CITY GUIDE
Who wins the big shootout at the
Manila casino corral?
Along the bay, the chips are down and the big rumble has begun. Our Manila casino hotels review gets into bling and butlers to see who is offering the most thoughtful guest ‘experience’ within the gaming melee.
by Vijay Verghese
March 2026
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Solaire Resort Entertinment City remains popular with Filipinos for staycations and more, offering a friendly casino-and-family-fun escape on a manageable scale with a bit of informality mixed in with the bling. Green spaces abound, gaming is accessible, and guest experience ladies are quick to help arrivals/ photos: Vijay Verghese
WHILE gracefully ageing The Peninsula Manila fights a brave rearguard action grinding towards a 2030 deadline for a complete plot reimagining, the sleek silhouette of the Mandarin Oriental Makati in Ayala Triangle Gardens looms over its shoulder. Pen’s little touches continue with its gracious welcome, lobby murmurings redolent of history that wash over guests, a helipad, the custom-built vintage racing green jeepney parked at the porch, the thoughtful hand soap in the toilets, and a whacking good breakfast. The late 2026 return of Mandarin Oriental following a 12-year absence shall make for an interesting contest.
Yet, away from the Makati bustle, another rumble is well underway in the airport-Pasay-Parañaque corridor — or Entertainment City — that houses several top Manila casino hotels in this review. As with other discretely termed ‘integrated resorts’, the battle focuses not on beds and butlers but on the clatter of chips and the trilling of slot machines. The business is entirely driven by casino revenues and high-roller VIP guests are often roomed at no charge. This shift away from traditional hoteliering can affect guest perception so care is taken to ensure that families, wedding guests, conference goers and gamers enjoy the overall experience.
So who is winning the shootout at the casino corral? PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) puts 2025 gaming revenues at around US$1.8bn (down 5% from 2024 as online gaming bites into the pie). Its 2023 data placed Solaire Resort Entertainment City at No.1, Okada Manila at No.2, and Newport World Resorts at No.3, closely followed by City of Dreams Manila at No.4. These are the Big Four.
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Earnings apart, what of the hotel experience? We take a look at the real measure of worth among the big four in this Manila casino hotels review. Okada Manila (okadamanila.com) is a large glittering affair encased in gold like a Tutankhamen mummy with cavernous interiors in relentless signature pink. The hotel scores for its spacious rooms starting at 75sq m. These are largely in deep magenta with white trim (a favourite of the ladies who enjoy the soaking tubs with a view) but may come across as too strong for some. The large 9,000sq m Cove Manila under a high skylight dome with sanded beach, pool and cabanas (the dress code ironically is ‘smart’ so no slouching about in sandals), is a versatile event space for concerts and parties that can hold up to 5,000 persons.
The monstrous Okada Manila is an essay in pink. Ladies enjoy this but it can be strong medicine for many. Rooms are large, again usually in magenta, and space is endless. Yet, at the end of the day, the hotel has more of an airport terminal feel about it than that of a guest-focused hotel/ photos: Vijay Verghese (centre); Left & Right: hotel
{Newport’s proximity to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (the Belmont has a walkway to T3) is a small gain against the pain of random hysterical bling....
Okada has several glitzy conference and wedding spaces with the Grand Ballroom holding up to 1,500. F&B is varied and well regarded. In many ways this is a dream space that ticks several boxes. Yet the place lacks soul and its size feels more like an airport, reminiscent of the walk to your departure gate. Frequent management changes have left gaps in the service DNA and other affectations are downright annoying. For example, old taxis (par for the course in Manila) are not allowed up to the main entrance and are redirected to the distant Fountain Foyer by hotel security. This calls for the gong and drops Okada a fair bit.
Resorts World Manila (2009) was the first casino complex in the city and rebranded as Newport World Resorts (www.newportworldresorts.com) in 2022, with a clutch of international hotels inelegantly girdled by the elevated airport highway. This is an arrival eyesore and limits views though there is nothing wrong with the quality of accommodation. The smart Sheraton has take-offs and landings and the Marriott, which boasts a 4,000-capacity ballroom and direct access to a theatre, has some rear-facing green Manila skyline views from the West Wing.
Newport’s proximity to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (the Belmont has a connected walkway to T3) is a small gain against the pain of random hysterical bling. (An in-city airport location minutes from Makati or Entertainment City barely moves the needle.) Eye-popping art works are everywhere, from entertaining (neon spaceships and aliens) to gratuitous kitsch. Hilton has a Mona Lisa digital display and shape-shifting Van Gogh creations in a reception corridor where it is not convenient to dawdle or step back to observe. One cannot help but wonder what might be the point of it all.
