Connecticut
Mohegan Sun, in Uncasville, has shelved plans for a major expansion that called for more than 900 new hotel rooms and 10,000 square feet of new meeting space. Currently, the resort has 1,200 hotel rooms, 100,000 square feet of meeting space, a 10,000-seat arena and a 350-seat theater. This summer, Mohegan Sun will add a new food court and extra retail space, as well as a Bar Americain, a restaurant brand from chef Bobby Flay. Last August, the resort opened a 64,000-square-foot Casino of the Wind, which includes two casual F&B outlets -- Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville and Chief's Deli.
Nearby, Foxwoods Resort Casino opened the 825-room MGM Grand at Foxwoods last year, bringing the resort's total meeting space to roughly 170,000 square feet. The MGM Grand also has a 4,000-seat theater and a 21,000-square-foot spa. The complex offers more than 2,200 guest rooms at four hotels, three of which are attached to the casinos.
At press time, the state legislature was considering a bill that would further restrict smoking at the casinos. The majority of the facilities, including meeting rooms, already are smoke-free; Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum, chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council, has pledged to fight the regulation if it becomes law. -- TOM ISLER
Lady luck hasn't been especially kind to credit markets or the global economy over the past several months, and the gaming industry has suffered as a result. Some casino companies have been forced to put development plans on hold while simultaneously looking for creative ways to refinance debt and stay out of bankruptcy.
But growth has hardly halted. The gaming industry performed exceedingly well in previous years, with record amounts of capital invested in expansion and development. The infrastructure required to attract meetings and conventions is firmly in place -- and continues to grow. Despite some disconcerting cancellations, groups are still heading to Vegas and other gaming destinations. In fact, those that might have had a hard time securing space in Vegas in years past are finding the welcome mat rolled out and enticing values to lure them in.
Following are updates from some major meetings-friendly gaming destinations across the country, as reported by M&C's editors.
Las Vegas
The gaming hub of the nation has dealt with many well-publicized challenges over the past several months. In addition to damage wrought by the dismal state of the economy, the city took a lot of heat from the firestorm that erupted early this year over perceived corporate excesses, with convention business getting particularly burned. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, year-to-date convention attendance through February had dropped nearly 29 percent from the same period last year, and the number of conventions held was down by more than 17 percent. As of press time, talk of bankruptcy hounds a number of major casino chains.
But many have bet on the city's resiliency and are forging ahead with billion-dollar developments. The $1 billion M Resort Spa Casino opened as planned on March 1, covering 90 acres on the south side of the Strip. The 390-room resort is run by the Marnell family, known for the construction and development of the Wynn, Treasure Island and Mirage. M offers 60,000 square feet of meeting space and a 23,000-square-foot spa, and owns and operates nine on-site restaurants and five bars.
Steve Wynn's lavish, $2.3 billion Encore Las Vegas also opened on schedule, at the end of December 2008. The 2,034-room tower complements the design of the Wynn Las Vegas next door and is home to five signature restaurants, 60,000 square feet of configurable event space, upscale shopping at 11 boutiques and an over-the-top nightclub called XS.
Among other gigantic investments, the 202-room Aliante Station Casino, a $675 million property, opened last November. The venue offers 14,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, a 16-screen cinema and a 400-seat theater.
Construction continues on MGM Mirage's megaproject, CityCenter, expected to open late this fall. (One of the planned hotels, the 400-room Harmon Hotel and Spa, was delayed by one year and is expected to open in late 2010.) MGM Mirage chairman and CEO Jim Murren says completing the $8.6 billion CityCenter is the company's main priority, and despite the challenge posed by nearly $14 billion in debt, MGM secured a waiver in late April allowing it to fund its share of the remaining construction costs. At the same time, the company renegotiated terms with Dubai World, its joint venture partner in CityCenter, to complete the project. As a result Dubai World dismissed a lawsuit it had filed against MGM Mirage in March.
