will ramp up after the last building Hotel Michael tops out next month. Testing and commissioning of the theme park rides and attractions will take place later this year, as scheduled, for the Resort to meet its early 2010 soft launch target.

About 60 per cent of the Resort’s built up area will open with its soft opening in early 2010. Two more attractions, the Marine Life Park and the Maritime Xperiential Museum, the ESPA and two more hotels – Equarius and Spa Villas – will open progressively.

Mr Michael Chin, Executive Vice President of Projects for Resorts World at Sentosa said: “With the hotels and Universal Studios Singapore attractions such as the world’s tallest dueling coasters Battlestar Galatica and the Waterworld Stunt Show amphitheatre rising from the ground, the anticipation towards our opening in a few months’ time is indeed mounting.”
“Since the award of Resorts World at Sentosa in December 2006, time has been our biggest challenge in building this world-class resort destination. Not only are we on-track to our opening in early 2010, but we will be delivering world-class accommodation, rides, experiences and enjoyment at the same time,” Mr Chin added.

Resorts World at Sentosa – closely watched as the resort destination that will boost Singapore's tourism and MICE numbers in 2010 – houses Southeast Asia’s only Universal Studios theme park, the world’s largest oceanarium, six hotels, a casino and a palette of Las Vegas-styled entertainment, world-class performances, restaurants by celebrity chefs and retail shops.

In fact, forging ahead for an early 2010 opening signifies the 49-hectare Resort’s confidence in its entertainment offerings as a boost for travel into Southeast Asia, as well as Singapore.
On the recruitment front, Resorts World at Sentosa currently has 600 staff on its payroll. Recruitment is being stepped up to fill 10,000 positions when the Resort opens.