2020 Gaming Resorts Roundup

Whether in our nation's largest gaming destinations or in regional properties across the country, casino resorts continue to sweeten the deal for meeting planners. Collectively they offer more guest rooms, a greater selection of event venues and a wider variety of activities than ever before. Read on for a rundown of the latest highlights.

Las Vegas

"What happens here, only happens here," according to the latest iteration of the city's slogan, reminding us that over-the-top, boundary-pushing, memorable experiences are more likely to happen in Vegas than just about anywhere else.  

The latest news this month concerns the Caesars Forum, which officially opens on March 18th. The $375 million, 555,000-square-foot conference center has attracted an enormous amount of attention, with more than $460 million on the books already. Just east of the Center Strip, alongside the Linq Hotel & Casino, Linq Promenade, Harrah's and the Flamingo, the venue will provide 300,000 square feet of meeting space. 

Another major project, the 1.4 million-square-foot expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center, is also moving ahead. Construction of the new West Hall, featuring 600,000 square feet of shiny new exhibit space, is on schedule to wrap up in December of this year.

Excitement is building for the arrival of the city's second major professional sports team: the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders. Their new home, Allegiant Stadium, will debut off the South Strip in August. The "Official Raiders Team Headquarters Hotel" is the 390-room M Resort Spa Casino, about a mile from the new Raiders Performance Center under construction in Henderson. The hotel will open a Raiders-themed bar and grill this year, and promises a variety of Raiders-branded experiences both on-site and around town. 

For more news of the city, see our Las Vegas Destination Guide. — M.J.S.

Massachusetts

MGM Springfield, the state's first resort casino, which debuted in 2018, is beefing up its F&B options. In January, the Raw Bar opened in the hotel's South End Market restaurant hall, serving locally sourced seafood paired with popular brews. In February, Costa, an authentic Italian restaurant with homemade pastas, pizzas and charcuterie, was added, replacing the Cal Mare restaurant. MGM Springfield also unveiled 12 new king and queen suites in early 2020, for a total of 240 rooms, including 28 suites. A 125,000-square-foot gaming floor with 2,550 slot machines, 120 gaming tables, a poker room and a high-limit VIP gaming area allows visitors to test their luck. A full-service spa, a Topgolf Swing Suite and a Regal luxury cinema are also on site. 

The Encore Boston Harbor in Everett is nearing its one-year anniversary. The waterfront property sits just outside of Boston with 671 guest rooms, 15 restaurants and lounges, and a 210,000-square-foot, two-story casino. Among the sleek hotel's amenities are a 19,000-square-foot luxury spa, a six-acre park and the Harborwalk along the Mystic River. A new harbor shuttle, which ferries guests to East Boston, has been added. — E.S.

Atlantic City

Shortly after opening in 2018, Atlantic City's Ocean Casino Resort changed hands. Its new owner, the Luxor Capital Group, plans to spend $70 million on enhancements, adding a long-awaited buffet and 500 more guest rooms. The property currently houses 1,399 rooms, along with 160,000 square feet of meeting space, a 40,000-square-foot spa and six pools. It also offers the largest Topgolf Swing Suite in America, with 11 private bays that feature skyline views. The resort recently opened the 1927 Lounge & Speakeasy, which replaces Ivan Kane's Royal Jelly Burlesque Club. The new venue features video poker slots and live entertainment.

Another recent addition to Atlantic City is the music-themed Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, with 2,000 guest rooms and 150,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 63,000-square-foot Hard Rock Live Etess Arena. Also on-site is the Rock Spa and Salon, where guests can relax in one of 31 treatment rooms. The immersive, music-centric spa menu pairs treatments with playlists. The 120,000-square-foot casino offers 2,100 slot machines and 120 table games. 

Harrah's Resort Atlantic City is continuing an extensive renovation project. A transformation of the 507-room Coastal Tower wrapped up last summer, and the hotel is now investing $24 million to update the 416 rooms in the Marina Tower, which will be renamed the Laguna Tower when the refreshed rooms are unveiled in April. The property offers 2,590 guest rooms, 2,172 slot machines and 125,000 square feet of meeting space at the Harrah's Waterfront Conference Center.

