Caesars Entertainment might be ready to give up its portfolio to Eldorado Resorts, but this doesn’t mean that it wants certain properties to be neglected. The company operates the casino at Harveys Lake Tahoe and Casino for Vici Properties, and the 76-year-old casino is about to be submitted to a major makeover. Vici has announced that it is ready to spend $41 million to renovate the property and make it even more popular than it is now.
Harvey’s has changed hands many times over the years, ultimately being sold to Harrah’s Entertainment for $625 million in 2001. Harrah’s became Caesars later on, which then sold the property to Vici in 2017 in a sale/leaseback deal. The new renovations will focus on the hotel rooms in the Lake Tower, and the new designs will be revealed this summer. However, according to Top Hotel, there will also be a new dining facility added, Gordon Ramsay’s HELL’S KITCHEN Lake Tahoe. The hotel-focused media outlet points out that 12,000 seats have already been reserved in the new restaurant, which is going to be located close to the casino floor.
The regional president for Caesars in Northern Nevada, Brad Belhouse, said of the renovations, “Harveys Lake Tahoe is an iconic resort on the South Shore and continues to offer enhanced amenities for guests to enjoy. With the newly redesigned guest rooms, the completion of the balcony suites and the upcoming opening of Gordon Ramsay HELL’S KITCHEN Lake Tahoe in the [center] of the casino, Caesars Entertainment is committed to elevating guest experiences at our resorts and advancing the Lake Tahoe tourism economy.”
With 742 rooms and six restaurants, and a casino that spans 87,500 square feet, Harvey’s is a popular regional destination. The new rooms are being designed by DEZMOTIF Studios out of Las Vegas, who was “inspired by the natural surroundings and seasonality of Lake Tahoe and wanted to reflect this in the design by creating a comfortable, relaxing and serene environment.”
Harvey’s first opened its doors in 1944 and has had an interesting past. In August 1980, a bomb exploded at the resort that reportedly left a crater “three stories deep,” according to news reports. The bomb had been placed by a gambler who had lost millions placing bets at a number of casinos and who was looking to exact revenge. The bomb didn’t go off on its own, though – the FBI detonated it, causing the damage. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
