Aliante casino las vegas nevada

Hotel and casino in Nevada, United States

Aliante Casino and Hotel (formerly Aliante Station) is a hotel and casino in the Aliante community in North Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Boyd Gaming. The resort was announced as the Aliante Station in December , as a joint project between Station Casinos and The Greenspun Corporation, with an initial cost of $ million to $ million. Construction began in February , and the resort was built at a cost of $ million.

After opening in November , the resort operated at a financial loss. Station Casinos filed for bankruptcy the following year, and the resort's ownership was transferred to a holding company. Profits subsequently improved, and Station Casinos continued managing the property until November , when it was renamed Aliante Casino and Hotel. Parts of the resort were then rebranded and refurbished, at a cost of $ million. Boyd Gaming purchased the hotel-casino in , at a cost of $ million.

History[edit]

Mike Montandon, mayor of North Las Vegas, Nevada, was initially against the inclusion of a casino in the planned community of Aliante during its early planning stages in , although he was ultimately convinced by the community's developers that it would be a good idea.^[1] In October , 40 acres (16&#;ha) of property at the northeast corner of the Las Vegas Beltway and Aliante Parkway were set as the future site of a hotel-casino in the community. The land was owned by The Greenspun Corporation through its American Nevada Company, which was co-developing the Aliante community.^[2][3]

Aliante Station was announced on December 20, , as a joint project between Station Casinos and The Greenspun Corporation, which had previously partnered in developing the Green Valley Ranch hotel-casino. Under the deal, Station Casinos would build and manage the resort, which would include approximately hotel rooms and 2, slot machines. Construction would cost between $ million and $ million, with joint financing from both companies. Construction was expected to begin in late or early , with an opening in mid^[2][4]

In September , Station Casinos announced that the project's budget had increased to $ million as the result of rising construction costs, in addition to redesigned plans for a larger resort. Rising construction costs accounted for approximately $30 million of the increased budget.^[5]Groundbreaking took place on February 22, ^[1] The property had received 1, employee applications each week from mid-July through early October Prior to its opening, Station Casinos expected some economic difficulty for Aliante Station due to the Great Recession. Station Casinos' target clientele was a combination of the company's current customer base, the 6, households in the Aliante community, tourists, and visitors to the nearby Las Vegas Motor Speedway.^[6] The project was completed at a cost of $ million.^[6]

Opening[edit]

Following a fireworks show,^[7] the Aliante Station opened early, at &#;p.m. on November 11, , due to large crowds gathered outside. The resort had been scheduled to open at &#;p.m., a time which was considered lucky.^[7][8] It was the first new hotel-casino to open in North Las Vegas since the Cannery Casino and Hotel in ^[8] A pre-opening party was held for nearly 3, invited guests, and included an hour-long concert performance by Sheryl Crow. Guests included George Maloof, Terrence Lanni, and other gaming company officials.^[8]

Aliante Station included the largest casino in North Las Vegas at the time,^[6] measuring 80,&#;sq&#;ft (7,&#;m²), with 2, slot machines and 40 table games.^[9] The casino also included a seat sportsbook,^[10] with large television monitors spanning a total of 96 feet.^[11] Approximately 1, of the slot machines were penny games,^[9][12] and the resort also offered inexpensive restaurant options to appeal to Station Casinos' customer base while attracting new customers during the weak economy.^[12] The resort was located within a three-mile radius of more than , residents.^[13] The resort featured a food court as well as six restaurants,^[14][15] including Station Casinos' Feast Buffet. Also included was Camacho's Cantina, a Mexican restaurant with more than different types of tequila, as well as a chandelier made out of 2, empty tequila bottles.^[10][11]

Aliante Station featured a desert theme.^[16] Its design was inspired by Scottsdale, Arizona,^[10] and company officials described it as "contemporary Scottsdale with a combination of muted and vibrant colors."^[17] A modern design was chosen after positive customer reactions to Station Casinos' Red Rock Resort, which opened in April with a modern design.^[17] The resort included Earth tones and crystal adornments, similar to the larger Red Rock Resort.^[10][18] Aliante Station included approximately 1, employees at its opening, including who transferred from Station Casinos' other resorts.^[19] The resort had 5, parking spaces,^[16] including a 3,space parking garage.^[13] The resort also had 14,&#;sq&#;ft (1,&#;m²) of convention space with capacity for up to 1, people,^[9][11] in addition to an arcade and a person pool.^[10]

The resort's screen all-digital movie theater, operated by Regal Cinemas and measuring 81,&#;sq&#;ft (7,&#;m²), held its grand opening on November 14, , after two days of bargain previews.^[20] The resort's 3,&#;sq&#;ft (&#;m²) Access Showroom, designed by Scéno Plus, also opened on November 14, with a performance by Smokey Robinson. The showroom included seating for people, and could be arranged into a seat lounge.^[21][22] The hotel also opened on November 14, with rooms and 9 suites,^[7] while a planned future phase would add a second hotel tower for an additional rooms.^[9] Similar to the Green Valley Ranch arrangement with The Greenspun Corporation, Station Casinos received a management fee of two percent of revenues for Aliante Station, and five percent of its cash flow.^[23]

Operation and sale[edit]

After its opening, Aliante Station operated at a financial loss due to below-average operating margins,^[24] and its employee count later decreased to ^[25] After Station Casinos filed for bankruptcy in July , Aliante was handed over in November to its creditors, a group of nine banks and three private equity firms that were owed more than $ million, while the property's estimated liquidation value was only $47–53 million.^[26][27]ALST Casino Holdco LLC, a holding company,^[28] was created to own the resort, with its largest shareholders being Apollo Global Management (20%), Standard General (28%) and TPG Capital (20%).^[29]

After the ownership change in November , profits improved over the next year.^{[30][31][32][33]} Station Casinos continued to manage Aliante Station under an agreement with the new owners until November 1, ,^[34][35] when the resort was renamed Aliante Casino and Hotel.^[35][36] The Aliante was then managed by Aliante Gaming, and a hour restaurant, The Farm 24/7, was added that month. A total of $ million was spent on rebranding and refurbishing parts of the resort; a second-floor spa area was among the improvements.^[37] Following the end of Station Casinos' involvement in the property, three restaurants were rebranded and reopened in January The Salted Lime, Bistro 57, and the Medley Buffet.^[37][38] In the year after the management change, additional employees were hired, for a total of The casino's 1, slot machines were also updated, and a bingo room was added as well. Hotel renovations also took place. By February , hotel occupancy had increased to an average of 90 percent, in comparison to 40 percent in late ^[37]

In April , Boyd Gaming announced a deal to purchase ALST Casino Holdco LLC and become the resort's new owner.^[28] Boyd Gaming's $ million purchase was completed in September ^[39] As of , the casino is ,&#;sq&#;ft (11,&#;m²).^[40]

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