Horseshoe Casino Baltimore wants to expand in the city’s burgeoning Warner Street district with its own hotel.
Since opening a year ago, Horseshoe has been envisioned as the springboard for a revitalization of the South Baltimore area, which city officials want to transform into an entertainment corridor stretching from the casino to M&T Bank Stadium.
The city’s recently released South Baltimore Gateway Master Plan encompasses more than a dozen neighborhoods, with the Horseshoe at its heart. The Baltimore Development Corp. is also conducting a study on the potential of Warner Street, where Horseshoe Casino General Manager Chad Barnhill said he wants to see more shops, restaurants and entertainment venues open their doors. Barnhill said he’s heard from developers interested in the corridor, and he sees the Horseshoe adding more of its own amenities.
“We would love to have a piece of that to do a nice hotel,” he said.
Having a hotel on site would help the casino compete with the other big players in Maryland’s casino market. Maryland Live! is working on developing a hotel at its Arundel Mills location, and MGM National Harbor will include a hotel when it opens in the second half of next year.
Currently, the Horseshoe houses guests at the Hyatt Regency Baltimore and Sheraton Inner Harbor. Barnhill said the casino has accounted for 10,000 hotel room nights across the city since it opened last August.
