‘The sun also rises in the North’

As soon as I opened my car window when I reached the driveway of the main lobby of the newly opened Solaire Resort North to ask the hotel staff where to park, I caught a whiff of Solaire Resort’s signature scent, a citrus fragrance of sorts.

It’s the familiar scent that no doubt evokes memories of one’s experiences in Solaire Resort in Parañaque, tycoon Enrique “EKR” Razon’s first integrated casino resort.

That sweet smell and so much more are now in Quezon City following the opening of EKR’s second Solaire, Solaire Resort North.

The $1-billion casino resort opened its doors to the public at 7 p.m. on Saturday evening after the formal opening and ribbon cutting ceremony in the afternoon graced by President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and Pagcor chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco.

Excited Quezon City residents and nonresidents alike descended onto the new hotel. Solaire Resort North counted 14,000 visitors on the first night, says Bloomberry Resorts Corp. vice chairman for construction and regulatory affairs Donato Almeda.

The following day, on Sunday, there were 4,000 guests as of the 1 p.m. count. When I arrived Sunday night for the Gala Night, a huge crowd filled the lobby; some parking floors were already full and in the restaurants, there were queues of waiting customers.

More than the numbers, the huge crowd of visitors at Solaire Resort North during the weekend – despite the continuous rains – shows that the city’s residents have been craving for unique experiences that a five-star hotel can offer.

Solaire is the first five-star hotel of its kind in Quezon City. My guess is that more than the casino, visitors would be flocking to the hotel to experience the fine dining options because there really aren’t a lot of choices in the city for those who love gastronomic adventures.

The new hotel has every bit of Solaire Entertainment City’s character although the configuration is different. It’s a towering building with DM Consunji behind the general construction of the structure. As for the food options, the signature Solaire Entertainment City restaurants are there, plus one or two that are unique to Solaire Resort