Aliante Casino and Hotel
Aliante Casino and Hotel is a hotel and casino in the Aliante community in North Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Boyd Gaming. The resort was announced as the Aliante Station in December 2005, as a joint project between Station Casinos and The Greenspun Corporation, with an initial cost of $400 million to $450 million. Construction began in February 2007, and the resort was built at a cost of $662 million.
Mike Montandon, mayor of North Las Vegas, Nevada, was initially against the inclusion of a casino in the planned community of Aliante during its early planning stages in 2002, although he was ultimately convinced by the community's developers that it would be a good idea. In October 2002, 40 acres (16 ha) of property at the northeast corner of the Las Vegas Beltway and Aliante Parkway were set as the future site of a hotel-casino in the community. The land was owned by The Greenspun Corporation through its American Nevada Company, which was co-developing the Aliante community. Aliante Station was announced on December 20, 2005, as a joint project between Station Casinos and The Greenspun Corporation, which had previously partnered in developing the Green Valley Ranch hotel-casino. Under the deal, Station Casinos would build and manage the resort, which would include approximately 200 hotel rooms and 2,000 slot machines. Construction would cost between $400 million and $450 million, with joint financing from both companies. Construction was expected to begin in late 2006 or early 2007, with an opening in mid-2008.
Opening
Following a fireworks show, the Aliante Station opened early, at 10:40 p.m. on November 11, 2008, due to large crowds gathered outside. The resort had been scheduled to open at 11:11 p.m., a time which was considered lucky. It was the first new hotel-casino to open in North Las Vegas since the Cannery Casino and Hotel in 2003. A pre-opening party was held for nearly 3,000 invited guests, and included an hour-long concert performance by Sheryl Crow. Guests included George Maloof, Terrence Lanni, and other gaming company officials. Aliante Station included the largest casino in North Las Vegas at the time, measuring 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m2), with 2,554 slot machines and 40 table games. The casino also included a 170-seat sportsbook, with large television monitors spanning a total of 96 feet. Approximately 1,500 of the slot machines were penny games, and the resort also offered inexpensive restaurant options to appeal to Station Casinos' customer base while attracting new customers during the weak economy. The resort was located within a three-mile radius of more than 100,000 residents. The resort featured a food court as well as six restaurants, including Station Casinos' Feast Buffet. Also included was Camacho's Cantina, a Mexican restaurant with more than 100 different types of tequila, as well as a chandelier made out of 2,700 empty tequila bottles.
Operation and sale
After its opening, Aliante Station operated at a financial loss due to below-average operating margins, and its employee count later decreased to 880. After Station Casinos filed for bankruptcy in July 2009, Aliante was handed over in November 2011 to its creditors, a group of nine banks and three private equity firms that were owed more than $378 million, while the property's estimated liquidation value was only $47–53 million. ALST Casino Holdco LLC, a holding company, was created to own the resort, with its largest shareholders being Apollo Global Management (20%), Standard General (28%) and TPG Capital (20%). After the ownership change in November 2011, profits improved over the next year. Station Casinos continued to manage Aliante Station under an agreement with the new owners until November 1, 2012, when the resort was renamed Aliante Casino and Hotel. The Aliante was then managed by Aliante Gaming, and a 24-hour restaurant, The Farm 24/7, was added that month. A total of $2.8 million was spent on rebranding and refurbishing parts of the resort; a second-floor spa area was among the improvements. Following the end of Station Casinos' involvement in the property, three restaurants were rebranded and reopened in January 2013: The Salted Lime, Bistro 57, and the Medley Buffet. In the year after the management change, 200 additional employees were hired, for a total of 860. The casino's 1,800 slot machines were also updated, and a bingo room was added as well. Hotel renovations also took place. By February 2014, hotel occupancy had increased to an average of 90 percent, in comparison to 40 percent in late 2012.
