Desert Diamond West Valley Casino Shines in Casino Style Magazine
See full article in Casino Style Magazine
https://issuu.com/globalgamingbusiness/docs/casino_20style_20magazine_202020/6
HBG Design is the Architect of first new-build Caption by Hyatt
See full article in Memphis Business Journal
Developing a new hotel right now is extremely difficult. But, it's apparently not impossible.
Carlisle LLC CEO Chance Carlisle told the MBJ Oct. 22 he is set to close financing within two weeks and start construction by the end of November on One Beale's second hotel.
He knows that sounds risky, as the global pandemic rages on, but he's bullish on Downtown Memphis and the way a second hotel will complement the rest of One Beale.
"My confidence to start construction on the [second hotel] is a combination of my faith in our partnership with Hyatt, the strength of the [Caption by Hyatt] brand, and the belief by our partners in a resurgence in Downtown," Carlisle said. "Both our lenders and Hyatt strongly believe this will be highly successful."
Caption by Hyatt is a brand new limited-service flag that's largely targeted toward millennials. A property in Los Angeles is being converted into the first one; the Memphis location will be the first new-build property.
"[It's for] someone who appreciates good food and beverage [and] wants to be in the middle of the action, not the closest hotel off of the highway," Carlisle said. "It is a hangout hotel."
Carlisle said the new hotel's guests will benefit greatly from being next door to the full-service Centric — with its rooftop bar and abundance of meeting rooms — while paying less.
With the Centric set to open in March 2021, Carlisle is hoping the Caption will be ready by March 2022 — in time to take reservations for Memphis in May. It is set to contain almost 140 rooms on 10 floors.
See our new insights on navigating Covid-19 in Indian Gaming Magazine
See article in Indian Gaming Magazine
Insights from HBG Design Principal, Dike Bacon:
NAVIGATION: HBG Design has historically been able to navigate through industry challenges in a nimble fashion – and that hasn’t changed with COVID-19. Like many professional services firms around the country, we transitioned both our Memphis and San Diego offices to a work-from-home model in response to COVID-19. We were pro-active with this decision before local government directives required it. Our primary goal was and still is to keep our staff safe and healthy. Fortunately, we had plenty of very sophisticated technological platforms and accessible infrastructure in place to move swiftly and be fully operational in a matter of days.
Regarding our tribal clients, we have been fortunate in that much of our work has continued to progress. A number of our projects have continued through planning and design phases. It seems many clients have proactively decided to continue to advance their projects and get them ready for construction when the timing is right. We also have a number of projects that were in construction pre-COVID-19 and these have continued to progress through the pandemic. A big part of this success is attributed to construction companies that implemented numerous health and safety protocols in order to keep projects on schedule.
DRAWING CUSTOMERS: We have been studying the re-design of a number of the typical resort amenities. One of the most important has been food and beverage. We think that design solutions that respond to spacing requirements and COVID-19 restrictions should be flexible and adaptable as conditions continue to change and improve. This means more modular systems and easily modified seating arrangements that can actually create a feeling of luxury and exclusivity. The temporary re-use of existing conference and meeting space has been in recent discussions. The conference business will come back but in the interim these large spaces can creatively and temporarily be used for gaming space. Wiring, security and ingress/egress have to be addressed but it can work. In the right climates, increased outdoor activities may continue to be a very successful way to serve higher numbers of guests and keep the proper distances.
Caesars Southern Indiana's New $90 Million Casino Opens for Business
ELIZABETH, Ind. (WDRB) -- Hundreds of people streamed into the new, $90 million land-based Caesars Southern Indiana casino on Thursday, saddling up to blackjack tables, slot machines and a Las Vegas-style sports betting theater.
The new facility replaces the Glory of Rome riverboat casino that operated as Horseshoe Southern Indiana for the past two decades.
Indiana lawmakers in 2015 allowed riverboat casinos to move on land.
"That really got us thinking, is there a better way to run a business than on a riverboat?" said Caesars Southern Indiana general manager Brad Seigel.
The 110,000 square-foot complex combines entertainment, dining, shopping and gaming on one floor, whereas the riverboat casino had four floors.
"The riverboat was great for 20 years, but if you are on the fourth level of the riverboat, you might have no idea what's going on on the second. Now can see from corner to corner," Seigel said.
Indiana legalized sports betting earlier this year. The casino has an area called The Book with wagering windows, kiosks, plush seats, huge TV screens and a large bar. Guests can bet on football, basketball, baseball and other sports.
A dining area called Piazza has five restaurants including pizza, Mexican and Asian foods. There is also a 24-hour restaurant for burgers and other fare along with a home-style restaurant serving foods like fried chicken and barbecue ribs.
Several new bars and lounges are included. Volt Lounge will offer craft cocktails and live entertainment on the weekends. The Juno Bar is in the center of the gaming floor, and the Laurel Lounge and its outdoor balcony is exclusively for Caesars Rewards VIPs.
Tony Rodio, CEO of Las Vegas-based Caesars Entertainment Corp., said Thursday that the bricks-and-mortar casino should attract even customers who don't gamble.
"There was no way anyone was going to that riverboat and spending an evening if they weren't interested in gambling. You could, I think, have an enjoyable evening here without making a wager," he said.
The casino also includes High Limits gaming with private parlors and a non-smoking gaming area.
Caesars Southern Indiana has also renovated existing meeting and convention spaces to accommodate larger groups.