Asian casino operator Melco Crown Entertainment Limited has officially changed its name to Melco Resorts And Entertainment Limited while additionally revealing that the Hard Rock Hotel at its City Of Dreams Macau development is to be re-branded from July as The Countdown.

Melco Crown Entertainment Limited, which also runs the Studio City Macau and City Of Dreams Manila properties and recently unveiled plans to bring a multi-billion-dollar gambling-focused venue to the Japanese city of Osaka, was established in 2004 as a joint partnership between Australian operator Crown Resorts Limited and Hong Kong-based Melco International Development Limited. But, last year saw the latter purchase an additional 13.4% stake to give it a controlling 51.3% share while its Melbourne-headquartered partner’s interest has since dwindled to only 11.2%.

Hong Kong-listed Melco Resorts And Entertainment Limited first unveiled the plan for “a new corporate identity” in December as a way to indicate the revised ownership structure and better reflect its “new energy”.

“In conjunction with the name change, the company’s Nasdaq ticker symbol will change from “MPEL” to “MLCO”, which is expected to be effective on or about April 6,” read a statement from Melco Resorts And Entertainment Limited. “The actual effective date of the new ticker symbol will be separately released by Nasdaq.”

As part of the name-change exercise, Melco Resorts And Entertainment Limited declared that the Hard Rock Hotel at its City Of Dreams Macau is to be known as The Countdown from the first day of July until the end of next March while it explained that the Macau development’s under-construction fifth hotel tower, which was designed by the late Zaha Hadid and is to be christened as Morpheus, is expected to open in April of 2018

“The Countdown hotel will celebrate the great achievements of the City Of Dreams Macau, inviting guests to discover the resort’s world-class offerings from The House Of Dancing Water, [which is] the world’s largest water-based extravaganza, to its Michelin-starred restaurants and exciting shopping experience featuring the largest shoe salon in Hong Kong and Macau,” read the statement from Melco Resorts And Entertainment Limited.

Melco Resorts And Entertainment Limited, which is moreover responsible for the nearby Altira Macau venue, stated that The Countdown will feature a countdown clock “timed to the unveiling of a new phase of development” for its City Of Dreams Macau as the property strives to become “the most stylish and exclusive resort in Macau”.

“We are now counting down to the best ever City Of Dreams Macau; a resort that will take our guests where no one has taken them before [and redefine] what a modern integrated resort has to offer,” read a statement from Lawrence Ho Yau Lung, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Melco Resorts And Entertainment Limited.