Sponsored Content
The new Hollywood Casino Aurora is destined to be a winner, and not just for those who roll the dice.
Its predecessor on the Fox River in downtown Aurora, Illinois, offered only a casino. The new land-based Hollywood Casino Aurora is a full-service resort, with a 226-room upscale hotel, a 12,000-square-foot event center, a full-service spa, nine restaurants and a 1,700-space covered parking deck. Those features, paired with its location just off Interstate 88 about an hour west of Chicago, will be a draw for meetings that want to book weekdays (Sunday–Thursday).
“The Aurora Area’s location and easy access has made it a good place for small meetings, but now we have a full-service hotel with significant, attached meeting space,” said Lisa Wisner, director of sales for the Aurora Area CVB, which represents 12 communities along the Fox River.
The Hollywood Casino Aurora’s meeting space is quite flexible. The event center can be divided several ways; it adjoins 2,081 square feet of prefunction space. Groups will appreciate the event center’s 951-square-foot boardroom and a courtyard for outdoor events.
An impressive restaurant lineup includes concepts tied to four James Beard Award winners, including Giada de Laurentiis and her Sorella by Giada, which specializes in Italian favorites and includes a private dining room.
Nearby, several limited-service hotels can handle overflow, and the adjacent Chicago Premium Outlets can send attendees home with bargains.
A few miles away, Northwestern Medicine Field, home of the minor-league Kane County Cougars, is an option for after-hours events during baseball season and for off-site meetings throughout the year. A Super Suite and its private terrace overlook the field.
Each of the other towns in the Aurora Area has its own vibe, including Geneva, settled by Swedish immigrants who built their riverfront town in the New World to feel like a village in their homeland. A lively downtown is fun to walk through and explore, with local restaurants, bars and a much-loved shopping district. Adjacent to downtown, the AAA Four Diamond boutique Herrington Inn and Spa and its sister property, Riverside Receptions, attract small meetings. Sixty guest rooms and meeting space both in the inn and in the historic building that houses Riverside Receptions, make the Herrington a good choice.
In downtown Aurora, the spotlight is often on the Paramount Theatre, a dazzling historic beauty. In the summer, groups like the Firemanship Conference book the 1,885-seat theater. The rest of the year, the main theater isn’t available because it is booked with Broadway shows, but its lobbies and modern spaces connected to it, including a riverfront ballroom, welcome meetings and events.
As the Fox River flows past Aurora, Geneva and other towns, it becomes the thread that ties the Aurora Area together with walking paths, parks, businesses and open-air venues along its banks. The river is one more reason, among many, that people choose to gather in the Aurora Area.
For more information, contact:
Aurora Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
Lisa Wisner
Director of Sales
630-256-3192 (direct)
