Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa

Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa
Location	Summerlin, Nevada, U.S.
Address	11011 West Charleston Boulevard
Opening date	April 18, 2006
Theme	Desert Modern
No. of rooms	815
Total gaming space	87,000 sq ft (8,100 m2)
Signature attractions	Exterior Light Show
Notable restaurants	T-Bones Chophouse
Casino type	Land-based
Owner	Station Casinos
Previous names	None
Renovated in	2006
Website	Official website

Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa is a hotel and casino. It is owned and operated by Station Casinos on 70 acres (28 ha) located in Downtown Summerlin in the village of Summerlin Centre in Summerlin, Nevada. Located on Charleston Boulevard, at the interchange of Clark County 215, and some distance from the Las Vegas Strip, the resort is known as a locals casino. It is the flagship property of Station Casinos and the company's corporate headquarters is located on property.

The resort includes a 198 ft (60 m) hotel tower with 815 rooms, spa, 94,000 sq ft (8,700 m²) of meeting space, slot machines, table games, a 16 screen Regal Cinemas movie theater, a bingo hall, a 3 acres (1.2 ha) pool area, a bowling alley as well as eleven restaurants. The tower is the second tallest in Summerlin after One Queensridge Place.

History

Beginning in 2003 and continuing into 2004 there were significant discussions about the construction of the proposed towers. While other aspects of the design were issues, such as the traffic impact and the brightness of the signs, it was the proposed 300 feet (91 m) tower and the inclusion of condominiums in the project that caused most of the concerns. The problem was rooted in a zoning variance granted to The Howard Hughes Corporation from the normal 100 feet (30 m) to 200 feet (61 m) for the site when there was no development in the area.

After much discussion between Station Casinos, Howard Hughes Corporation, Clark County, and residents, a consensus was reached that allowed the project to move forward. The hotel tower was reduced in height to 197 feet (60 m) and the condominium towers were eliminated from the project.

The project was designed by Portland, Oregon-based Architropolis, Las Vegas-based The Friedmutter Group, and SADI, with landscape designed by Newport Beach, California-based Lifescapes International. Ground was broken on April 15, 2004 with a projected cost of $475 million.

On March 15, 2005, Station Casinos announced an "Accelerated Expansion" plan to double the number of hotel rooms available in the tower. The total projected cost of over $930 million would make it one of the most expensive locals casino ever built.

It was announced in February 2006 that the second season of the Hell's Kitchen reality show would offer the winner the executive chef position at a fine dining restaurant to be built in the resort. The winner of the contest was a 25-year-old sous chef from New York named Heather West. Since winning Hell's Kitchen 2, Heather West has still yet to be given the prize of Executive Chef. Instead, Red Rock management has decided to give her a position suitable to her skills - Senior Chef at the Terra Rossa (the resort's Italian restaurant).

In 2007, Red Rock opened their 72 lane bowling center, the most expensive center ever built.

Film history

Some scenes from the 2008 feature film 21 were shot at the Red Rock and the casino's exterior and interior are recognizably featured in the movie.

Rapper Nelly's video "Body On Me," featuring singers Ashanti and Akon was filmed on location at Red Rock in 2009.

Features

The hotel tower has palm trees planted on top of the roof facing the Las Vegas Strip.

Crystal chandeliers

Station Casino Executive, Frank Fertitta III and his brother, Lorenzo Fertitta, hope to add "a touch of elegance to the property" by including numerous Swarovski crystal chandeliers of all shapes, sizes and varieties in the casino containing more than three million pieces of crystal. While growing up in Las Vegas, they remembered the "contemporary elegance" displayed in Las Vegas casinos of the past, such as the Desert Inn. They seek to include a taste of the past in their new hotel with these chandeliers. In all, the total cost for all the chandeliers and other Swarovski crystal features throughout Red Rock cost over $6 million.

Art

The Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa has a notable collection of art. At one time, its collection included work by Andy Warhol. Today, its collection includes the "Love" sculpture by Robert Indiana in the pool area and other works of art by Takashi Murakami, Vik Muniz, and Paul McCarthy throughout the property.

Expansion

As of March 1, 2006, construction was underway on a second 450-room hotel tower, located to the south of the first tower. It doubled the amount of rooms at the resort.

Condo towers

On March 3, 2006, a Las Vegas Review-Journal article stated that Station Casinos is "embarking on round two of its development at the resort --two 227-foot-high condominium towers." The original plan did include building high rise condos on the site along with the hotel. They will be called Red Rock Residences. As these towers are higher than the hotel tower itself, no one knows if there will be opposition to this plan from the surrounding residents yet again. Station, however, plans to state that it is reasonable since "The towers will be built on property 29 feet lower in elevation than the land on which the hotel-casino stands. Because of the different land elevations, the condo towers will be no higher than the casino's rooftop despite being 29 feet taller when measured from base to roof".

In September 2006, Station Casinos officially halted the Red Rock Residences. The company claims to be reconsidering use for the land, but as at 2006 had not entirely ruled out the construction of two condominium tower.

External links

• Official website