NORTH LAS VEGAS
-- It didnt take long for officials at the Cannery Casino &
Hotel to figure out that additions planned at the property since it
opened three years ago were needed now.
North Las Vegas
statistically is one of the fastest growing communities in the
nation, said Frank Vignola, the propertys general manager. The
increased business we have enjoyed [because of the propertys
location] is the primary reason for the expansion. The additions
were planned from the very beginning. That they have accelerated to
this degree is a testament to our good business levels.
So now the
201-room hotel is in the middle of a $40 million expansion project
that began last August.
The first phase
of construction included a 1,900-space covered parking garage that
opened in early March and 15,000 square feet of new gaming space,
complete with more than 500 slot and video poker machines, that
opened April 1.
The second phase
of the project, slated for completion early next year, will add
96,400 square feet to the property and will include a Galaxy Movie
Theatres 14-screen complex; Vinos Italian Restaurant, which will
offer seating for 150 people and a walk-up deli counter; and a
multipurpose room that will accommodate up to 300 people for
banquets, wedding receptions and meetings.
The Cannery also
will be making improvements to the casino, Vignola said.
Right now, our
poker room is in the casino pit, he noted, but thanks to the
explosion of Texas hold em, we will have a 14-table poker
room.
The same holds
true for the race and sports book facility, which offers three
betting stations and doesnt have the accoutrements of a real sports
book, he said.
The new race and
sports book, which will carry the same theme as the property --
1940s-era murals depicting the Cannerys famous pin-up girls -- will
have 150 seats and eight wagering windows.
Its
sports-viewing area will have a 60-inch center viewing screen, 13
oversized LCD television screens and 100 13-inch flat screens
mounted in individual stations, with earphones.
For more
information, call (866) 999-4899 or visit www.cannerycasinos.com.
To contact
reporter Amy Baratta, send e-mail to [email protected].