GGRAsia – Okada Manila warns on wrongful room resale, fake scents

Okada Manila warns on wrongful room resale, fake scents

Dec 04, 2020 Newsdesk Latest News, Philippines, Top of the deck

The Okada Manila casino resort in the Philippine capital has issued separate advisory notices warning respectively of unauthorised parties trying to sell its hotel rooms, and of fake versions of Okada Manila-branded scents.

“It appears that certain persons are selling, reselling or offering hotel room packages at Okada Manila through online platforms or social media channels without our authority,” said the venue.

The notice stated that Okada Manila, promoted by a unit of Japan’s Universal Entertainment Corp, would “not accept or recognise room reservations that are made through unauthorised channels”.

The resort added: “We advise the public that they can reserve rooms through the Okada Manila reservation system or reputable booking platforms.”

In Universal Entertainment’s results for the first nine months, filed in early November, the parent said Okada Manila’s hotel had received approval in October from the Philippine Department of Tourism to “resume hotel services at full capacity”, following temporary closure as a countermeasure to Covid-19.

Regarding the “fake or counterfeit” scents “or perfumes” carrying the hotel’s brand name, the property stated in the other advisory notice: “The hotel scent we use is made exclusively for Okada Manila and is not sold to the general public.”

It added: “The use of Okada Manila’s brand and trademarks for commerce without our authority or consent constitutes trademark infringement under the law. We will take the necessary legal action against violators.”

In early September, Universal Entertainment said in a filing to Jasdaq that a temporary suspension of Okada Manila’s casino that began on March 15 as part of Covid-19 measures, had been “partially lifted” to allow the resort to run at 30 percent capacity.

Universal Entertainment’s casino resort segment posted net sales of nearly JPY20.56 billion (about US$198 million) for the first nine months of this year, down 58.6 percent from a year earlier; and an operating loss of JPY7.62 billion, compared with an operating loss of JPY1.84 billion a year earlier.