A while back, we were tipped off by some VIP high level players of the Downtown Grand that the hotel was set to close. Amidst a bevy of layoffs, schedule changes, and venue closing, the news really didn’t seem too far off the mark from being what could be more than just an extremely viable rumor.
Fast forward to today when the Downtown Grand is still, despite some pretty hefty changes, continuing to operate. In yet another effort to make the property more appealing, new tiers have been added to the players club as well as the addition of a wider range of slot machines. However the gaming floor, originally a nice mix of tables and slots, has been reconfigured to feature nothing but slots, while the table games, now open on a bafflingly limited number of hours, have been relocated to the previous High Limit room and defunct 888 Baccarat space.
Oddly however, despite these attempts to boast attendance, and the inclusion of more public events both at the Picnic pool venue and along 3rd street between the properties towers, some of the most glaring problems have still been left unanswered or ignored. Mob Bar’s previous space still remains undervalued and underused, Red Mansion and the Spread deli are now officially gone for good, and the casino floor has the feel of a slot barn you’d find in the midwest with the kind of action table games can bring having been pushed to the side for those willing to stalk them on the off chance they are open. Add into that the fact that they STILL charge for self parking and we have to wonder if this is more of a temporary plug than an actual fix to a what was already a leaky operation.
That said, we’re glad to see the Grand open still, and hope they find their place and make some fixes that really will bring people over to the property, one of the best downtown. But for now, we’ll still say those odds are as up in the air as a tossed pair of craps dice. Let’s hope they don’t finally seven out.
Eric loves blackjack, architecture, hotels, more hotels, more blackjack, art and design. He grew up drawing hotels, and now spends his free time traveling to see and experience some of the greatest hospitality experiences in the gaming world while using his education in architecture as a tool to analyze how the best hotels in the world are created and developed.
I was there last Thursday and loved it. There were about 12 people playing table games and about twice as many in the rest of the casino. While my friends and I can make our own fun that’s not a recipe for financial success for the casino operator.
Agreed! I love the property but sadly I alone and people like myself in handfuls won’t keep her afloat.
Sounds almost like a strange form of “private gaming.” Are the table game operations still very limited, with regard to hours?
The table games aren’t really private, more like just placed out of the way. Hours are still limited. When I was playing craps they only had one stickman and you could only play on half of the table.
“Private” in the sense that nobody else was playing. One stick man, half a table? Box-man?
Touche.