Atlantis Casino Resort

For the resort in the Bahamas, see Atlantis Paradise Island.

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
Address	3800 S. Virginia Street Reno, NV 89502
Opening date	1972
Theme	Tropical / Modern
No. of rooms	1,000
Total gaming space	67,000 square feet (6,200 m2)
Signature attractions	Waterfalls, Torches, Light Show
Notable restaurants	Atlantis Steakhouse "Bistro Napa"
Casino type	Land
Owner	Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc.
Previous names	Clarion, Quality Inn, Travelodge, Golden Road Motor Inn
Years renovated	1991: 160 room hotel tower, casino expansion. 1993: 283 room hotel tower, indoor pool/sun deck, arcade. 1999: Sky Terrace over South Virginia, ~1000 room hotel tower, pool/health club expansion.
Website	Atlantis Casino Resort

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.

History

Prior to 1972, the present-day Atlantis was home to the Golden Road Motor Inn, a 142-room motel. 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 40,000 sq ft (3,700 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 3,000 sq ft (280 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 30,000 sq ft (2,800 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.^{[citation needed]}

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 sportsbook, 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 14,376 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.

Atlantis at night

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.

Monarch expands company

The Atlantis has been Monarch Casino & Resort Incs only asset for over three decades and while previous attempts to diversify inside and out of the market have failed, it was announced Monarch's latest attempt to diversify has been a success. It was announced on September 30, 2011 that John Farahi, CEO/Chairman of Monarch had completed the purchase of the Riviera Black Hawk Casino outside of Denver for $75 million from Riviera Holdings, a Las Vegas based company. Pending approval from shareholders, the sale is expected to close in Spring 2012. Farahi said no immediate investment will take place at the property after the purchase is completed.

Atlantis naming rights disagreement with Bahamian resort

The Atlantis was sued in 2008 by Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas over the rights to use the Atlantis name, the lawsuit is apparently thrown out and Atlantis Reno has the right to use the trademarked name in their hotel.