Ameristar Hotel & Casino: $240-million expansion

vpr611 · PostNov 04, 2005#12005-11-04T15:35+00:00

http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/ ... st=b_ln_hl

Ameristar Casinos Inc. launched a $240 million expansion project at its St. Charles, Mo., casino to boost market share and better compete in the area.

Work is under way on a 400-room, all-suite hotel, an indoor/outdoor swimming pool and spa, a 2,000-space parking garage and a 20,000 square-foot conference center. The parking garage is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2006, and the hotel is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2007.

jmedwick · PostNov 04, 2005#22005-11-04T15:39+00:00

Here comes downtown's competition. Maybe the city would like to reconsider its shabby treatment of Columbia Sussex.

10-intuition · PostNov 04, 2005#32005-11-04T16:30+00:00

anyone know how tall this hotel will be? Also any renderings?

brickandmortar · PostNov 04, 2005#42005-11-04T19:39+00:00

Doesn't Ameristar ST. Charles already have the largest privately owned parking garage in the state? This new garage will look puny compared to the one that is there already, but I'm sure it'll be dedicated for hotel patrons only.

Since there isn't a hotel already on the premises, this is just filling in a niche that Ameristar's closest competetor,Harrah's, provides in Maryland Heights. I don't really see Ameristar in direct competition with the future Pinnacle Casinos in the City and S. County. They are just too far away.

m2tbone · PostApr 09, 2006#52006-04-09T14:55+00:00

10-intuition wrote:anyone know how tall this hotel will be?

There's a story in the Suburban Journals that says the proposed hotel would be 27 stories and have 400 rooms.

Here's the link to the story:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/neighb ... enDocument

framer · PostApr 10, 2006#62006-04-10T02:20+00:00

I can't believe that St. Charles would allow a 27 story tower!

jcity · PostApr 14, 2006#72006-04-14T04:04+00:00

I hope the tower's as classy as their "convention center" hotel. Welkum to missourah!

absolut355 · PostApr 24, 2006#82006-04-24T07:27+00:00

Framer wrote:I can't believe that St. Charles would allow a 27 story tower!

I agree with that...I wouldn't think that the city would want something that tall! It might block the view of actual "downtown" St. Charles crossing the bridge, but I'm not sure that many people would care

They do have two large cranes on the site currently as well.

m2tbone · PostMay 05, 2006#92006-05-05T04:13+00:00

There are now some renderings of the new hotel for Ameristar St. Charles. Here's the link to the story and renderings:

http://www.ameristar.com/corp/c_aa_vew_ ... Id=-1&cp=1

framer · PostMay 05, 2006#102006-05-05T04:51+00:00

Oh my god, that thing is hideous! I guess its about what I expected, though.

appraisalman · PostMay 05, 2006#112006-05-05T13:12+00:00

Pretty Cool!!! Sounds like its going to offer some great views of the Missouri River and the amenities sound fantastic!!!

urban elitist · PostMay 05, 2006#122006-05-05T13:18+00:00

I guess this place is ok for St. Charles, tacky design is just so common there anyways. It's certainly no Pinnicle Casino!

appraisalman · PostMay 05, 2006#132006-05-05T13:40+00:00

This hotel is essentially the same as the Pinnacle.....They are both just casino hotels surrounded by swaths of parking.

urban elitist · PostMay 05, 2006#142006-05-05T13:48+00:00

Come now, one is clearly tacky, and one is not. One will put the STL casino scene on the map, one will not. Let's not kid ourselves.

Not Tacky:

Tacky:

appraisalman · PostMay 05, 2006#152006-05-05T13:51+00:00

The Stl Casino scene...now that's a joke. And in my opinion, The Pinnacle looks extremely tacky and definately out of place on the landing (The oldest part of St. Louis)

urban elitist · PostMay 05, 2006#162006-05-05T13:55+00:00

That site barely qualifies as being on the landing, it's quite a ways north. Also, if the Bottle District infill truns out to be modern also, the effect of the both combined could be a nice modern boost that DT STL needs. I'd much rather see us try for something at least somewhat modern, than drop down to some faux historic crap like St. Charles has done at Ameristar aka. super big box casino.

appraisalman · PostMay 05, 2006#172006-05-05T14:01+00:00

I'm all for modern architecture, but not on the landing, and not something that looks like the Pinnacle. Seriously, this think looks like it belongs out in Chesterfield. It looks more suburban than anything. Yeah, the photos of it in the evening make it look cool, but during the day you're stuck with a piece of garbage. As for the Bottle District, I have no problem with modern architecture there cause it is it's own "District"

urban elitist · PostMay 05, 2006#182006-05-05T14:05+00:00

The landing will survive. The Pinnacle will just help to extend TBD to the riverfront, and I'm ok with that. That big dome is already there anyways so why not build beside it? The combined nightime effect of TBD and Pinnicale will be astounding.

appraisalman · PostMay 05, 2006#192006-05-05T14:10+00:00

I don't have a problem with a new casino going there, I do have a problem with the site design and the overall design and look of the facility.

urban elitist · PostMay 05, 2006#202006-05-05T14:12+00:00

^You're entitled to your opinion, but surley you can see that that Ameristar expansion is far more cheesy than the Pinnacle could ever be.

appraisalman · PostMay 05, 2006#212006-05-05T14:19+00:00

I personally find the Pinnacle to be even more "cheesy." Are you even looking at the base of the Pinnacle Tower? It looks like the faux crap that goes on all new suburban construction. Then they thrown on a glass pannel, and all of a sudden it's a modern design....what a joke.

urban elitist · PostMay 05, 2006#222006-05-05T14:24+00:00

^Maybe the Pinnicle will turn out to be somewhat suburban, I still am holding out reservations that it will be of at least decent design. But the looking at the rendering of the Ameristar expansion, it is obviously going to look just as bad as it's big box of brick counterpart, not even a chance for improvement. Which is sad for St. Charles.

jfknet · PostMay 05, 2006#232006-05-05T14:37+00:00

Yeah the "Brick Brigade" will love that thing.

appraisalman · PostMay 05, 2006#242006-05-05T14:41+00:00

I must say, I don't find it to be that bad looking. It actually looks like alot of the Vegas hotels on the outside. The only problem I have with it is that it has all the parking blocking the front view of the facility. Although I believe that this was probably done on purpose so that the parking facility will flood when there is another big flood like 93, and not the hotel. And if it was done for this purpose, I don't have any problems with it.

arch city · PostMay 05, 2006#252006-05-05T15:00+00:00

I like the design. I don't know about the exposed parking tower, but the design is keeping with the historic Main Street/French Town area of St. Charles.

The new hotel/project will be on the same street, if I am not mistaken.