{"id":849330,"date":"2025-05-18T22:12:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T03:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/18\/all-hanns-on-deck-to-make-clark-a-regional-destination\/"},"modified":"2025-05-18T22:12:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T03:12:43","slug":"all-hanns-on-deck-to-make-clark-a-regional-destination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/18\/all-hanns-on-deck-to-make-clark-a-regional-destination\/","title":{"rendered":"All Hanns on deck to make Clark a regional destination\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an interview with iGaming Business, Hann Philippines chairman Dae Sik Han shares his vision for the upcountry escape from Manila and explains Hann\u2019s extra N.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Dae Sik Han believes the best defence is a good offence. That principle guides Hann Philippines\u2019 groundbreaking projects transforming Clark, a highlands getaway two hours north of Manila, into an international destination for gaming, leisure and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen big IR operators realise the potential of Clark, if they step in the Clark market, if I\u2019m not ready to compete with them, then all of the things that I have achieved will go down the drain. That\u2019s why I have to push myself to the limit to expand and expand and expand,\u201d the chairman and CEO of Hann Philippines says.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Dae
Major competitors will head for Clark, says Hann Philippines chair Dae Sik Han, but he will make sure his business is ready for them<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Han\u2019s drive created Hann Resort, raising the bar with Clark\u2019s first five-star properties \u2013 a third is under development \u2013 amid top shelf cuisine, retail and gaming. <\/p>\n

In Clark Freeport, a special economic zone including portions of Central Luzon\u2019s Pampanga and Tarlac provinces, Han is also developing multi-billion dollar Hann Reserve. This far more ambitious\u00a0<\/strong>lavish living concept features a half-dozen luxury hotel brands, residences, golf, eco-tourism and education with the first phase due for completion next year. True to form, Han is expanding both trailblazing projects.<\/p>\n

Second option, first mover<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cAs soon as you step into a business, there are basically two options. One, you just lay back, you see what other people are doing and then just try to follow them. If you choose this option, then sooner or later, your competitor will eat into your market and you die out. But you don\u2019t need to have a lot of stress and you don\u2019t need to take risks like a first mover.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the other option is if you want to be the first mover. It could be risky, in a sense that nobody has done this thing and you\u2019re going to be the first one. You don\u2019t know whether the market will accept this thing. That is the second option. Most times, I pick the second option.\u201d<\/p>\n

Han took that second option with Clark Marriott Hotel, the centrepiece of Hann Resort. \u201cThey didn\u2019t believe the Clark market was mature enough to have this five-star hotel brand. But I insisted on the Marriott brand. At the time, I believed there was demand, but there was no proper facility that people can enjoy. When I opened this Marriott, they realised there is a nice place to enjoy in Clark instead of going to Manila,\u201d Han says, noting that within a year, the hotel reached 80% occupancy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Following number one<\/h3>\n

Hann\u2019s success hasn\u2019t gone unnoticed. \u201cIf someone moves ahead and it works, other people realise, \u2018It\u2019s nice, so why don\u2019t we do the same?\u2019\u201d Han says. \u201cIf you don\u2019t follow number one, then you\u2019ll die out. So they have to follow. Other developers are really trying to come up with something like better facilities in terms of quality and service.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Hann<\/a>
Han has set the pace in Clark since opening five-star Clark Marriott in 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Indeed, in January, Belle Corp announced it is seeking an integrated resort site in Clark. Belle, owner of Melco-operated City of Dreams Manila, is the gaming arm of SM Group, controlled by heirs of Henry Sy, the richest family in the Philippines.<\/p>\n

Clark catalyst<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing to observe the state of energy and economic vibrancy to be found in Clark today following decades of recovering from the impact of the Mount Pinatubo eruption and departure of US forces in the early 1990s,\u201d Marelene Phillips, who grew up in Pampanga in the 1960s and 1970s and has returned to visit family regularly while running a regional communications consultancy in Singapore since 2000, says.<\/p>\n

Clark provides the special sauce spicing Han\u2019s ambitions. Its countryside has for decades been a popular getaway for urban dwellers, similar to the Catskill Mountains north of New York City. Resorts and casinos have been part of the leisure landscape, along with fresh air and open spaces in the shadow of the massive US Clark Air Force base.<\/p>\n

In 1991, amid volcanic ash from Pinatubo and a Philippine government decision not to renew the lease, US forces left the base that began as cavalry outpost Fort Stotsenburg in 1903.<\/p>\n

