OVER the past few weeks, I have had a front row seat as preparations for the opening of Singapore’s first integrated resort reached a fever pitch.
Resorts World Sentosa will welcome its first customers in four days when four hotels and a few restaurants and shops throw open their doors.
The two big draws - the theme park and the casino - will open later.
I watched as front-line staff practised their service skills, actors and stuntmen rehearsed their shows and analysts added polish to their latest pronouncements.
To them all, I put the same crucial questions: would the billions of dollars invested in Resorts World Sentosa bear fruit? Why? Or why not? Was this project big on hype and small on substance?
Most of those I spoke to, were firmly optimistic. May be it was just the time of the year. Or may be it was quiet conviction.
But what was surprising was that many gave exactly the same answer on what they saw as this project’s greatest strength: its diversity.
When fully operational, the resort will have six hotels, Singapore’s first casino, south-east Asia’s first Universal Studios theme park, the world’s biggest oceanarium, scores of fancy shops, restaurants and more.
As today’s Saturday Special Report puts it, you can stay, eat, shop, ride and roll within the space of a few kilometres.
Indeed – RWS’ vice-president for resort operations Noel Hawkes puts it – it will be a "complete destination in itself", with "something for everybody".
"We will be competing not with any single attractions, but with entire resort towns, like Bali or Phuket," says Mr Hawkes.
But can diversity alone bring in the 13 million visitors RWS hopes will pass its way in a year? Not quite.
The quality of both the attractions and the service need to be world class. And the price needs to be right.
Adults will need to shell out $66 on weekdays and $72 on weekends to enter the theme park.
Although it sounds steep, consider that Singapore currently has attractions like the Singapore Flyer where adults pay nearly $30 for a 30-minute ride. At Universal, $66 or $72 can buy you an entire day of fun.
But one set of prices – that of hotel stays – need to head southwards. Not many may be willing to pay $400 a night for the cheapest room at the IR, given that hotels across the world have slashed rates.
For now, the resort needs to announce promotions and discounts soon for the hotels to pull in the crowds. And, of course, the theme park and the casino need to open soon.
Only then can we know whether hope and hype can face up to reality.
Read the Saturday Special Report here