It’s more fun in the Philippines: Hollywood actor Robert de Niro opens luxury hotel in Manila; Nobu hospitality group eyes opening a resort in the country
by Leony R. Garcia
The long wait for Filipinos is over — multi-awarded Hollywood star and celebrity Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa opened their latest venture– the luxury Nobu Hotel City of Dreams Manila on Monday
Nobu Hotel Manila is situated at the City of Dreams resort complex on Aseana Avenue and Roxas Boulevard, Entertainment City in Parañaque.
Filipino fans have waited excitedly since last year when the teaser of City of Dreams circulated last year with De Niro and fellow Hollywood actor Leonardo Di Caprio together with famed director Martin Scorsese headlining it.
Now the good news: Nobu Hospitality, owner and operator of Nobu hotels and restaurants, is considering to establish a resort south of Manila.
The hospitality group—co-founded by De Niro, Matsuhisa and film producer Meir Teper– said Nobu Hotel is “doing very well since it opened, hitting an average occupancy “in excess of 80 percent. So we’re pleased with the business coming into the hotel.”
News reports said De Niro expressed desire to do a Nobu resort in the Philippines.“I am beginning to think that, maybe, one would be good, a resort, a Nobu Resort, with a beach [along the lines of Amanpulo]. If we found real estate, the right place and partners in the future, yes [we’d consider a new location in the Philippines],” he said. Reportedly, De Niro is a frequent visitor to Amanpulo, a high-end luxury resort in Palawan.
De NIro’s and Matsuhisa’s story of partnership is a colorful one. The famed chef has to make the iconic actor “wait” to become his business partner.
In the 1980s, Matsuhisa had a thriving sushi bar in Beverly Hills that catered to the rich and famous. One day, De Niro walked into his restaurant and liked his food so much that he offered to become the chef’s business partner.
Feeling he wasn’t ready yet, Matsuhisa turned down De Niro’s offer and only agreed to the partnership five years later.
The first Nobu restaurant opened in New York in 1994. Twenty-one years later, there are over 30 Nobu restaurants around the world, including seven in the Asia Pacific, with Manila being one of the newest locations.
Matsuhisa is known for his fusion cuisine, adding a touch of South American flavor, particularly Peruvian, to traditional Japanese dishes. He said he was very happy with the opening of Nobu Hotel Manila because the Philippines is very close to Japan, his home country.
Nobu Hotel Manila is Nobu Hospitality’s first hotel in Asia. It is also expected to open luxury hotels soon in Chicago, Miami, Bahrain, Riyadh, London and Los Cabos in Mexico.
Nobu Hotel Manila is part of the casino and integrated resort City of Dreams, which sits on 6.2 hectares in Parañaque. Other hotels in City of Dreams include a Hyatt and a Crown Towers. The complex’s other attractions are DreamPlay, the world’s first Dreamworks-inspired interactive playspace; CenterPlay, a bar that hosts live performances from local and international artists; and the nightclub Pangaea.