Slated to kick off CityCenter's opening, in early October, is the 1,495-suite Vdara Hotel, a nongaming facility connected to Bellagio. Vdara will feature a 16,000-square-foot, two-level spa and fitness center and 10,000 square feet of conference space. ARIA Resort & Casino, CityCenter's centerpiece, is a 4,004-room hotel-casino slated to open in December. The property will offer 300,000 square feet of meeting space and a 215,000-square-foot pool deck with 50 private cabanas. The 392-room Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas also is expected to open by the end of the year.
The $3.1 billion Fontainebleau Las Vegas had been on schedule to open on the Strip this fall, but in April the developer's lending banks notified the hotel company that it was in default and would not receive a prearranged $800 million loan to complete the project. Fontainebleau responded with a $3 billion lawsuit, claiming no default had occurred. At press time the developer was attempting to negotiate a new deal with one lender, Bank of America; the property's opening date may be affected by the result. Assuming it does open, the 3,812-room property promises 390,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, 27 restaurants and bars, a 100,000-square-foot casino, a 60,000-square-foot Lapis Spa and about 300,000 square feet of retail space.
Also still in the works is the 3,500-room Plaza Las Vegas, slated to be built on the site of the former New Frontier. Construction had been scheduled to begin in spring 2010, with a 2012 opening, but owner El-Ad Group would not confirm the project's timeline at press time.
Speculation continues regarding the $3.9 billion Cosmopolitan Resort & Casino, tentatively scheduled to open in 2010 next to CityCenter. Reports surfaced this spring that Hilton Hotels Corp. would manage the 2,998-room property for Deutsche Bank, the current owner. (Hilton declined to comment, and while it also was reported that the property would become one of the first of Hilton's new Denizen brand, development of that brand has been shelved due to a corporate espionage lawsuit filed against Hilton by Starwood.) Should the property open, it is slated to have 180,000 square feet of meeting space, a 40,000-square-foot spa and a 1,800-seat theater.
Crowne Plaza plans to build a new hotel-casino west of the Strip, slated for a 2011 opening. The property will include 386 guest rooms and 16,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space.
MGM Mirage completed the sale of the 2,885-room Treasure Island this spring to billionaire businessman Phil Ruffin, owner of Ruffin Acquisition LLC, for $775 million.
With so many large projects in the pipeline, it was inevitable some would stall. Boyd Gaming Corp. suspended work indefinitely last summer on Echelon, while MGM Mirage and partners Kerzner International and Istithmar shelved a resort complex slated for the corner of the Strip and Sahara Avenue.
The 3,348-room Caesars Palace, meanwhile, delayed the opening of the 665-room Octavius Tower, which was to debut this summer. The company says it will open when demand grows. Other aspects of the hotel's $1 billion expansion, including an additional 110,000 square feet of flexible meeting, ballroom and exhibit space, are due to open in July as planned. The addition brings the property's total meeting space to 300,000 square feet, and includes a new, two-level convention center that connects to existing meeting space in the Palace Tower. The upper tier will feature a terrace with two private pools. -- MICHAEL J. SHAPIRO
Detroit
All three of Detroit's casinos have opened 400-room hotels within the last two years. The latest, the hotel at the
Greektown Casino, debuted in February with 10,000 square feet of meeting space. Another 15,000 square feet of meeting space is part of the master plan in a separate events center, but Greektown filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year and the events center is on hold. As part of the bankruptcy agreement, the casino owners, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, set a June 1, 2009, deadline to reorganize or initiate a sale. A spokesperson for the casino says the owners have received offers to buy the property but, at press time, no decision about future ownership had been made.
The MGM Grand Detroit may be on the sales block, as parent MGM Mirage looks to raise cash. The 400-room hotel has 30,000 square feet of meeting space, restaurants from Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina, a spa, and five lounges and nightclubs.
