ATLANTIC CITY
- Opened last month, Harrah’s Atlantic City Waterfront Conference Center adds 100,000 square feet of versatile, high-tech meeting space to the oceanfront resort. Featuring two highly configurable 50,000-square-foot ballrooms, along with 2,500 guest rooms, it is the largest hotel conference center of its kind from Boston to Baltimore, accommodating up to 5,000 attendees.
- This June, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa debuted Borgata Festival Park, its new outdoor entertainment venue. Borgata is also scheduled to unveil a new state-of-the-art nightlife experience in December 2015.
Offering 122,000 square feet of space, Tropicana Casino and Resort Atlantic City unveiled $50 million in upgrades this summer, including a makeover of all 434 North Tower hotel rooms; a completely renovated casino; a new Tropicana Multimedia Light and Sound Show on the property’s recreated Boardwalk facade; and a new 12,455-square-foot AtlantiCare Lifecenter Fitness venue. - Also this summer, Resorts Casino Hotel increased its total meeting space to more than 64,000 square feet with the versatile new 12,000-square-foot Resorts Conference Center, offering 11 conference rooms and the 6,500-square-foot Atlantic Ballroom.
BAHAMAS
- In September, Atlantis Paradise Island announced the start of a two-year property update with four major renovation projects in the works that will expand the resort’s culinary, gaming, lounge and suite offerings. World-renowned interior architect and designer Jeffrey Beers has been brought on board for the renovations and redesign. The projects are said to be “just the beginning” of Atlantis’ long-term plan to enhance the property. Atlantis Paradise Island conference facilities include the 50,000-square-foot Imperial Ballroom, over 40,000 square feet of prefunction space, 30 breakout rooms, three boardrooms and more.
CALIFORNIA
- In late 2014, Pechanga Resort & Casino announced plans for a major resort expansion. With a groundbreaking date pending, the project includes a new 560-room and -suite hotel wing; an additional 67,000 square feet of flexible meeting and convention space; a four-acre resort-style pool complex; a two-story spa and fitness center; and two new restaurants. All one-bedroom and executive suites will receive full makeovers beginning this month.
- Harrah’s Lake Tahoe is undergoing a $3.9 million dollar renovation of its convention center.
- San Diego County’s Pala Resort Casino is now offering an “all-inclusive” pacakage for groups holding Military Events. The property includes a Las Vegas-style casino, a full-service spa and salon with 14 treatment rooms; a fitness center; swimming pool with 12 private poolside cabanas, and an outdoor whirlpool—plus 11 restaurants and 40,000 square feet of meeting and convention space.
PageBreak
LAS VEGAS
- Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel and Casino completed a $4 million renovation of all 756 guest rooms in its South Tower, now called the Jubilee Tower after the property’s legendary Jubilee show.
- Caesars Entertainment’s latest resort, the $223 million LINQ Hotel & Casino, opened in October 2014 with 2,256 rooms and suites.
- Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino debuted the 350,000-square-foot expansion of its convention center in August. When completed in January 2016, the $70 million project, commenced in October 2014, will boost capacity to 2 million-plus total square feet and over 900,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, making the venue the fifth-largest in North America in both categories.
- Targeting a spring 2016 opening, the 20,000-seat Las Vegas Arena from MGM Resorts and AEG will command The Park, the new eight-acre outdoor entertainment district linking the New York-New York and Monte Carlo resort-casinos. In July, MGM Resorts announced plans for an approximately 5,000-seat theater at Monte Carlo (www.montecarlo.com), with a projected opening in late 2016.
- In August 2015, Penn National Gaming announced regulatory approval for its $360 million acquisition of Tropicana Las Vegas. Following more than $200 million of upgrades over the past four years, Penn has announced two phases of further improvements ahead.
LOUISIANA
- The Paragon Casino Resort received Meetings Focus magazine’s prestigious “Best of the South” award, given annually to the finest meeting properties in the South. The “Best of the South Award” is given only to those hotels and resorts that furnish the highest level of service and have the finest meeting and event facilities in the region. Votes from corporate and association meeting planners who book programs in the South determine the award. The property is located in Marksville, La., and offers more than 500 guest rooms and event space for groups of up to 2,000.
MASSACHUSETTS
- MGM Springfield broke ground this past spring on a $800 million casino resort slated to open in fall 2017 in downtown Springfield. The mixed-use development will be Massachusetts’ first destination casino resort, and include a 25-story, 250-room hotel, 45,000 square feet of meeting space, 125,000 square feet of gaming space and about 55,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.