Reno, which has known phases as a mecca for mining, quick divorces and casino gaming, is entering a new era. Today the “Biggest Little City in the World” is drawing a burgeoning number of high-tech companies, artists, restaurateurs and meeting groups seeking a welcoming alternative to higher priced locales.
“Gaming is just an amenity now in Reno—it’s no longer the main focus as it was at one time,” says Christopher Baum, president and CEO of the Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Association. “Now you can gamble anywhere, so we’ve changed our marketing strategy to emphasize everything else we offer.”
Among the changes is an aggressive new push for meeting business, including forming a strategic partnership with ASAE and adding a half-dozen new national sales managers to the CVA team.
“For many years, we didn’t tell our story to convention planners, but now we are,” Baum says. “For one thing, we have an unusual number of large hotels—nine properties with 800 to 2,000 rooms each and some with gigantic function space. You can do a very large meeting here without even using our convention center.”
For groups who do need a traditional convention facility, the Reno-Sparks Convention Center offers five contiguous exhibit halls with a total of 381,000 square feet as well as a 30,000-square-foot ballroom.
In particular, the CVA is targeting regional associations as well as national groups that rotate to a Western destination on a regular basis. Accessibility is among the sales points. Service into Reno-Tahoe International Airport includes nonstop connections to the major Western cities as well as to Chicago and, as of June, New York.
Another key message is that Reno offers relief from the high cost of meeting in other destinations with comparable meeting space and air accessibility.
“It’s a seller’s market for much of the country, with hotel rates getting higher and availability scarcer,” Baum says. “Our hotel prices are ridiculously lower than those in other destinations, plus our food and beverage costs are less. And we have 300 days of sunshine a year.”
New business on the books for Reno includes the three large national veterans associations, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans, accounting for a combined total of 40,000 room nights.
Along with association business, Baum says Reno is also growing as a destination for corporate travel and meetings, largely fueled by a burgeoning tech sector that includes locations for Apple, Switch, Tesla and other companies.
“We’re a short distance from the Bay Area, so it’s not a huge move for Silicon Valley companies to set up operations here,” he says. “We’re viewed as an affordable, business-friendly destination.”
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Hotel Happenings
Perhaps reflecting the fact that Reno is no longer gaming-centric, the former Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel reopened last year after a dramatic transformation into the Whitney Peak Hotel, a non-gaming, non-smoking property that features a giant outdoor rock-climbing wall overlooking downtown. The 347-room property also offers 20,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including outdoor terraces overlooking the Reno Arch.
According to Baum, a similar transition is expected to be on the way for Reno’s Siena Hotel Spa Casino, which recently changed ownership and announced plans for a major renovation.
“Our understanding is that the new owners also plan to put in a conference center in place of the casino,” he says. “They are also expected to bring in a major national brand to manage the property.”
Also under new ownership, the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino is undergoing a $40 million renovation. The resort has refurbished its 1,990 guest rooms, 200,000 square feet of meeting and event space, added a Las Vegas-style dance club and will complete a major expansion of its Grand Theater this summer.
In Sparks, the Nugget Casino Resort is wrapping up a $50 million renovation of its 1,600 guest rooms and public spaces.
Other important resort news is taking place in Crystal Bay, a North Lake Tahoe destination under the marketing jurisdiction of the Reno-Sparks CVA. The historic Cal Neva Resort and Casino, once the domain of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, is under new ownership and expected to reopen after an extensive renovation in December in time for the centennial of Sinatra’s birth. Across from Cal Neva, preliminary plans are under way for a new resort called Boulder Bay, expected to include a 300-room eco-themed hotel, casino and spa.
“The great thing is that they are preserving the historic areas of Cal Neva, including the cottages and the Frank Sinatra Showroom, which will present headline entertainment,” Baum says. “So with the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe in Incline Village and the new Boulder Bay, there will be three upscale resorts in close proximity to each other that are geared for meetings.”
On Lake Tahoe’s South Shore, the 539-room Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe opened in January.
Vibrant Venues
Along with hotel and resort renovations, Reno is also upping its appeal to groups with a dynamic new dining scene, Baum says. Among the most acclaimed and group-friendly choices are Campo, an Italian restaurant operated by chef Mark Estee and known for its house-made pastas and wood-fired pizzas, and Brasserie Saint James, known for its craft beers and hearty pub fare.
“Our food and bar scene in the downtown and midtown areas has really started to boom during the past few years,” Baum says.
In addition, groups have new teambuilding options at the Wild West Motorsports Park, an off-road racing facility and 10,000-seat venue that recently opened in Sparks. The complex is available for customized group events, including the chance to drive high-performance desert vehicles at Rod Hall’s Wildcat Desert Driving Academy.
For evening entertainment, Catch A Rising Star Comedy Club at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino caters to groups.
MARIA LENHART greatly enjoyed seeing interpreters present Huey Long and Zora Neale Hurston during Reno's Nevada Humanities Chautauqua event.