The Philippine Air Force took over the military facilities and the government created a special economic zone of some 35,400 hectares (87,438 acres or 136.7 square miles) to promote foreign investment and create jobs, especially in export industries, overseen by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.<\/p>\n

Infrastructure improvements<\/h3>\n

Infrastructure projects to support those ambitions followed. Clark International Airport opened in 2004 and has undergone expansion over the past two decades, growing passenger capacity to 11 million. Traffic peaked at 4 million in 2019, rebounding to 2 million in 2023 and 2.4 million last year, 65% on international flights, consistent with long term trends. The airport, call letters CRK, had 19,221 flights last year, 47% domestic and 53% international.<\/p>\n

When Han first saw CRK he noted: \u201cI believed that someday, somehow the Philippine government has to find a way to utilise this Clark airport because it doesn\u2019t have enough money to build a new airport for Manila.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, Han\u2019s instinct is proving correct as a high speed rail link between Clark and the capital region\u2019s Ninoy Aquino International Airport rattles toward completion in 2027. The line will cut travel time between NAIA and CRK to less than one hour, facilitating flight connections and general travel to Clark. A new highway from Manila to Baguio will reduce road trip time to Clark.<\/p>\n

Clark airport authorities are investing incrementally toward construction of a second runway, aiming to make CRK a major Asia-Pacific logistics centre as well as enhancing its role as a national gateway.<\/p>\n

K-Vacay<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For Hann Resorts, Clark airport provides a vital pipeline to guests from South Korea. \u201cAs far as headcount is concerned, we\u2019re having 60% to 65% local and then the rest, 35% to 40%, is international,\u201d Han says, with Koreans comprising more than 90% of international visitors.<\/p>\n

Han, in his mid-50s, was born in Korea and got his start in the family construction firm that branched into development. Han\u2019s knowledge of the Korean market, longstanding ties between Korea and the Philippines as the closest tropical vacation spot, a place to learn English and a business destination, plus easy access via CRK, make Hann Resorts a potent magnet for Korean travellers.<\/p>\n

About 40% percent of Clark\u2019s international flights serve Korea, and CRK is just a 10 minute drive to Hann Resorts. With a less crowded arrival experience than Manila, guests can be at their hotels within a half hour of touchdown. Hann Reserve will be similarly convenient to the airport.<\/p>\n

Hann Philippines traces its roots to the Widus Hotel and Casino, opened in 2006. It grew into Hann Resorts with the addition of Clark Marriott and, in 2022, the Philippines\u2019 first Swiss Hotel. The 11-hectare complex also features upmarket shopping at 8th\u00a0Avenue and more than a dozen F&B choices that make it a culinary landmark in Clark. The gaming floor has 199 tables, 960 slots and 40 electronic gaming terminals.<\/p>\n

Top of the game<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Han claims Hann Resorts has grown its Clark gaming revenue share to \u201c45%-46%, so we\u2019re pretty dominant in the market.\u201d\u00a0Based on the latest available Pagcor reports, Clark GGR for the first three quarters of last year was PHP20.6 billion (US$350.7 million), which would put Hann Resorts\u2019 GGR around PHP9.9 billion, extrapolating to PHP13 billion for the full year. Pagcor confirms that Hann Resorts has the largest GGR of any casino outside Metro Manila.<\/p>\n

Clark\u2019s January through September 2024 GGR rose 1.4% compared with 2023 as the entire Philippine market<\/a> takes a breather from breakneck post-pandemic growth and domestic online gaming explodes. <\/p>\n

Clark figures include a 17% decline in the third quarter that a senior Hann executive tells iGB resulted from a drop in junket play at other casinos that did not impact Hann. The executive says Hann Resorts\u2019 GGR grew 9% in the first three quarters and it needs additional gaming capacity.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now casino expansion is under construction,\u201d Han says. \u201cWe\u2019re going to inject more or less 500 slots and around 60 to 80 tables.\u201d The 22,113 sqm, two-storey addition includes both mass and VIP gaming space. However the majority of added floor area will be dedicated to F&B with an emphasis on Korean, Chinese and Japanese cuisine. The first level is slated to open late this year with the upper floor due for completion in early 2026.<\/p>\n

Breaking the billion barrier<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Han says the US$250 million expansion will push total spending on Hann Resorts beyond US$1 billion. And there\u2019s still more to come: Han told iGB the Intercontinental Hotel announced in July for Hann Reserve will instead be built at Hann Resorts. <\/p>\n