The nearby Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, which features 2,800 rooms and a two-story spa, is also getting a refresh. Last summer, the property added a $12 million sports-betting lounge and nightlife venue to its portfolio called the Moneyline Bar & Book, with six betting windows and a 35-foot-long bar with 19 built-in slot machines. Connected to the Moneyline is the Level One Cocktail Bar & Lounge, which has four blackjack tables for high-end gaming and a creative cocktail menu (try the No Judging, garnished with a flaming mint leaf). Last fall, a refreshed lobby with VIP check-in and a new, speakeasy-inspired bar was unveiled. An ongoing redesign of 312 suites is expected to wrap up early this year. — E.S.

California

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain opened last fall with the brand's signature Hard Rock guitar smash. The first Hard Rock gaming facility in the state, the new property is 40 miles north of Sacramento, on property owned by the Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe of the Enterprise Rancheria. The 169-room hotel has 8,500 square feet of event space on site, including a banquet hall and four smaller meeting rooms. For concerts, the Hard Rock has a partnership in place with Live Nation to sponsor shows at the 18,500-seat Toyota Amphitheatre in Wheatland, Calif., which is just a few miles from the hotel-casino.

In Southern California, east of Los Angeles, the San Manuel Casino is in the midst of a $550 million expansion that will add a 451-room hotel — the property's first — as well as a 3,000-seat event center and multiple restaurants. Leaders of the Native American casino are targeting the second quarter of 2021 to unveil the project. In late 2019, San Manuel opened a new high-limit gaming area and an Asian-inspired eatery called the Hong Bao Kitchen. — M.J.S.

Michigan/Indiana

Michigan legalized sports betting in December, and casinos across the state are embracing the change and getting licensed. In Battle Creek, FireKeepers Hotel and Casino is converting Dacey's Taphouse, a bar and grill with 42 brews on draft, to Dacey's Sportsbook. While the menu won't change, the venue will be geared toward sports bettors, with large TVs lining the walls. Betting is expected to begin this spring. 

A second tower is under construction at FireKeepers that will add 203 rooms for a total of 446. The project also will transform the lobby and add a new restaurant, VIP lounge, high-limit slots and table games. Nibi, the fine-dining establishment, will move to a bigger space with seating for 125 people in the new tower; private dining for 20 guests also will be available. The tower will open later this year. FireKeepers currently has more than 20,000 square feet of event space.

Twelve miles south of the Michigan border — in Michigan City, Ind. — Boyd Gaming's 486-room Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa recently expanded its meeting facilities. The more than 45,000 square feet of space includes the 11,000-square-foot Fremont Ballroom along with 3,800 square feet of prefunction space. The venue is adjacent to the property's Stardust Event Center, which can host 1,200 theater-style, 850 for banquets or 600 people for trade shows. — M.J.S.

New York

Less than two years after opening, Resorts World Catskills Casino Resort has been sold. The upstate New York property, nestled among the Catskills Mountains in Monticello, was acquired in November by gaming giants Kien Huat Realty and Genting Malaysia. Resorts World features a 100,000-square-foot casino, 332 guest rooms and 48,000 square feet of meeting space.

Just outside of the Big Apple, Empire City Casino has added a new VIP gaming floor and a VIP lounge, which is outfitted with retro bowling lanes and an open bar. The venue in Yonkers was purchased by MGM Resorts last year for $850 million. The 97-acre property includes 5,300 slot machines and a half-mile standardbred harness racetrack that is open year-round. — E.S.

Florida

Two Seminole Hard Rock Hotels in the Sunshine State have unveiled major renovations. In Southern Florida, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood has completed a $1.5 billion expansion that includes the addition of a striking guitar-shaped hotel stretching 450 feet into the sky. The 635-room property resembles back-to-back guitars with six illuminated guitar strings on each side. A daily light show timed with outdoor music mimics guitar strumming. Also new is a seven-story tower with 168 guest rooms and swim-up suites. The expansion brings the property's total room count to 1,271. A Hard Rock Live performance venue with space for 7,000 people also was added and the casino was expanded to 195,000 square feet.

On Florida's west coast, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa underwent a $700 million expansion. A new, 14-story tower added 562 rooms (for a new total of 799 guest rooms), three pools and a 26,000-square-foot spa with 13 treatment rooms. An event center with seating for 1,500 is now open along with an additional 1,000 slots and 41 table games in the 223,900-square-foot casino. — E.S.

