Ameristar Casinos

The Ameristar Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado, is revamping its strategy to offer guests more amenities and new lodging options for more of a resort-like experience, Linda Seid Frembes reports Located 40 miles west of Denver, the town of Black Hawk, Colorado, is a former mining town that is now the stateÔÇÖs largest gambling destination. The small town is home to nearly a dozen casinos, all within an hourÔÇÖs drive of Denver International Airport. The new Ameristar Casino, formerly the Mountain High Casino, is one of eight Ameristar properties in the US.ÔÇ£Our parent companyÔÇÖs strategy is to focus on secondary markets outside of major metropolitan areas. This property is outside of Denver and is consistent with the company strategy,ÔÇØ says Reggie Fullwood, senior vice president and general manager of Ameristar Black Hawk, who joined the company in February 2008. ÔÇ£As with our sister properties, we provide a high-quality experience and maintain a certain brand awareness that is consistent with an Ameristar guest visit. There has been significant capital investment to bring the property beyond standards.ÔÇØAs general manager, Fullwood is responsible for the entire operation of the casino, including gaming, food and beverage, accounting, facilities and the soon-to-open hotel operations. The general manager is also responsible for team members, member programs and maintaining a high level of guest service. ÔÇ£In terms of our operations, our gaming offers a comfortable environment, as well as popular and fresh games for our frequent guests. Our slot product is strong, and we also have popular game tables like poker,ÔÇØ he adds. ÔÇ£For food and beverage, we offer a good selection of eating choices and one of the best buffets in the city. Our dessert station has a chocolate fountain and a cotton candy machine, and we offer live entertainment four nights a week on the first floor.ÔÇØAmeristar Black Hawk offers guests more than 1,600 slot and video machines, 12 blackjack tables and 14 live poker tables, along with six dining and entertainment venues. Las VegasÔÇôbased Ameristar acquired the Black Hawk property in 2004 and has since made significant investments in its expansion. According to published reports, the company is spending close to $240 million to build the 33-floor luxury hotel, one that Ameristar says will be the tallest structure between Denver and Salt Lake City. This is in line with previous growth; Ameristar Casinos has doubled in size every five years over the last two decades.ÔÇ£We previously did not have any lodging on-site, and there are not many other lodging options in the town,ÔÇØ explains Fullwood. ÔÇ£The addition of a hotel will include conference and convention space, and a small arena for concerts and stage productions. It will also include spa services and a swimming pool. The goal is to turn the Ameristar Black Hawk into a resort destination.ÔÇØPlans for the new Black Hawk resort include a 536-room hotel whose foundation is dug into the side of a granite cliff. Each room in the new hotel will include a 42-inch plasma TV, wireless Internet access and flat-panel displays in the bathrooms. The hotel is in addition to the newly expanded 10-story parking garage that now can hold more than 1,500 vehicles. According to published reports, the total cost of the improvements to the Black Hawk property will total out at $380 million, with $180 million being invested in the hotel.For both projects, Ameristar worked with regional developer Hansel Phelps Construction, as well as architecture, design and planning firm Peckham, Guyton, Albers & Viets, Inc. of St. Louis, and engineering firms Cator, Ruma & Associates of Lakewood, Colorado, and GVA. Since the property is open from 8:00am to 2:00am every day, it was imperative not to disrupt casino traffic despite that mountainside excavation. Hansel Phelps deployed several strategies including minimizing work during the casinoÔÇÖs peak hours as well as placing cranes on the top of the existing parking garage. In addition, Ameristar worked closely with design and branding firm Girvin, Inc. of Seattle to improve guest signage and design flow throughout the property during construction. Fullwood notes that the construction team had to blast and move rock, but the engineers and architects did a wonderful job at noise abatement.ÔÇ£We already have a strong service culture with our team members. These additional amenities are an extension of that service. Creating the resort feel is not that far of a bridge from where we are now,ÔÇØ says Fullwood. ÔÇ£Our training program teaches great guest service, and every team member understands his or her role. Guest survey data is also used to continuously improve our service.ÔÇØAmeristar Black Hawk also prides itself on recognizing outstanding team members. Earlier this year the facility celebrated the 2007 Team Member of the Year Banquet, held in the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts complex, where six Ameristar team members received prizes such as new cars and all-expense-paid vacations. AmeristarÔÇÖs monthly recognition program awards $250 to each of three Team Member of the Month recipientsÔÇöone from the gaming division, one from the food & beverage division, and one from the support area, which includes all other departments such as administration, finance and marketing. Team members are nominated for exhibiting excellence in job performance, displaying unsurpassed guest service or going the extra mile in contributing to the team.Fullwood notes that, despite a recent pullback in gaming due to the economy as well as a state smoking ban enacted in January 2008, he and his team have high hopes for the new hotel. ÔÇ£Although there has been some impact from gamers and smokers pulling back, weÔÇÖre looking for ways to identify or develop new revenue streams,ÔÇØ he adds. The hotel at Ameristar Black Hawk is set to open in the fourth quarter of 2009. Currently the property is primarily adult-oriented and children are not allowed on the property, but that policy may well change once the hotel is open. ┬á