Move over Las Vegas, you aren’t the only city known for gambling reinventing itself. Reno has also gone to great lengths to re-brand itself, and has been growing an extensive list of non-gaming hotels. With the Siena Hotel Spa Casino getting a new owner, some speculate the property with 215 high-end rooms and suites may be reborn as a property with no gaming.
The big news in the area has swirled around the Tesla $5 billion giga-factory going up just east of Sparks, which has renewed an interest in the corporate traveler. The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority have provided data which shows non-gaming boutique properties with 100 to 200 rooms is a hot, growing trend. Only 8 percent of the regions 15,500 hotel rooms fall under this category, but have experienced growth ranging from 15 percent to 36 percent each month since last October.
RSVCA CEO Chris Baum said, “It shows this is not a temporary aberration but a permanent trend, at least until we meet some equilibrium for business travelers.” Baum feels that well known brands, such as Hyatt and Marriott. In March, the average non-gaming hotel room cash rate came in at $99.85, which was up nearly 5 percent from a year prior.
