13
A BAKER ’ S DOZEN OF THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GAMING BUSINESS BY THE INDUSTRY ’ S LEADING ARCHITECTS , DESIGNERS AND BUILDERS
FLAGSHIP OF FUN
MARGARITAVILLE RESORT CASINO
Bossier City , Louisiana
LONGTIME CASINO EXECUTIVE Paul Alanis , the operator and owner of the Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City , says Margaritaville is the most powerful casino brand around .
“ It has a fun and relaxed atmosphere that makes it the perfect theme for any casino ,” he told Global Gaming Business just days before the casino opened last June .
And fun is what was lacking in the Shreveport / Bossier City market for many years . The region ’ s seven casinos have seen flat or declining revenues for at least half a dozen years as competition from Oklahoma cut into the region ’ s principal Dallas market .
Margaritaville has brought that fun to the banks of the Red River . The relaxed Gulf Coast spirit influenced the project ’ s design along with the “ Parrothead ” culture that has grown up around entertainment legend Jimmy Buffett and his music .
Located on the north end of the Louisiana Boardwalk — newly branded as The Outlets at Louisiana Boardwalk — the 391,000-square-foot resort went from planning in May 2011 to opening its doors to the public in June 2013 . The $ 205 million resort deftly integrates live entertainment , volcano shows , restaurants , bars , a 395- room hotel and a 46,330-square-foot casino floor , making this resort a must-see and stay destination . Cuningham Group ’ s principal in charge of the project , Thomas Hoskens , notes , “ The Margaritaville brand ’ s strong following and incredibly rich design standards led to the incorporation of many trademark elements such as a Volcano Bar , fishing and shrimp boats , a Blue Goose airplane hanging from the rafters , palm trees and island torches .”
Challenged by Louisiana gaming regulations that require a casino to be a floating vessel , required by the Coast Guard to be fully seaworthy , the Cuningham Group and its contractors went one step further by designing the first cast-in-place concrete barge with a steel superstructure . In the past , casino barges had their roof structures resting on the land , not on the barge as this one does . The basin that floats the barge is supported by 387 auger-cast concrete pilings that penetrate through the soft riverbank sediments down to a solid rock layer of the earth .
The resort ’ s sense of arrival includes a wooden island pagoda greeting guests . Beckoning just inside the doors from the porte cochere is a 30-foot-high atrium filled with island flowers and lofty palms . The casino features 1,238 slot and video machines and 54 table games amid a sophisticated island atmosphere of palm trees , tropical breezes and aqua-colored spaces . The casino resort is flush with entertainment offerings including a 1,000-seat performance hall , four dining venues including a two-story Margaritaville Restaurant , and seven specially designed , wood-topped bars with more than 100 one-of-a-kind pictures of Jimmy Buffett sealed within them .
The project is poised to attract locals as well as visitors from as far away as Texas and Oklahoma as they come to experience the country ’ s newest Margaritaville and bond with Parrothead fans . The brand ’ s influence is also bound to be a boon to the area ’ s other casinos and The Outlets . This project is the second Margaritaville-themed casino designed by Cuningham Group — the first opened in Biloxi , Mississippi in May 2012 .
— PATRICK ROBERTS
OWNER : Bossier Casino Venture , LLC
ARCHITECT ( exterior ): Cuningham Group Architecture
INTERIOR DESIGNER : The McBride Company , Suzanne Kisbye , Allison Alanis
CONTRACTOR : Roy Anderson Corp . TOTAL INVESTMENT : $ 200 million
6 CASINO DESIGN 2013