Atlantis Casino Resort
Encyclopedia
Atlantis Casino Resort Spa is a hotel
and casino
in Reno, Nevada
. The property is currently owned by Monarch Casino Resort Inc (NASDAQ: MCRI). The three hotel towers have combined 1,000 guest rooms and Jacuzzi suites. The casino floor spans 67,000 sq ft and is one of Reno's most profitable and luxurious properties. Nearly $150 million will have been spent on upgrading the facility. Atlantis competes directly with Peppermill Resort Casino for customers.
. In that year, the property was purchased by the Farahi family. The purchase included with it a restaurant on the site known as the Copper Kettle. Shortly after the purchase, a franchise agreement was signed with Travelodge
.
In the late 1980s, a deal was struck with Choice Hotels
. As a result, the hotel was renamed Quality Inn, and the restaurant became the Purple Parrot. In 1991, the hotel was renamed again; under the Choice Hotels lease agreement, they branded the hotel as a Clarion
and through the Farahis, constructed a 12-story hotel tower that opened in 1991. The Farahis pledged it would be the first of many expansions to come. Clarion Hotel-Casino Reno had a tropical theme and when the first tower was built, along came with more casino and more restaurants.
In 1993, Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc, the Farahis' corporate firm, took over financial responsibility for the Clarion. With this came a public offering on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange
. With the additional capital from the public offering, Clarion began its second major expansion, which included a second 18-story hotel tower with an additional 400+ rooms and more gaming space and another restaurant, a buffet.
Desiring to have an independent identity, in 1996 the Monarch Casino & Resort Inc. Board of Directors made the decision to rename the resort the Atlantis. With the new name came plans for yet another expansion. The phase III expansion included a third 27-story hotel tower with close to 650 rooms, an expanded casino, three new restaurants, and the addition of a 40000 sq ft (3,716.1 m²) entertainment facility. Additionally, the expansion plans called for a "sky terrace" over Virginia Street that would be anchored by two Greco-Roman columns topped with flame shows that would be hourly. Ground was broken in June 1998, with completion just over a year later, in July 1999. The Sky Terrace opened first before the new hotel tower and casino expansion. The latest expansion cost $60 million to construct, the most expensive and largest to date in the resort's history, and it redefined the resort entirely.
Atlantis in 2002 remodeled its original tower built back in 1990 and renamed it the "Royal Dolphin Tower", its rooms furnished with mahogany accents and warm color tones. They charged extra per night for those rooms. The next tower to be built in 1994, was too remodeled in 2004 with similar furnishings and in 2005 got its own pricing distinction and name, "Atrium Tower", because of the lobby atrium behind its signature glass elevators. The "Luxury" tower rooms became known as floors 3–20 of the third most and newest of the Atlantis towers. Atlantis has two floors of exclusive VIP suites, they sit on the 26th and 27th floors of Atlantis' third tower and are not available to regular guests unless booked through a party. Atlantis is home to the region's only Concierge Tower, with a concierge lounge on the 25th floor. Atlantis kept in operation their two-story Motor Lodge rooms that was part of the original Golden Road/Travelodge/Quality Inn but closed it down on October 16, 2010 and demolished in the weeks following.
In 2003, Atlantis built a spa consisting of 3000 sq ft (278.7 m²) and as a result of the spa addition, "spa" was tacked on under Resort-Casino below Atlantis' signature logo. That spa was expanded to 30000 sq ft (2,787.1 m²) during the most recent expansion that was completed in January 2009. To match their new "Spa Atlantis" the hotel sequestered a set of rooms on the 3rd floor to be designated as "Spa Rooms" with yoga mats, soothing color tones, yoga channel and specialized bath products.
To date, all rooms in Atlantis' Concierge and Luxury Towers have been completely remodeled; rooms in the Atrium and Dolphin towers are being updated with modern technology to match the newly remodeled Luxury/Concierge Towers.
, a new restaurant, expansion of the health spa, and a second pedestrian skywalk, connecting the Atlantis to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. Monarch stated plans to commence construction sometime between the last quarter of 2006, and the first quarter of 2007. As of January 2009, construction has been completed on the expansion, and the new facilities in the casino, including the convention center skybridge, are now open for business.
In Q3 of 2009, Atlantis purchased 5.3 aces immediately east of their property, just across Coliseum Way. While there are no current plans for the property, which includes a 14376 square feet (1,335.6 m²) structure being leased back to the seller, future plans for the property are to expand parking. Other possible plans include using this land to replace current parking lot west of Virginia Street.
In November 2010, The Atlantis demolished their 100 unit Motor Lodge units that were the original rooms built back in the 70's. All debris was cleaned up and now this area has been opened up to allow 30% more parking before construction can begin on the "Master Plan" expansion #2. This may include a parking structure.
Inside the main casino, the traditional tropical theme has been replaced with a more elegant, modern/contemporary tropical theme with accent lighting, luxury decor and new furnishings.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
and casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
. The property is currently owned by Monarch Casino Resort Inc (NASDAQ: MCRI). The three hotel towers have combined 1,000 guest rooms and Jacuzzi suites. The casino floor spans 67,000 sq ft and is one of Reno's most profitable and luxurious properties. Nearly $150 million will have been spent on upgrading the facility. Atlantis competes directly with Peppermill Resort Casino for customers.
