MBS CEO says April 27 target is 'ambitious'

With about two months to go before the Phase One opening of Marina Bay Sands (MBS), Thomas Arasi, its president and chief executive, says the construction schedule of the project is 'ambitious'.

Still, Mr. Arasi remains positive that it will go well.

“Everything is aligning itself to the opening date,” he said.

This involves completing construction, ramping up hiring and obtaining the all-important casino license.

MBS has 1,500 casino dealers in training, “mostly Singaporean”, at its casino training school, which has eight slot machines and 108 tables at their disposal.

To date, it has 3,600 people on its payroll, while this is far from the projected 10,000 people it will need when the integrated resort (IR) is fully operational, Mr. Arasi said that around 5,000 more people have already been identified.

A MBS spokesperson said that MBS has opened up hundreds of positions in the run-up to the first phase opening of the IR on April 27.

“We are looking to fill jobs mainly in the front-line food and beverage department - including celebrity chef restaurants - as well as hotel operations. Some of these roles include waiters, bartenders, guest service agents, valet drivers and bellmen,” she added.

With regards to the casino licence, Mr. Arasi said he had no updates on its application’s status, and added that MBS was “following the critical path laid down by the Casino Regulatory Authority”.

According to Alison Baird, client director of Alexander Mann Solutions in Asia Pacific, the opening of both the IRs will result in a significant increase in hiring in related areas like luxury retail, hotel sectors and food and beverage.

“In the earlier phase of hiring, we have seen the trend and movement of experienced staff from other organizations - such as boutique hotels - into the IR.”

“These experienced and well-trained personnel, who are highly sought after, will be aggressively targeted by the IRs. However, enticing talent on this scale may prove to be difficult.”

“Marina Bay Sands will need to leverage its brand and the attraction of the new integrated resorts industry in Singapore,” she said.