Quad Cities, Iowa and Illinois
By early summer, all the Quad Cities casinos that straddle the Iowa-Illinois state line will move off the Mississippi River and onto land. The dramatic shift means casinos are pouring millions of dollars into brand-new hotels and land-based gaming resorts, but it also means more amenities and event space for meeting planners, said Lynn Hunt, vice president of sales for the Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau.
On the Iowa side, the Isle Casino Hotel is building a casino that will sit between its two hotel towers, one of which completed a multimillion-dollar renovation in September. The new casino, which will replace the current riverboat, is slated to open in April. The 512-room Isle also has 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space and connects via skywalk to the Quad Cities Waterfront Convention Center.
Rhythm City Casino in Davenport is now a riverboat-only casino, but crews are building its new $110 million gaming, hotel and entertainment complex on 40 acres at Interstates 80 and 74. When it opens next spring, the property is expected to have more than 100 guest rooms, a casino, a spa, a buffet, a show lounge and an event center.
In Illinois, Jumer’s Casino Rock Island has “done very well” since moving from the riverfront to the junction of I-280 and Route 67 a few years ago, Hunt said. The modern 206-room hotel also has 6,000 square feet of function space.
Although there will no longer be gaming on the river, the Quad Cities still offer “the romance and allure of being on the river,” Hunt said. Groups can explore the downtowns and public spaces along the riverbanks or book a cruise on the 800-person Celebration Belle riverboat, which makes all of its food onboard for dinner or day cruises and has a rooftop deck.
Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana
Shreveport and Bossier City have six casinos lining the Red River and one “racino,” a racetrack-casino combo. Having an event at any of them lends itself to the 24-hour excitement of a gaming town because there’s always something going on, said Melissa Small, communications coordinator for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.
“It doesn’t matter what time your meeting ends, nothing is going to ever close,” she said. “There’s always going to be some opportunity somewhere to do something fun.”
DiamondJacks Casino and Hotel on the Bossier City side has 22,000 square feet of function space, and Sam’s Town Hotel and Casino in Shreveport offers an 18,000-square-foot ballroom and three additional meeting rooms. Horseshoe Hotel and Casino is home to the 11,500-square-foot Riverdome performance hall, and Margaritaville Resort Casino, the sister cities’ newest casino that opened in 2013, has the 7,000-square-foot Paradise Theater for concerts, as well as receptions and conventions.
In addition to live entertainment, dining and gaming, the casinos offer various group experiences. Margaritaville just rolled out a chocolate and wine tasting for groups, and planners can book chef Hardette Harris for cooking tours, tastings and demonstrations focused on North Louisiana cuisine, such as fried catfish, collard greens and hot water cornbread. A new Backstage Music Tour showcases the history of the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, and groups always enjoy touring the American Rose Center, Small said.
French Lick, Indiana
Meeting planners don’t necessarily come to Indiana’s French Lick Resort for its casino, but meeting attendees do take advantage of it while they’re there.
French Lick Resort and its two historic hotels are nearly surrounded by the lush Hoosier National Forest, and “the casino is just another amenity” for guests and meeting attendees who flock to the resort’s spas, golf courses and plentiful outdoor recreation options, said Kim Gray, director of marketing for the resort.
The Cook Group bought the property in 2005 and put about $600 million into restoring and renovating the French Lick Springs Hotel and the West Baden Springs Hotel, which both date to the early 1900s. The casino opened in 2006, and today the entire resort boasts 163,000 square feet of function space. Last year, a $20 million expansion of the meeting and event center attached to the French Lick Springs Hotel added 58,000 square feet, including a 22,000-square-foot ballroom, bringing the center’s total square footage to 105,000.
The resort is now updating its group activities and team-building programs, which have included geocaching, culinary demonstrations, spa takeovers and private group slot tournaments. Groups also love to play FootGolf, which is similar to golf but played with a soccer ball instead, or head to the stables for guided horseback rides.