The MotorCity Casino Hotel has 26,700 square feet of dedicated meeting space, including a 19,600-square-foot ballroom, four breakout rooms and two boardrooms. The hotel also offers a 1,500-seat theater that can be reconfigured for various events, two fine-dining restaurants, three casual F&B outlets, and three bars and lounges. -- T.I.
Atlantic City
Last year was a particularly challenging one for Atlantic City's casino industry, which saw declines in revenues and gross operating profits. However, some developments have gone forward as planned.
Two nongaming properties debuted here in 2008. The Water Club,a Signature Hotel by Borgata, opened last summer, adjacent to the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. The 800-room hotel has a 36,000-square-foot spa, five pools and 18,000 square feet of meeting space.
The 331-room Chelsea, a nongaming boutique hotel, opened last August. In April, the property's Sea Spa, with a total of 10 treatment rooms and a wide range of specialty treatments that include the Sea and Sand pedicure, made its debut. The hotel features a boardroom and the 4,400-square-foot Crystal Room, a ballroom that can seat up to 300.
A group of investors spearheaded by billionaire financier Carl Icahn offered to buy Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino and Resort for $200 million in April. Since losing its gaming license in December 2007, the casino has been operating under a state-appointed conservator. Icahn's offer sets the minimum price for the Tropicana in a bankruptcy court auction that was authorized by state casino regulators. A year ago, the property was expected to sell for around $1 billion.
In February, the Atlantic City Express Service (ACES) train began service between New York's Penn Station and Atlantic City. The train, operated by Amtrak, is a joint venture of Caesars Atlantic City, Harrah's Resort Atlantic City and the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.
Harrah's Resort Atlantic City wrapped up its 960-room Waterfront Tower last fall. The new wing, which features 107 suites, marks the conclusion of the property's $550 million renovation.
Caesars Atlantic City completed an upgrade of the 680 rooms in the Centurion Tower and 200 rooms in the Ocean Tower. The property also unveiled the Qua Baths and Spa.
In other developments, Trump Entertainment Resorts' three Atlantic City casinos, Trump Marina Hotel Casino, Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort and the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February. A spokesperson said the filings will have no effect on the planned sale of Trump Marina, which was expected to close at the end of May, and all properties are open for business as usual. Last December, the 786-room Chairman Tower opened at the Trump Taj Mahal.
The growth of casino properties in the city has stalled. Revel Entertainment, which is building a $2 billion casino-hotel, has stopped work on the interior of the structure but expects to resume, pending market and financing conditions. The property will have two 1,900-room towers, a 150,000-square-foot casino and a 5,500-seat theater.
MGM Mirage put its $5 billion MGM Grand Atlantic City development on hold. The company's original plans called for construction to begin this year.
The developers of the Atlantic Beach Resort & Casino shelved plans for the property, as have the developers of Pinnacle Atlantic City, a casino that was to be built on the site formerly occupied by the Sands Resort. -- LISA GRIMALDI
Reno / Tahoe
Several hotel-casino properties in the Reno/Tahoe area recently have completed or are in the process of wrapping up multimillon-dollar renovations; among them are the 1,995-room Grand Sierra Resort and Casino and the 1,000-room Atlantis Casino Resort. (For more details on these projects, see this month's Reno/Tahoe destination guide.)
The Peppermill Hotel Casino completed its own $400 million expansion and renovation at the end of last year. Among the changes was the addition of the new 600-room Tuscany tower, which brings the Reno resort's total room count to 1,635, while an expansion of the Tuscany ballroom brings the property's total meeting space to approximately 102,000 square feet. The three-level, 30,000-square-foot Spa Toscana, which opened last November, offers a total of 24 treatment rooms, where the menu features exotic pleasures such as the Devine Salt Glow, the Aromasoul Scrub, the Pinot Noir Polish and the Monticelli Mud Wrap. Also new at the property is an indoor pool, a sundeck and a verdant garden.
