The Galaxy’s Brilliant ‘Seattleite ’

Jane Tsai lights up like a shooting star when we talk about Seattle and Galaxy Macau. As the Vice President of Marketing Communications at Galaxy Macau, Tsai, a Seattle native (known as ‘Seattleites’), is beaming about her role with the company.

She says, “There are very few chances in your life when you can launch a mega-brand. There are clearly pillars of the gaming industry, and that’s all very compelling. But we are launching a true global brand here, and I find that very exciting. I tell my family back home that the pace here is just so fast compared to the U.S.”

One would expect to hear this from a focused and energetic executive like Tsai, who joined Galaxy Macau in 2010 during the pre-launch period and who has steadied the course ever since. Prior to becoming Galaxy Macau’s first ‘Seattleite,’ as it were, Tsai served as the CEO and business director for such companies as Inspirasian, with over 15 years of marketing acumen in the Asia-Pacific region. She has been a seasoned adviser for international firms such as Hotels.com and Expedia.com. She holds a degree in economics from Whitman College in Washington State.

Speaking of Galaxy Macau’s success, Tsai says, “It does not happen overnight to open a resort of this scale. It needs the right investment, vision and great timing. In terms of timing, it had to be right for us. The gaming climate had to evolve to right level of diversification before we were ready to open. If we had opened any earlier than we did, it would have been premature. Once the central government and the Macau government became active in promoting diversification, we knew that our opening time was right.”

She continues, “When you have a market that is this saturated for gaming and tourism, in this densely packed city, it really does take vision and a product to be unique. So to hear Francis Lui talk about his vision is inspiring. It shows a level of insight into this region that is really special for this Southeast Asian-inspired resort. Mr Lui’s vision to bring the very best in an Asian resort experience to Macau and nearer to our core customers from China was very astute.

Going further, Tsai explains, “This vision extends to the service provided by our staff through our ‘World Class, Asian Heart’ Philosophy. There’s a global awareness that Asian hospitality is of the highest standard. So what then becomes a challenge for any country in a region that has such high standards, is how do you stand out? With our ‘World Class, Asian Heart’ service philosophy, we deliver five star hospitality from the heart with sincerity. That’s the differentiator which we reinforce in our training, with our relationships with vendors and our employees, everything is done with sincerity.”

This might explain why the company won three awards this year from the Asia Hotel Awards in Shanghai. The StarWorld Macau (opened in 2006) won the “Annual Best Hotel Service” award, whilst Galaxy Macau took home the prize for “Best Integrated Resort of Asia”. Overall, Galaxy Entertainment Group founder and chairman Dr. Lui Chee Woo received the “Outstanding Achievement of the Year Award”, making it the first time a single hotel group has been awarded all three awards. A latest example of this high level of service and standards is their new UA Galaxy Cinema.

Tsai says, “For the recent 100-year Titanic anniversary movie, we had the highest grossing volume in the region, meaning Hong Kong and South China. It was pretty cool. What’s more interesting is that the theatre showed that we are filling a need not just for guests but for the local community. Before then, we were challenged for choice with few local cinemas. For first release films, people were hopping on a ferry over to Hong Kong. Now we have a ninescreen cineplex that can seat 1,000 people. In the Director’s Club, you get the full lazy-boy experience with your feet reclined, and a call button for service. We recently used the venues for public speaking events. Some incentive groups bring in whole teams to watch a movie. We’ve even had lectures from the University of Macau.”

For the future, Tsai is excited to watch the property grow as Macau develops. An example of this growth will be the opening of the light-rail in the next few years. Tsai says, “The new light rail will have its first stop in Cotai right outside our east entrance. They’ve started on the construction, which is key, as the light rail will alleviate a lot of traffic congestion in Macau.”

And towards 2015 Galaxy will also open up their sizable phase two landbank.

In the meantime, Tsai adds, “It’s a rare opportunity to build a resort like this in terms of brand strategy, the messaging, the positioning of the company, everything.”

You could say this Seattleite is certainly on the right orbit in this Galaxy.

FAST FACTS

• Galaxy Entertainment Group launched their StarWorld resort in 2006 and launched Galaxy Macau in May 2011. This year it won three cherished prizes from the Asia Hotel Awards in Shanghai. The company plans to open two new hotels under the Ritz Carlton and Marriott names with 1,300 rooms by
2015.