More than a month ahead of schedule, Resorts World Catskills will open the doors to its billion-dollar casino resort at 8am on February 8, 2018, with a Grand Opening celebration scheduled for May this year, according to the announcement on Wednesday.
Lohud.com reports that in a statement Resorts World Catskills President Ryan Eller said, “Our staff has worked tirelessly to ensure that when we open our doors for the first time, we will be ready to provide our guests an unparalleled experience.”
The move closely follows a news release from Supervisor William Rieber Jr confirming that a temporary conditional certificate of occupancy (TCO) was issued to the Upstate New York development on Dec. 28, 2017, by the Town of Thompson.?Previously, the opening date was set for March 1st, following that it was thought that the $1.5 billion project owned by Empire Resorts, which is itself 88.7 percent owned by Kien Huat Realty Sdn Bhd of Genting Group, would be ready for a mid-February opening.
Located approximately 90 miles north of New York City at the old Concord resort in Thompson, Sullivan County, the hope is that the casino resort will?help the once-booming tourist region again draw visitors to the Catskills.
Vice President of the casino, Charles Degliomini, said, “With our opening, we look forward to driving tourism to the Catskills, stimulating the economy and making meaningful contributions that help put the Catskills back on the map as a premier getaway and true destination,” as reported by lohud.com.
Resorts World Catskills will feature 100,000 square feet of Las Vegas-style gaming, including more than 150 live table games, a poker room and 2,150 state-of-the-art slots machines. Also featured is a 5-diamond designed luxury 332 all-suite hotel, which is already accepting reservations, with amenities to include the 10,000 square foot Crystal Life Spa, nine restaurants, bars and lounges.
Upon completion, the complex will also include an entertainment village, and 18-hole Rees Jones-designed golf course and an indoor waterpark lodge.
Details regarding the four-season, two-acre water park were announced on Tuesday by Arthur Berry III and Ken Ellis, the co-owners of Camelback Lodge & Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark located in the Poconos. The developers are working on the Catskills water park named Kartrite Hotel & Indoor Waterpark, which is slated for an early 2019 opening.
Resorts World Catskills is the last of four non-Native American casinos in Upstate New York awarded a license in December 2015, after winning a competitive bidding process in 2014 by the state Gaming Commission.?The other three including del Lago Resort & Casino in Waterloo in the Finger Lakes, Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, and Tioga Downs Casino in the Southern Tier, opened over the past year or so and have all underperformed, records show.
The much anticipated Resorts World Catskills will be open around the clock and estimates it will bring 1,400 jobs to the region.