Las Vegas-based Station Casinos has two Reno locations in the development stage, although the gaming company says a timeline won't be finalized until economic conditions improve. The first, Mt. Rose Station, in south Reno, is slated to offer a hotel, an as-yet unspecified amount of gaming and meeting space, and various dining and entertainment options.
The other site, sitting directly across from the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, is set to feature a 200- to 500-room hotel, a parking garage, a 60,000-square-foot casino, and meeting and convention space.
Other planned developments in the region include Olympia Gaming's Legends Bay Casino-Resort-Spa in Sparks. The venue, reported to cost in the neighborhood of $800 million, is slated to be part of the Legends at Sparks Marina outdoor shopping and entertainment complex. Although a construction timeline currently is up in the air, the first phase of the project promises the creation of 400 to 500 hotel rooms, a new casino, a lakefront amphitheater, a private beach, several restaurants, a spa facility, and more than 50,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. -- M.J.S.
Missouri
Pinnacle Entertainment, which opened
Lumière Place, a casino and hotel complex in downtown St. Louis, in 2007, continues to project an early 2010 opening for
River City, its $380 million casino project in south St. Louis County. Along the Mississippi River in Lemay, the project includes a 90,000-square-foot casino, several dining options, and a multiuse community center and sports complex. A hotel is not part of the current construction plans. -- T.I.
California
Southern California welcomed the posh, 340-room Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, near Palm Springs, in April 2008. The property includes a 13,000-square-foot conference center, 24,000 square feet of outdoor event space, a 10,500-square-foot spa and, as of February, a 2,000-seat venue called The Show.
Last month, the 507-room Pala Casino Spa and Resort, in San Diego's North County, completed a $100 million expansion and renovation project. The buffet area was expanded to 20,000 square feet and now includes a private dining area. Two new restaurants were added, as well as a 15-table poker room.
Also in North County, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians will build the Viejas Hotel & Casino Resort adjacent to the tribe's existing casino. The $800 million project will feature a 600-room hotel with a spa, retail outlets, restaurants, convention and meeting space, and a multiscreen theater. A construction timeline has not yet been set.
Plans at the Valley View Casino call for the addition of a 160-room hotel with 4,600 square feet of meeting space, a spa and a fitness center, though groundbreaking dates are not yet set.
The Thunder Valley Casino, east of Sacramento, broke ground last July on a $1 billion project but was forced to halt construction due to financing issues. In February, however, a scaled-down version resumed: A hotel of 15 stories and 400 rooms, down from 23 stories and 624 rooms, should be completed by December 2010. -- KAYLEE HULTGREN
Mississippi Gulf Coast
After an encouraging 2007, in which gaming revenue exceeded pre-Katrina levels for the first time since the storm struck, in 2008 Mississippi Gulf Coast casino revenue slipped slightly to $1.258 billion. Revenue began to drop along with the economy in September, but the year still ended just $44 million shy of 2007 and remained higher than 2004, the last full year of revenue before the hurricane.
On the construction front, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum & Convention Center is finishing up its expansion. The centerpiece of the project, Hall E, is a brand-new, 127,500-square-foot exhibit hall. Proceeding ahead of schedule, the addition should open in July or August, rather than the original October 2009 completion date. The center will then total 350,000 square feet overall and will be able to accommodate up to 6,000 people.
The 32-story, 1,740-room Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino, which owner MGM Mirage is rumored to be shopping around, is the largest property by far on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. After Hurricane Katrina, the $800 million venue, which first opened a decade ago, underwent and completed a $550 million renovation. The Beau Rivage has an 85,000-square-foot casino and 50,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 17,000-square-foot Magnolia Ballroom.
Some new projects and renovations have slowed down as a result of the recession. Construction on the $1 billion Margaritaville Casino & Resort has been suspended, and a restart date has not been announced. Margaritaville is projected to have 800 hotel rooms, a 100,000-square-foot casino and 66,000 square feet of meeting space. It was originally slated for completion in 2010. -- HUNTER R. SLATON