Maryland

Last year, the Live! Casino and Hotel in Hanover opened with 310 guest rooms, a luxury spa, two restaurants and an event center. Phase two of the event center wrapped up in late 2019, doubling the size of The Hall to 75,000 square feet. The three-story, multiuse venue seats up to 4,000 people. 

On the Potomac River and not far from the nation's capital is the 304-room MGM National Harbor, offering 50,000 square feet of event space and 15 dining options, such as the new Osteria Costa Italian restaurant. A two-level, 27,000-square-foot spa and salon welcomes guests for a little R&R. — E.S.

Washington

The Evergreen State has two notable gaming spots, one an hour north of Seattle in Tulalip, and the other, Ilani Casino Resort, about half an hour north of Portland, Ore. 

The Tulalip Tribes will add to that number in early 2021 with the Quil Ceda Creek Casino. The state-of-the-art 127,000-square-foot gaming floor is expected to debut in early 2021 a few miles south of the 370-room Tulalip Resort Casino. 

The existing Tulalip resort features 30,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 15,000-square-foot ballroom, a 4,800-square-foot junior ballroom and 6,000 square feet of pre- and postfunction space. The eight dining options range from the seafood delights served at Blackfish to family-style Italian at Tula Bene Pastaria + Chophouse, and make-your-own-pizzas at Blazing Paddles. When it's time to say "ahh," the T Spa beckons with 16 treatment rooms.

A new, 2,600-spot parking center opens this summer at the Ilani Casino Resort in Ridgefield. Ilani has a 100,000-square-foot casino, although there are no guest rooms on-site. The closest hotel is the 52-room Best Western Woodland, about four miles up the road. In nearby Vancouver, Wash., planners can reserve rooms at the 202-room Heathman Lodge and the 226-room Hilton Vancouver. The Ilani Resort features the 22,400-square-foot Cowlitz Ballroom for events as well as headlining musical acts. Guests also can find live music at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse, and the Line & Lure Seafood Kitchen & Tap. — S.B.

Reno-Lake Tahoe

Reno, "the Biggest Little City in the World," features high-stakes gaming and urban luxury with the majestic beauty of Lake Tahoe just beyond its streets. It's an ideal combination for many groups, as the bustle at the airport shows: The easily accessed Reno-Tahoe International Airport serviced 4.45 million passengers in 2019, the largest number in more than a decade. 

The first-ever Harrah's casino, the iconic 928-room Harrah's Reno, will close later this year. Caesars Entertainment has sold the property to a Las Vegas developer that will convert it to the Reno City Center, a nongaming, mixed-use development. Caesars will operate the casino until the new owners take control. 

Elsewhere, Caesars is sprucing up rather than selling off. The 750-room Harvey's Lake Tahoe will complete $41 million in upgrades in 2020. Among the enhancements are a renovation of all 519 guest rooms in the Lake Tower, a new restaurant — Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen Lake Tahoe — and a new casino lounge. 

Among Eldorado Resorts' three adjacent gaming resorts, known collectively as the Row, the 1,500-room Circus Circus at the Row Reno redesigned one of its towers to provide housing for 900 University of Nevada at Reno students, many of whom had been displaced by an explosion on campus last summer. The UNR Wolf Pack Tower will revert back to hotel rooms after May.

The new 164 room Aloft Reno-Tahoe International Airport, a pet-friendly boutique hotel, is expected to debut this month. The property will have two event ballrooms and two breakout rooms, as well as free shuttles to the airport.

The new Refuge Spa has opened at the Renaissance Reno Downtown Hotel, equipped with an express lounge plus a full-service spa. Refuge has a menu of spa parties that includes treatments for every guest, a themed beverage bar and 90 minutes in the venue's private lounge.

A new Mexican restaurant is now serving guests at the 1,990-room Grand Sierra Resort. Uno Más Tacos + Spirits cooks up classic Mexican fare like tacos, enchiladas and seafood specialties, as well as tequilas and mezcales.

Tell attendees about Reno-Tahoe's "Show Your Badge" program, where they'll find discounts to museums, restaurants and shops. — M.J.S.