Resorts World Sentosa is using this year as a testing period, hoping to reposition itself as an experience-based destination that can attract new and repeat visitors that stay longer, aiming to carve out a different niche from luxury-oriented rival Marina Bay Sands.
RWS CEO Lee Shi Ruh says that the property is shifting away from one-off, attraction-focused visitors and wants guests “to feel that this is a place they can hang out with family and friends, with something new every two to three weeks,” indicates The Straits Times.
Lee is a long-serving executive at RWS, having been elevated to the CEO role of the property in June of last year and serving as the President and Chief Operating Officer of its parent company, Genting Singapore, since August 1st of 2025.
Her elevation came after the casino license of RWS was renewed (in November of 2024) for a period of just two years, rather than the maximum of three, after an evaluation panel found that its tourism performance from January 1st of 2021 to the end of 2023 was “unsatisfactory”.
This year could prove vital to the company’s image, particularly with authorities, as a new evaluation is scheduled for 2026 and its casino license renewal period comes due in February of 2027.
Facing strong competition from Marina Bay Sands, the market leader, RWS has focused on its 2.0 strategy, a SG$6.8 billion ($5.3 billion) investment aiming to boost the property’s floor area by half, with a strong focus on non-gaming. Its efforts are already being boosted by the revamp of the Singapore Oceanarium and Minion Land at Universal Studios Singapore, and the launch of retail and dining offerings in Weave – a new lifestyle mall.
The CEO, who has spent over 30 years with the Genting group, is hoping that the new amenities will change the perception of those who have previously visited the property and invites new guests “to see the new RWS”, she told the Business Times.
But this new RWS is still being shaped, with new offerings coming only (and being showcased) as it leads up to its “long-term goal”, opening its new waterfront complex in 2030.
The new waterfront development will feature two luxury hotels with over 700 keys, a four-story retail and dining podium, a promenade, “mountain trail’ and 88-meter light sculpture.
Until the expansion opens, RWS is focusing on “different concepts and programming,” as well as “new and exciting events” as RWS also seeks to “refresh our assets”, highlights the CEO.
Keeping gamblers on the property
“In the past, some guests came to gamble and then left straight away. How do you bring the gamers back?” the executive highlighted when speaking to the Straits Times.
As many renovations and launches have now been completed – such as the debut of The Laurus – ‘Singapore’s first The Luxury Collection all-suite hotel with Marriott International’, now RWS wants the IR experience to be a social affair.
Speaking of gaming clients, Lee notes that “we want them to feel there is more to do – eat, drink, socialize and spend time with family and friends”.
Amongst the new focus, the CEO also guarantees that “there won’t be another wave of major closures. Now it’s about putting everything together”.
This process is expected to boost both visitation and investor confidence, noting that “they can see for themselves how the business has shifted”. But the executive still warns that “results don’t come through immediately. It takes time to rebuild”.
But third quarter results showed that its efforts are already beginning to bear fruit. Gaming revenues from the integrated resort for 3Q25 rose by 22 percent year-on-year, to SG$402.96 million ($313.44 million), despite remaining relatively flat from the second quarter. Non-gaming revenue increased by 7 percent to SG$247.33 million ($192.39 million) and rose by 33 percent from the previous quarter, helping boost overall revenue by 16 percent yearly and 10 percent sequentially, to SG$649.79 million ($505.44 million).
Despite the costs that accompany its desired new image, Genting Singapore saw net profit after tax of SG$94.61 million ($73.6 million) in 3Q25, up 19 percent yearly and 5 percent from the second quarter. Its fourth quarter results, set to be released in late February, should also see contributions as its new offerings gain popularity.
The build-out of RWS 2.0 also requires more manpower, however, with experienced executives such as Chen Si, former CEO of INSPIRE Entertainment Resort in South Korea, joined as Chief Operating Officer of RWS in December of last year. Lee told the Business Times that she has almost finished composing her senior leadership team but will still be looking for more hires in the years leading up to the 2030 waterfront development launch, hoping to use technology to also streamline operations and maximize talents amongst a “very tight” labor market.
