Now that theHard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park has opened, Rock Ohio Caesars is looking at something it had always planned, a second phase for the its Horseshoe Casino Cleveland, which opened in 2012.
The second phase is expected to include additional restaurants, retail and entertainment venues. The $350 million project will include the first four floors of the historic Higbee building. Eventually, the casino resort will cover 16 acres.
Now is not the time to begin that expansion, according to the Horseshoe’s general manager, Marcus Glover. He said a design phase of about two years comes first, and then another three years to build. He noted that the company’s chairman, Dan Gilbert, is committed to an expansion.
“We need to know what is relevant five years from now,” said Glover, quoted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “People are working on it.”
Gilbert is probably going to keep an eye on other racinos that will be opening, including one near Youngstown, Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course.
Amenities may not be more slot machines or table games, but may focus on hospitality, according to Alan Silver, a specialist in tourism and hospitality at Ohio University. ‘They are sharp people and will do a lot of research, a lot of homework and an analysis of the market,” said the professor. “My belief is that other amenities will bring in people, including entertainment, restaurants and retail shopping.”
