One Familys Blog: Reno Hotel Deals and Casino Offers

Reno Hotel Deals and Casino Offers

Reno is the largest city in the state of Nevada after the three big cities in the Las Vegas area – Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson. It is about 30 miles North of Carson City, the Capital via scenic route 395. Reno proclaims itself as the Biggest Little City in the World – despite its size, the city focuses on providing outstanding service to visitors so as to keep them coming. The city of Sparks is nearby and the combined area including other nearby suburbs is called Truckee Meadows – named after Truckee River that crosses the valley through Reno. The entire Truckee Meadows area has a population of over 400,000. The city is just 15 miles east of the California border. It is around 5,000 feet above sea level on one of the Eastern slopes of the Sierra Mountains. Reno receives just about 7.5 inches of average annual rain fall and has a Steppe Climate. Daytime temperatures can be in the 90s (100s possible) and fall below 40s in the night during summer. Winter months (December & January) feature mild snowfall & icy hazardous road conditions occur occasionally. The area is distinctively windy throughout the year.

The state of Nevada legalized casino gambling and passed liberal divorce laws in the 1930s in a bid to keep the economy humming as the mining boom that started in the 1860s started to wane. Liberal tax laws was introduced beginning in the 1950s, again as a ploy to attract businesses which otherwise would settle in California or other states with more resources. More recently, huge entertainment oriented events has been a focus aimed at driving more business to the state. The combination of these factors has created a diverse economy that lead to the home construction boom-bust-cycle in the 21st century – the median home price has plunged from the $400,000 range in the 2006 bubble-peak to around $225,000 as of August 2010.

Reno was regarded the divorce capital of the world until the mid-twentieth century when other states & countries overhauled their divorce laws. The key legislation that allowed for easier divorces is the reduction of residency requirement from three months to just six weeks in 1931. Another key reason people choose Nevada is an easy procedure for marriage annulment which declares marriage as not valid – this allows bypassing of the 50/50 split in community property states including both California & Nevada. Introduction of more lenient divorce laws in other states along with competition from countries such as Dominican Republic (single day residency requirement, but not a US jurisdiction) and Guam (5-day residency requirement and it is in US jurisdiction) has eroded Reno’s business over the years. Even so, Reno remains a major center for people seeking divorces.

Reno is called Sin City, although it is well behind Las Vegas and Atlantic City in terms of providing adult oriented entertainment. Further, its gaming revenues have declined rapidly in recent times as competition from Indian Casinos in California has diverted business. Nevertheless, gambling remains big business in the Reno area with the resort-room count at over 13,000.

Reno Hotel Deals & Casino Offers from a variety of properties in the Reno/Sparks area as of early 2010 follow:

Property	Thumbnail	Best Rate Including Taxes and Resort Fees (if any)	Room Type	Description	Casino Offers & Entertainment options
Atlantis (Monarch Casino Resort)		$90	Motorlodge Queen Bed - NS	Opened in 1972 with around 1000 rooms in the Tropical theme.	Largest gaming floor in Reno city. Premium Concierge Tower with exclusive features for guests. Waterfalls, Torches, and Light Show.
Boomtown (Pinnacle Entertainment)		$90	North Tower Classic Queen Bed - NS	Opened in 1964 with around 318 rooms in the Wild West theme in Verdi, NV.	Family Fun Center with games for the whole family and a teen center with dancing and music. Occasionally hosts Eating competitions.
Circus Circus (MGM Resorts)		$49	Skytower – Standard Room 2 Queen - NS	Opened in 1978 with around 1600 rooms in the Circus theme.	Free Circus shows throughout the day. Carnival Games.
Club Cal Neva		$39	Standard NS	Opened in 1962 with over 300 rooms.	Most historic casino still open in Reno. Its sports betting book is one of the largest including satellite participants. La Tomatina en Reno (take on tomato fights in Spain) in its second successful year (August 28 & 29 2010).
Eldorado (Eldorado Resorts LLC, Carano Family)		$56	Standard – 2 Queen - NS	Luxury hotel opened in 1973 with over 800 rooms.	Broadway productions and other stage shows at the 800-seat theater. A variety of food related events through out the year.
Grand Sierra Resort (JPM Morgan Chase’s CreditMarkets Real Estate Firm)		$111	Standard – 2 Queen - NS	Located 3-miles East of downtown, the luxury themed hotel has over 2000 rooms. Opened in 1978. Largest hotel in the entire Northern Nevada area.	Laser Tag arena. 50-lane bowling alley. Shopping Center.
Harrah’s (Harrah’s Entertainment)		$85	East Tower Classic – 2 double beds	Luxury resort opened in 1937 (first Harrah’s hotel) with 950 rooms	Events & Shows at Sammy’s Showroom.
John Ascuaga’s Nugget (John Ascuaga and Family)		$127	West Tower – Deluxe – 2 Queen Beds	Sparks, NV resort opened in 1955 with 1600 rooms.	Celebrity Showroom with regular shows. Nugget Rib Cook Off festival held every September.
Peppermill (Peppermill Resorts)		$66	Montego Bay Room – 2 Queen Beds - NS	Opened in 1971 with around 1600 rooms in the Tuscany theme	Casino Cabaret – the lounge hosts free, live entertainment every night.
Sands Regency (Herbst Gaming)		$38	Standard – 2 Queen Beds - NS	Opened in 1970 with over 830 rooms
Siena (Barney Ng)		$80	Deluxe – 2 Queen Beds - NS	The newest boutique hotel casino in Downtown Reno opened in 2001 with over 200 rooms in the Siena, Italy theme located alongshore Truckee river	Spa at Siena. The hotel is undergoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings as of July 2010, but remains open.
Silver Legacy (MGM Resorts)		$102	Standard Queen - NS	Opened in 1995 with over 1700 rooms in the 19th century Victorian theme	Laser and Light Shows. Considered the crown jewel among Reno’s downtown casino resorts – Silver Legacy is a big sponsor of Reno area events and also hosts events such as “Climb the Legacy” for charity. They also sponsor a fireworks show on the rooftops on New Year’s Eve.