The project, \u201ca $600 million-ish investment\u201d, is in the design phase, according to Han, with construction planned to begin in the middle of this year for a 2029 opening.<\/p>\n

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\"Dae
Han is using local lenders and exploring a stock market listing as the Hann portfolio grows<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI am investing back all of the money that I can generate from operations, hotel and casino operations, everything, 100%,\u201d Han says. \u201cPlus I\u2019m having pretty strong support from local banks, unlike before. When I started the business around 18 years ago, it was very, very difficult to talk to local banks, but now they have seen the potential of the Clark area and the potential of my project. So they\u2019re very supportive.\u201d <\/p>\n

In November, Philippine lenders Asia United Bank and Union Bank signed a PHP6 billion (US$103 million) deal to support the Hann Resorts expansion.<\/p>\n

Han is also \u201cmodelling a stock market listing\u201d in the Philippines. Other Philippine casino companies are publicly listed, most notably Enrique Razon\u2019s Bloomberry Resorts that operates Solaire in Entertainment City and opened US$1 billion Solaire North in Quezon City last year.<\/p>\n

Equity financing would help pay for Hann Reserve, the US$4 billion luxury mixed use project 12 kilometres from Hann Resorts. \u201cRight now, I\u2019m focusing on Hann Reserve,\u201d Han says. \u201cWhat I enjoy is building something different from somebody else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Hann<\/a>
outdoor attractions are a key component of hann reserve<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Going natural<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Han acknowledges the success of themed resorts in Macau but sees a key limitation: \u201cAll of the attractions they can provide are inside the building. So I was thinking, in the Clark area we are surrounded by very nice nature.\u201d He\u2019s using that natural setting to differentiate Hann Reserve, with a particular emphasis on eco-tourism and golf.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why there will be three golf courses designed by Nicklaus Design, [Korean golf star] KJ Choi and Nick Faldo, and there will be a lot of outdoor attractions. All of the things in the development that we\u2019re doing are nature driven.\u201d Hann Reserve also strives for maximum sustainability through green architecture, efficient development in harmony with the natural landscape, appropriate local technologies and waste management.<\/p>\n

In November, Hann broke ground on a 10-hectare public park combining eco-tourism, outdoor sports, fitness and Philippine folklore to be completed in three phases from late next year as part of Hann Reserve. On the golf side, Hann secured a Philippine exclusive to create a Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) player development facility and it has high hopes of securing golf tour events.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than just a brand\u201d<\/h3>\n

Overall, Hann Reserve will encompass 450 hectares, although Han tells iGB the project will ultimately reach 600 hectares. Phase one, due to open in 2027, includes a Banyan Tree hotel and residences along with the Nicklaus golf course amid mountainous terrain.<\/p>\n

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\"Hann<\/a>
Hann Reserve will open phase one in 2027, with plans to add a host of luxury brands in future developments<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Future phases will include accommodations from Accor\u2019s SO, Sofitel and Emblems brands and Marriott\u2019s Westin and Luxury Collection. To further bolster Hann Reserve\u2019s residential appeal, Han plans to add a \u201cprestigious international school\u201d along with a commercial centre.<\/p>\n

Han\u2019s ethos that more is better extends to the second N added to his company names. \u201cThe name Hann is more than just a brand,\u201d he says. \u201cIt represents my vision of elevated experiences, luxury and innovation. The addition of the second N was a deliberate decision to create a distinct and impactful identity, one that reflects strength, balance and sophistication. It embodies our commitment to excellence and sets the foundation for world class hospitality and entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clark and Philippine gaming and tourism undoubtedly say \u201cAmenn\u201d to that.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Muhammad<\/figure>\n

Muhammad Cohen<\/a> is a former US diplomat and current iGB Asia editor at large. He\u00a0has covered the casino business in Asia since 2006, most recently for\u00a0Forbes<\/a>, and wrote\u00a0Hong Kong On Air<\/a>, a novel set during the 1997 handover about TV news, love, betrayal, high finance and cheap lingerie.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

Muhammad Cohen
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In an interview with iGaming Business, Hann Philippines chairman Dae Sik Han shares his vision for the upcountry escape from Manila and explains Hann\u2019s extra N. Dae Sik Han believes the best defence is a good offence. That principle guides Hann Philippines\u2019 groundbreaking projects transforming Clark, a highlands getaway two hours north of Manila, into<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":849331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2647,143993],"tags":[15066,143992],"class_list":{"0":"post-849330","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-clark","8":"category-hanns","9":"tag-clark","10":"tag-hanns"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=849330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=849330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=849330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}