Aliante Station Celebrates Opening with a Bang

Written by Michelle | Wednesday, November 12th, 2008

The doors of the brand new Aliante Station were set to open at 11:11 pm, the time of day that legends say wishes come true. Though things didn’t go exactly as planned, its doubtful that Station Casino executives are complaining and just might have gotten their wish come true after all.

After an 11 minute fireworks display by Grucci’s of New York at 10 pm that amazed the crowds, people flocked to all casino entrances and cars were backed up for more than a mile. Casino staff finally relented, deciding at 10:40pm to put the superstitions to the wayside and let the eager crowds in a bit early. Visitors began showing up as early as 8 pm for the premier, according to Lori Nelson, Station Casino’s spokesperson.

“It’s been going great so far,” Nelson said just after 11 p.m. “After we saw the crowds of people after the fireworks and got the OK from the fire department, we had to open the doors.”

Restaurants, bars and the casino floor were quickly flooded by thousands of local residents who were ready to get a look at the brand new casino in their own backyard. Groundbreaking began back in February 2007 in the $662 million joint venture between Station Casinos and the Greenspun Corporation. Aliante Station general manager Joe Hassan calls the 40-acre lot within the Aliante community, “a resort for locals”.

The interest was so high that The Original Pancake House restaurant was seating customers and bartenders at the Access Bar were serving up cocktails before the clock even hit the scheduled opening time. Finding a seat at one of the 2,500 slot and video games was a challenge, gamblers were lined up first for a seat, then for a chance to win more than $2.7 million. Things were fairing just as well in the brand new poker room where all but two tables remained full all evening.

Aliante Station offers rooms starting at $49 a night and 15 percent off for locals, staying true to its mission to put locals first. Station executive’s plan was for a high-end feel but with less expensive rates and more gaming to appeal to the locals.

Though it seems Station Casinos may have gotten their wish for a successful and profitable first night, long-term success for Aliante Station during the current economic climate is still up in the air. Executives are hopeful that the locals will be on their side.

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