Free Wheeling
BICYCLE HOTEL & CASINO
Lee & Sakahara Architects
THE BICYCLE CLUB CARD ROOM HAS LONG been a fixture in the Southern California card room market . Founded by the legendary George Hardie Sr ., the club quickly grew to become the secondlargest card room in California .
The facility passed through several owners in the 1990s ( including the U . S . government ), and it wasn ’ t until the arrival of Hashem Minaiy after 14 years at the Commerce Club that the Bicycle Club came alive . Minaiy is the managing general partner of the “ Bike ,” as it is affectionately known in the poker world , and he had a dream to transform the club into a true hotel and casino . That dream is about to come true .
The Bicycle Hotel & Casino , a sevenstory , 117,907-square-foot boutique luxury hotel addition to the Bicycle Casino , will debut in December . Built by commercial luxury general contractor R . D . Olson Construction with architecture by Lee & Sakahara Architects and interior design by
Hager Design International , Inc ., the hotel will open with 99 rooms and suites , innovative dining concepts such as the Bike Brewery , and resort amenities including a full spa and elevated outdoor pool deck with private cabanas .
The Bicycle Hotel & Casino brings unprecedented sophistication and style to
the Los Angeles hospitality / gaming sector and caters to the full spectrum of card-cutting enthusiasts , national and international guests and premier poker tours .
Located just 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles , the Bicycle Hotel and Casino offers 185 gaming tables , but so much more . After spending time at the tables , guests can relax in deluxe guestrooms , designed to be tranquil retreats . Plush king- and queen-size beds are complemented by Californiainspired furnishings and lavish bath amenities by L ’ Occitane En Provence .
Premium accommodations include 29 luxury suites ranging from the Classic Suite ( 648 square feet ) to the signature Bike Suite ( 904 square feet ), the extravagantly curated Governor ’ s Suite ( 1,359 square feet ), and a Presidential Suite ( 2,007 square feet ), fashioned to host and impress with its two bedrooms , formal living room and Jacuzzi tub .
Blending with the hotel ’ s modern appeal , the Bike Brewery hotel restaurant will pioneer a craft beer scene in Bell Gardens with 28 taps highlighted by the Bike Brew — a blonde ale by Golden Road Brewery exclusive to the Bicycle Hotel & Casino . Other food options include the Coffee House , a 24-hour snack bar and in-room dining .
OPERATOR : Investment group led by Managing General Partner Hashem Minaiy
ARCHITECTS : Lee & Sakahara Architects GENERAL CONTRACTOR : R . D . Olson Construction INVESTMENT : $ 50 million
Land Beyond the Mountains
HARRAH ’ S CHEROKEE VALLEY RIVER CASINO & HOTEL
Cuningham Group
WHEN THE EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE
Indians opened Harrah ’ s Cherokee casino hotel at the back door of Smoky Mountain National Park , it was a saving grace for the tribe . Long a remnant of a great tribal nation , the casino allowed the tribe to regain some of that stature by becoming the largest employer in the western end of North Carolina .
But with unemployment raging in the south-central part of the state , and the Cherokees looking for another location , the idea for Harrah ’ s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel was born . Once again , the Cherokees turned to the Cuningham Group , which had designed all phases of Harrah ’ s Cherokee .
Like Harrah ’ s Cherokee , Cuningham Group held tightly to its motto , “ Every
Building Tells a Story ,” with Harrah ’ s Cherokee Valley River .
Brett Ewing , a principal with Cuningham , says the company listened carefully to the Cherokees .
“ For us , mindfully listening and asking the right questions is critical to coming up with the right design solution ,” he says . “ Our designers then extract metaphors from the story to find inspiration for all aspects of the project from basic forms and shapes to materials and colors . Metaphors are found in stories of context , site , history and / or culture , and our challenge as designers is to transform those into distinctive and timeless forms . Since no two stories are alike , no two buildings are the same .”
At Harrah ’ s Cherokee Valley River , Cuningham had many stories that translated into a dramatic hotel and casino . Located near Murphy , North Carolina , and the closest casino to Atlanta , guests can enjoy more
than 1,000 slots and 70 traditional table games . The property offers a seven-story , 300-room hotel tower with unique F & B experiences , as well as Harrah ’ s Total Rewards benefits .
OWNERS : Caesars Entertainment ARCHITECT : Friedmutter Group GENERAL CONTRACTOR : T . N . Ward Co . INVESTMENT : $ 126 million
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