Reno
Sparks
Carson City
- The Peppermill (775.826.2121; www.peppermillreno.com) is wrapping up a $300 million expansion that will include a new 62,000-square-foot, clear-span convention center, bringing its total meeting space to 102,000 square feet. The expansion, set for completion Dec. 1, will also include a 600-room, all-suite tower designed with a Tuscan theme and featuring a full-service spa and infinity-edge swimming pool.
- Grand Sierra Resort Corp., which purchased the Reno Hilton last year, renamed the property the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino (775.789.2031; www.grandsierraresort.com) and embarked on a major redevelopment of the hotel. Already completed is The Summit at Grand Sierra, 825 luxury condo-hotel units on the top 11 floors of the hotel. Opening this month are two restaurants operated by celebrity chef Charlie Palmer, a nightclub and two lobby bars. The redesigned pool area now features a swim-up bar, cocktail service and nightly entertainment. A second phase will include a waterpark, a 200-room hotel, a shopping center, a spa, two residential condo towers, and a vintage car museum.
- The Atlantis Casino Resort and Spa (775.825.4700; www.atlantiscasino.com) is building a pedestrian skybridge to connect it with the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. The skybridge is part of a $50 million expansion set for completion in 2008, which also includes a 27,000-square-foot expansion of its meeting space.
- Reno-Tahoe International Airport (775.328.6400; www.renoairport.com) leased land adjacent to the airport for the construction of a 127-room Hyatt Place (888.492.8847; www.hyattplace.com), scheduled to open in spring 2008. The airport also plans to build offices with underground parking, a restaurant and retail space near the new hotel.
- Station Casinos (www.stationcasinos.com) plans to begin construction on two Reno properties within the next four years, One of the hotels, located across from The Summit Sierra, will feature hotel rooms, meeting space, dining, entertainment, and gaming, as well as a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Superstore. The other hotel, located across from the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, will include up to 500 rooms, several restaurants, a casino, and meeting space.
- The Downtown Reno Ballroom (775.335.8803), a 28,000-square-foot meeting facility, is set to open in January 2008 across from the Reno Events Center. The facility will be jointly operated by the Eldorado Hotel Casino, Circus Circus Reno and Silver Legacy Resort Casino.
Sparks
- Legends at Sparks Marina (www.ci.sparks.nev.us), a $400 million retail and entertainment complex, is scheduled to open in spring 2008. Tenants will include Dave & Busters, which will offer interactive games and restaurant facilities; Saddle Ranch Chop House, a steakhouse with outdoor fire pits and a mechanical bull ring; T-Rex, a dinosaur-themed restaurant; and Scheels All Sports, which will offer sporting goods specialty shops as well as attractions that include a Ferris wheel, giant aquariums and simulators for games such as golf and hockey. Plans for the complex also include an adjacent 1,000-room casino hotel with meeting space, expected to open in 2009. Negotiations are also under way to build a minor-league baseball stadium.
Carson City
- The Ormsby House (775.882.1890; www.ormsbyhouse.com) is progressing on a major renovation that has included gutting the property down to the concrete. Upon completion of the $30 million project, the Ormsby House will have 146 guest rooms, about half of which will be suites, plus extensive meeting space. A completion date has not been announced.
- Five Nevada counties are rebuilding the famed Virginia and Truckee Railroad (775.885.6833; www.steamtrain.org) from Virginia City all the way to Carson City, which will be home to the line’s train depot. The total cost of the project, including the steam engine, the railbed and five cars, is estimated at $40 million. Completion of enough of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad for short runs is expected in 2008, while the entire route and the Carson City depot is slated for completion in 2010.
- City approvals have been won for the Carson River Aquatic Trail (775.887.2363; www.carson-city.nv.us), a plan to make the Carson River safer and more accessible for white-water rafting and kayaking.