Atlantis nears finish of rooms renovation

As Reno's Atlantis Casino Resort Spa nears completion of a $100 million upgrade, its top executives no longer compare their hotel to others in the Reno-Tahoe area.

Instead, Atlantis measures itself against other top hotels in destination markets across the country, says John Farahi, chief executive officer of Monarch Casino & Resort, the publicly held parent of Atlantis.

And while Farahi may not be an unbiased judge, he says feedback from guests indicates that Atlantis is meeting its goal.

The home stretch of the work at Atlantis involves floor-to-ceiling renovation of all the rooms in its luxury and concierge tower the first complete upgrade of the rooms since the tower was completed 10 years ago.

Rooms in the other two Atlantis towers are being spruced up as well. A major investment: 1,300 pillow-top mattresses for the rooms in the three towers.

The completely renovated rooms in the luxury and concierge tower that's the one on the southwest corner of Atlantis include 42-inch flat-screen televisions with a newly developed "media launch pad."

The launch pad, which Atlantis executives believe to be the first of its type anywhere, provides a discreet panel that allows guests to easily connect gaming systems, DVD players and laptop computers to the television in the room.

The concierge rooms on floors 21-27 of the tower are furnished with new upscale custom furniture and feature marble-floored entries and contemporary artwork. At 425 square feet, the rooms are more than 20 percent larger than other accommodations at Atlantis.

A group of 38 rooms near the newly developed spa on the hotel's third floor, meanwhile, have been designed as "spa rooms." Decor and furnishings are intended to help guests maintain a zen-like state, hotel executives say. If the zen-like state slips away, guests can click on a dedicated yoga channel and use the yoga mat that's part of the room's furnishings.

The hotel's $100 million investment included an addition of 116,000 square feet, the new spa and a new skybridge linking Atlantis to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in addition to extensive interior renovation.

SMC Construction was general contractor on the $100 million project. Northern Nevada subcontractors on the room upgrades included C&C Flooring, Complete Millworks and Evco Interiors.

While the investment in new and upgraded facilities comes during a steep downturn in the hospitality and gaming industry, Farahi says the investment is paying off in increased market share.

"There's enough business in the market for a fine resort to do well," he says. "We felt the market would reward us."

In the second quarter of this year when the major improvements were completed, but before the hotel rooms were completely upgraded Monarch Gaming posted a 5.4 percent increase in hotel revenues compared with year-earlier figures. That reflected the property's ability to boost its average daily rate even while occupancy slipped by about 1 percentage point.

And hotel occupancy, Farahi notes, is a key driver for the other major revenue centers at Atlantis its restaurants and its casino floor.

"If the rooms are full, it impacts all the other parts of the operation," he says.