Robert De Niro, accompanied by his business associates, formally launched Nobu Hotel in Manila last Monday. This will be the first branch of the Nobu Hotel franchise in all of Asia, the Washington Times reported.
De Niro took the lead in cutting the ribbon with his partners famous chef Nobu Matsuhisa and producer Meir Teper. Other business tycoons who took part in the opening include James Packer, an Australian billionaire, and Lawrence Ho, a billionaire from Macau.
The 71-year-old has admitted that he is very much involved with the project and not just lending his name to it.
"I've looked at what everything is, I am aware very much about the design, and so on. And if there's anything I don't like I say it," said the Oscar-winning actor, adding, "To me, you have to do more than lend your name – you gotta be there in order to just be more a part of it and really believe in it."
The entire team is currently in the middle of preparing to expand the Nobu Hotel on a global scale and are aiming to open eight hotels in the next two years.
