Station Casinos dramatically revamps two of its signature properties. By Ryan Slattery
It’s turning out to be a big year for Station Casinos. The Las Vegas-based casino giant has been busy not only building a brand-new casino-resort,
Durango, but also renovating its other properties all across the Las Vegas valley.
Station Casinos, a company that heavily caters to a local clientele, is refreshing two of its older properties—Santa Fe Station in Northwest Las Vegas and Sunset Station in Henderson. A property-wide reinvestment at Santa Fe ups the ante on the gambling side with a new poker room and high-limit slots space, while adding famed country bar Stoney’s North Forty, and eateries Stallone’s Italian Eatery and Nielsen’s Frozen Custard. Sunset Station will see a complete transformation of the property’s STN Sportsbook, plus a remodel of the casino floor and relocation of the high-limit slots room.
It’s welcome news for Station’s loyal customers who frequent the resorts. “
Station Casinos is dedicated to not only developing new places for future growth but also to continuing to invest in the properties that we currently have to make sure they remain best in class,” explained
Brent Arena, vice president and general manager of Santa Fe Station. “It was simply time to do that at Santa Fe and we’re so excited about it.”
Sunset Station Vice President and General Manager Jordan Seager echoed Arena’s sentiments. “We are thrilled to bring our guests an all-new gaming and sports betting offering in the coming months at Sunset Station. For more than 25 years, Sunset Station continues to raise the bar for our Henderson neighbors.”
The moves are not entirely unexpected. Station Casinos is constantly looking to enhance the guest experience at all of its properties. Food and beverage offerings, slot games and attractions are continuously refreshed. Whether that means constructing the brand-new Durango Casino & Resort in southwest Las Vegas (it opened on December 5), adding a new Tesla Supercharger network site at Green Valley Ranch Resort, Spa & Casino in Henderson or enhancing its dining offerings at Red Rock Resort & Casino with outlets like Lotus of Siam, Kallisto Oyster Bar, Leoncito, and Federal Donuts & Chicken (opening in early 2024). It’s Station’s way to reward customers and keep options fresh.
Growth spurs change
The biggest changes are coming to Santa Fe Station where guests can expect “a whole new level of excitement and entertainment in the northwest,” according to Arena. The timing, he says, couldn’t be better. “The area is growing,” Arena says. “The explosive growth that’s been happening out here the last several years makes this even more exciting that we will be able to introduce more guests to the property. There are a lot of new rooftops and lots of new homeowners coming into the area, and we wanted to just be able to grow along with that, and add some newer amenities.” He continues, “We’ve seen a very positive response from our guests. It starts when we first put the walls up to begin to the construction. That generates a lot of curiosity and once we unveil these new amenities, it goes to another level.”
Popular country bar Stoney’s North Forty, which is known for its line dancing and two-stepping, opened in October and is already a hit. The massive, 13,000-square-foot space has a stage for live performances, a mechanical bull, VIP booths and pool tables. There is also a 2,300-square-foot outdoor pergola area with a fireplace and dedicated space to play beer pong.
The poker room and high-limit slots area are also open and the changes couldn’t be more extreme, according to Arena. “I mean, there is really no comparison,” he admits. “The beauty of the high-limit room is that we have over 70 games in there, a great selection of mechanical reels, video slots and video poker games. There is also a great bar with a bunch of new craft cocktails going on. It’s just a really amazing setup, nice and comfortable. We did increase the square footage of [the high-limit room] a little bit so there’s good spacing between the games, and we have restrooms dedicated just to the high-limit area.” In all, Arena says the new, 4,500-square-foot high-limit room has 18 more games than the previous space and the bar features nine bar-top video gaming machines.
The poker room, which opened in September, also underwent a complete overhaul. Fourteen new poker tables were purchased and brought in to the 2,450-square-foot space. Nine high-definition TVs plus USB chargers at every table give players the comforts for which they were asking. “We saw just how important that business was to us so we wanted to create a new room. And again, we’ve done just that,” Arena says.
But Santa Fe executives didn’t stop there. They brought in Stallone’s Italian Eatery and local favorite Nielsen’s Frozen Custard. It’s just the second Stallone’s location in Las Vegas and fit a void as Santa Fe Station didn’t have a pizza place to call its own. The restaurant, located near the race and sports book, is famous for its meatballs, specialty pizzas, baked rigatoni, and for having a cannoli bar. Arena says, “It’s not only pizza. They serve Italian sandwiches and have a bunch of different pastries. It’s been a really fun spot and they fit in well with everything we’re doing.”
The cherry on top of all the Santa Fe renovations is naturally Nielsen’s Frozen Custard, a long time company partner. Owned by husband-and-wife team Howard and Amanda Zayon, Nielsen’s has been serving its sweet, creamy custard treats to the Las Vegas valley for over 20 years. “A legendary spot,” as Arena points out. “We’re delighted they’re with us.”
For Arena just seeing the smiling faces of guests and hearing them praise the changes as each of the new enhancements were unveiled has made this year fulfilling. “I mean, it feels great,” he says. “It’s great to see our guests come in and enjoy what we built. It’s good to know that the company’s dedicated to help us continue to grow the property and move the property along. We’re looking forward to the future and continuing to enhance the property. We have so many repeat guests here and they’re happy to see that we’re investing back in the property.”
A bit less Gaudi
Meanwhile, Antonio Gaudi-inspired Sunset Station is in the midst of its own remodel—mostly to the gambling sector. Sunset officials recently announced that they will completely transform the property’s STN Sportsbook with a remodel of the casino floor. Relocation of the high-limit slots room also in the works.
The race and sports book will feature a new bar, a 150-foot video wall for game-day viewing, comfortable, lounge-style seating, and betting kiosks to make wagering easy and to lessen wait times. During construction, guests can find a temporary race and sports book located next to the Rewards Center offering counter wagering, with STN Sports betting kiosks scattered throughout the casino. Club Madrid is being utilized as an alternative viewing destination for college and pro football games until the new sports book is ready.
While Sunset Station sports book is being completed, the existing high-limit-slots room is acting as a sports betting destination with the relocated high-limit room moving into the former keno area. In addition, Sunset’s casino floor will undergo a phased-in refresh with updated carpeting, improved lighting and modernized restrooms.
Stations is always reinventing itself, and the remodels and additions happening at all of its properties prove why the company is a leader among the gaming industry in Las Vegas.
Casino Life would like to thank Jordan Seager, Sunset Station, Vice President and General Manager and Brent Arena Vice President and
General Manager of Santa Fe Station, for their help and cooperation with this exclusive feature interview.