History
Prior to 1972, the present-day Atlantis was home to the Golden Road Motor Inn, a 142-room motelMotel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
. In that year, the property was purchased by the Farahi family. The purchase included with it a restaurant on the site known as the Copper Kettle. Shortly after the purchase, a franchise agreement was signed with Travelodge
Travelodge
Travelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...
.
In the late 1980s, a deal was struck with Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels International is a hospitality holding corporation which is affiliated with several hotel brands and is based in Silver Spring, Maryland...
. As a result, the hotel was renamed Quality Inn, and the restaurant became the Purple Parrot. In 1991, the hotel was renamed again; under the Choice Hotels lease agreement, they branded the hotel as a Clarion
Clarion
-In music:* Clarion , a type of trumpet used in the Middle Ages* Clarion register of clarinets, ranging from B4 to C6-Places:* Clarion, Illinois, USA* Clarion, Iowa, USA...
and through the Farahis, constructed a 12-story hotel tower that opened in 1991. The Farahis pledged it would be the first of many expansions to come. Clarion Hotel-Casino Reno had a tropical theme and when the first tower was built, along came with more casino and more restaurants.
In 1993, Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc, the Farahis' corporate firm, took over financial responsibility for the Clarion. With this came a public offering on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
. With the additional capital from the public offering, Clarion began its second major expansion, which included a second 18-story hotel tower with an additional 400+ rooms and more gaming space and another restaurant, a buffet.
Desiring to have an independent identity, in 1996 the Monarch Casino & Resort Inc. Board of Directors made the decision to rename the resort the Atlantis. With the new name came plans for yet another expansion. The phase III expansion included a third 27-story hotel tower with close to 650 rooms, an expanded casino, three new restaurants, and the addition of a 40000 sq ft (3,716.1 m²) entertainment facility. Additionally, the expansion plans called for a "sky terrace" over Virginia Street that would be anchored by two Greco-Roman columns topped with flame shows that would be hourly. Ground was broken in June 1998, with completion just over a year later, in July 1999. The Sky Terrace opened first before the new hotel tower and casino expansion. The latest expansion cost $60 million to construct, the most expensive and largest to date in the resort's history, and it redefined the resort entirely.
Atlantis in 2002 remodeled its original tower built back in 1990 and renamed it the "Royal Dolphin Tower", its rooms furnished with mahogany accents and warm color tones. They charged extra per night for those rooms. The next tower to be built in 1994, was too remodeled in 2004 with similar furnishings and in 2005 got its own pricing distinction and name, "Atrium Tower", because of the lobby atrium behind its signature glass elevators. The "Luxury" tower rooms became known as floors 3–20 of the third most and newest of the Atlantis towers. Atlantis has two floors of exclusive VIP suites, they sit on the 26th and 27th floors of Atlantis' third tower and are not available to regular guests unless booked through a party. Atlantis is home to the region's only Concierge Tower, with a concierge lounge on the 25th floor. Atlantis kept in operation their two-story Motor Lodge rooms that was part of the original Golden Road/Travelodge/Quality Inn but closed it down on October 16, 2010 and demolished in the weeks following.
In 2003, Atlantis built a spa consisting of 3000 sq ft (278.7 m²) and as a result of the spa addition, "spa" was tacked on under Resort-Casino below Atlantis' signature logo. That spa was expanded to 30000 sq ft (2,787.1 m²) during the most recent expansion that was completed in January 2009. To match their new "Spa Atlantis" the hotel sequestered a set of rooms on the 3rd floor to be designated as "Spa Rooms" with yoga mats, soothing color tones, yoga channel and specialized bath products.
To date, all rooms in Atlantis' Concierge and Luxury Towers have been completely remodeled; rooms in the Atrium and Dolphin towers are being updated with modern technology to match the newly remodeled Luxury/Concierge Towers.
Recent and Future Expansion/Improvements
According to a press release dated May 23, 2006, Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. stated its intention to begin the next phase of expansion. Included in these plans were the expansion of the casino, a modernized race and sportsbookSportsbook
In the United States a sportsbook or a race and sports book is a place where a gambler can wager on various sports competitions, including golf, football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, horse racing, boxing, and mixed martial arts. The method of betting varies with the sport and the type of...
, a new restaurant, expansion of the health spa, and a second pedestrian skywalk, connecting the Atlantis to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. Monarch stated plans to commence construction sometime between the last quarter of 2006, and the first quarter of 2007. As of January 2009, construction has been completed on the expansion, and the new facilities in the casino, including the convention center skybridge, are now open for business.
In Q3 of 2009, Atlantis purchased 5.3 aces immediately east of their property, just across Coliseum Way. While there are no current plans for the property, which includes a 14376 square feet (1,335.6 m²) structure being leased back to the seller, future plans for the property are to expand parking. Other possible plans include using this land to replace current parking lot west of Virginia Street.
In November 2010, The Atlantis demolished their 100 unit Motor Lodge units that were the original rooms built back in the 70's. All debris was cleaned up and now this area has been opened up to allow 30% more parking before construction can begin on the "Master Plan" expansion #2. This may include a parking structure.
Inside the main casino, the traditional tropical theme has been replaced with a more elegant, modern/contemporary tropical theme with accent lighting, luxury decor and new furnishings.