Reno holds several major events through-out the year. Hotel occupancy rates approach 100% during these events. Reno Hotel Deals and Casino Offers are hard to come by during these periods. The major events are:

Event	Thumbnail	Attendees	Dates	Description
The Great Reno Balloon Race		150,000	September (10-12, 2010)	In its 29th year, the balloon race is the nation’s largest free hot-air balloon festival. It is held at the Rancho San Rafael Park at 1595 N. Sierra Street. The event is free.
Hot August Nights		800,000	August (1-8, 2010)	In its 24th year, Hot August Nights is a very popular car show held in seven different venues over the course of a week with associated music and other entertainment events. Some events are free while others are not.
Best in the West Rib Cook-off		500,000	September (1-6, 2010)	In its 22nd year, scheduled to coincide with labor day holiday, the event is held at the Victorian Square, Sparks, NV between 14th street and Pyramid Way. Free entertainment on five different stages. Main event is the competition held at the Main Concert Stage (Wednesday 9/1/2010 at 6PM). Admission is free.
Reno Air Races		100,000	September (15-19, 2010)	In its 47th year, the event is held at the Reno Stead Airfield. Six classes of aircraft – two of them reaches speeds over 500mph. General admission for Adults at $10 to $19 on a sliding scale tied to the dates. Parking extra.
Street Vibrations		40,000	September (22-26, 2010)	In its 16th year, Metal, Music, and Motorcycles form the theme of this event. Free Admission. Many downtown Reno locations, Harley Davidson dealership, and in historic Virginia City.

The proximity of the Ski resorts in the Sierra Mountains along with the presence of several major water bodies allows visitors to enjoy both Summer & Winter recreational activities in the area. Many visitors bound for the major ski resorts around Lake Tahoe fly into Reno and choose to stay there for a few nights – when mountain passes from Northern California are closed, excellent deals can be found in the Reno area hotels as their California clientele disappears. Some visitors also choose to be in the Reno area for their entire stay, sticking to the smaller Mt. Rose Ski area just 30 miles shouth of Reno in the Carson area. The recreation options during the rest of the year is concentrated around the major water bodies around Reno – The Truckee River, Pyramid Lake, Washoe Lake, and Lake Tahoe. Each of these provide opportunities to swim, fish, water-ski, and parasail. Truckee River is the sole outlet of Lake Tahoe and drains into Pyramid Lake after covering 120 miles of terrain - it is popular among Kayakers, Fly Fishers, and River Rafters. Washoe Lake on the other hand attracts wind-surfers as well as Kiteboarders as the area has very high wind speeds. Lake Tahoe is a major landmark and tourist attraction in the California border – about two-thirds of the shoreline is in California – King’s Beach area around North Lake Tahoe and the South Lake Tahoe areas border Nevada and are dotted with casinos – the former is around an hours drive from Reno while the latter is 90 minutes away.

A sample of the Hotel Deals and Casino Offers as of early 2010 from a variety of properties in these border towns follow:

Property	Thumbnail	Best Rate Including Taxes	Room Type	Description	Entertainment options
Cal Neva Lodge & Casino (Canyon Capital Realty Advisors)		$78	Standard – 2 double beds	Opened in 1926 at North Shore – Crystal Bay, Nevada	Legendary resort with huge celebrity presence over the years – Frank Sinatra had part ownership in the early 60s. Casino Temporarily Closed as of 3/2010 till end of year. Restaurants, lounges, showroom and wedding facilities open.
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort (Hyatt Hotels)		$208	Mountain View – 2 double beds	Four Diamond Luxury Resort & Casino opened in 1972 at North Shore – Incline Village, NV with over 400 rooms	Lakeside Ballroom, 20,000 square foot Stillwater Spa and Saloon, 500 feet of private lakefront beach and pier with cruises, rentals. Seasonal Floating Bar. Year-Round Lagoon Style Pool.
Harrah’s Lake Tahoe (Harrah’s Entertainment)		$185	Executive Room – 2 queen beds	Opened in 1955 with over 500 rooms at the South Lake Tahoe Stateline, NV	First Hotel to earn five-star diamond rating in casino history. Prime Entertainment at the 750-seat Shouth Shore Room.
Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Casino and Resort (Harrah’s Entertainment)		$141	Deluxe Room – 2 queen beds	Opened in 1944 with over 700 rooms at the South Lake Tahoe Stateline, NV	Wedding Chapel, Convention Center, and full-service health club.
Horizon Casino Resort (Tropicana Entertainment)		$60	Alpine Deluxe – two double beds	Opened in 1965 with over 400 rooms athe South Lake Tahoe Stateline, NV	Elvis Presley performed here from 1971-76 and the suite he stayed is available to book.
MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa (Tropicana Entertainment)		$70	Spa Room – two queen beds	Opened in 1978 with over 400 rooms at the South Lake Tahoe Stateline, NV in the Nature theme	AAA 4 Diamond Restaurant Ciera Steak + Chophouse.