Newport World Resorts is cheek by jowl with the airport highway, which obstructs views at most hotels here, through the Marriott (centre) manages a green skyline view from the back. Expect a very average casino experience (right) and plenty of gratuitous cute distraction like the digital Mona Lisa (left) at the Hilton/ photos: Vijay Verghese
There is much cute distraction but no design statement or personality. The cramped confines of Newport and its highly impersonal feel are matched by an ersatz casino that rakes in the dollars but lacks the class of the Solaire or City of Dreams Manila. This is not the fault of the hotels, which offer good rooms and events facilities with quality F&B, but mini airport townships are rarely appealing and require a huge investment in service and training to pull them out of the Slough of Despond. Newport World Resorts is often crowded, the service patchy, and its doormen inattentive. Unsurprisingly, it ranks last.
City of Dreams Manila (www.cityofdreamsmanila.com/en) is set within a shimmering gold stockade. This is a modern El Dorado capped by a giant ‘Fortune Egg’ housing VIP gaming. It requires Mafia-grade shades to negotiate in bright sun at the neatly landscaped podium that links the three hotels — the exclusive Nüwa, the Nobu and the Hyatt Regency — through a maze of neat blue pools, walkways, and manicured hedgerows. The hotels are also connected through the shopping floor and via the vast ground floor casino hall. The gaming facilities are smart, well laid out and spaced, clean and relaxed, attracting a mix of customers. There is less noise and elbow banging here and entry points are secure.
The secret weapon in the CoD arsenal is DreamPlay (dreamplay) on Level 2, a mini theme park featuring DreamWorks characters like Shrek and Kung Fu Panda. There are also cooking classes, rock wall climbs and 4D movies. This immediately sets City of Dreams apart as an international player with the added lure of Robert De Niro’s Nobu Hotel Manila and Hyatt’s global brand presence. Nüwa stays (with its excellent spa) are spoilingly high end but rooms on the whole in this complex are simpler and more functional than at Okada or Solaire.
City of Dreams lags behind the competition when it comes to events as there is just a small ballroom for 600 and no theatre. Oddly, this works out as a plus as it keeps noisy crowds at bay. High-rollers are managed and reeled in by hosts who keep them entertained and serve as super butlers. “This is not the Trip Advisor crowd,” one senior manager tells me, firmly. Service is on rails and staff will go out of their way to resolve issues, from the coffee shop to the doorman chasing cabs at peak hour. The personal touch is clearly visible. It places high among Manila’s Big Four and is a safe bet for international visitors.
City of Dreams fares well on our Manila casino hotel review with well planned — and connected — spaces, clear design elements, DreamWorks (left) for kids, and a visible personal touch. The podium level is a sunny spot to observe the gold buildings (shades donned) with blue pools (or cobalt as for Nobu, centre)/ photos: Vijay Verghese
Launched in 2013, Solaire Resort Entertainment City (sec.solaireresort.com) was among the first to come up on the reclaimed acres along Manila Bay. While its breezy sea views are in danger of shrinking with ongoing development all around, the hotel has held its own. During the Covid shutdown it emerged as a major staycation option — capitalising on the uniquely Filipino tradition of luxe weekend breaks close to home. It’s not hard to see why. Elegant and tasteful light-filled rooms in the premium Sky Tower start at 65sq m for a Studio and go up to an elephant-swinging 158sq m at a Signature Suite. The Grand Ballroom weighs in at 2,400sq m and a versatile theatre with excellent sound can seat 1,740 persons. For shopping, the hotel hosts designer brands from Bottega Veneta and Bulgari to Dior, Prada and Louis Vuitton. As in Macau once, casino winners can pop into LV to grab a large zip-up duffel bag for their winnings and swagger out, monograms ablaze.
Solaire employs busy guest experience ladies who operate as on-the-move concierges. It is a personal touch that adds warmth and a sense of old world hospitality. The casino is set in a convivial square at the centre of the hotel with corridors all around leading to bars and restaurants. It is not as segregated and security-sealed as at the larger places and in a sense this lends the place a friendly “step-in” informality that is appealing. There is a separate and restricted VIP gaming area.
Younger sibling, Solaire Resort North (sn.solaireresort.com/) in Quezon City offers an impressive five-level kids’ area with bowling alley and an arsenal of activities to complement 10,000sq m of gaming space. Opened mid-2024, the gleaming high-rise is busy earning its spurs but clearly has a fan following already and is seen as a luxe novelty in this district. Keep an eye on the Solaire duo.
At joint No.1 in our Manila casino hotels review are two strong products that have carved out their own separate yet complementary space — the quieter City of Dreams Manila with its international appeal and quality delivery; and the busy Solaire Resort Entertainment City with its strong local following and eye on family fun. If all this talk of money thrown away gives you a sinking feeling, examine the floor. It may be that creeping subsidence that is already affecting the SM Mall of Asia area.
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