Caesars Entertainment hopes to be known as more than just a gambling company. It announced this past Monday that it is preparing to develop its first non-gambling resort in the U.S., located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company is already involved with two other non-gaming resorts in Dubai on Bluewaters Island and is working on another similar venue in Puerto Los Cabos, Mexico.
The new Scottsdale location, Caesars Republic Scottsdale, will reportedly begin construction during the second half of this year. It will include a four-star hotel with 266 keys and other facilities and amenities. There will also be a large, 7,000-square-foot column-free ballroom with 34-foot sliding glass doors that open to adjacent lawn and a rooftop pool and bar on the 7th floor of the hotel overlooking Camelback Mountain. There will also be a luxury bridal suite in the hotel, as well as five luxury entertainment suites on its top floor.
Caesars CEO Mark Frissora stated in a press release, “Caesars Republic Scottsdale represents the introduction of a new world-class brand and further progress on our strategy to expand our non-gaming business into premier destinations. This project will be our first non-gaming asset in the United States and demonstrates the global strength of the Caesars brand.”
The announcement of the new venue also introduces the new Caesars Republic hotel brand. The brand will be licensed and real estate development firm HCW Development will build the Scottsdale hotel with Aimbridge Hospitality coming in to manage the operations. Caesars will get involved to “advise on design elements,” as well as to introduce its Total Rewards loyalty program.
Scottsdale was chosen, according to the press release, for the city’s popularity in the tourism industry. In 2017, an estimated 4.5 million overnight visitors and 4.4 million single-day visitors traveled to the city.
Following on the response received to its announcement of non-gaming venues in Dubai, Mexico and, now, Scottsdale, Caesars is ready to dedicate a large amount of resources to grow the segment. It expects to expand the Republic brand over the next few years, but adds that no two venues will be the same. “[E]verything the décor to the culinary offerings are inspired by local traditions and tastemakers,” explains the company.
