Reno's Neighborhood Hotel Casinos Good Bet
Location, Atmosphere, Amenities Affect Visitor Satisfaction Odds
Aug 24, 2008
Staying downtown is great for people who want to be in the middle of Reno’s gaming action. Visitors, whether in town for business or a vacation, however, may have a more successful stay by choosing lodging in outlying areas. The following hotel/casinos are among their options.
The Peppermill Reno Hotel & Casino
Located about two miles south of downtown's Casino Row, the Peppermill Hotel & Casino (2707 S. Virginia Street) annually receives several “Best of” awards in Reno publications. It was also designated one of the “Top Ten Casinos in America” by MSN with Citysearch. With 1,636 rooms and suites – some of them in the Tuscany Tower that opened in 2008 – ten restaurants, 17 themed bars and lounges, it’s the largest of the neighborhood hotel/casinos. The casino is bigger than some of those downtown, with video poker and slots, a keno lounge, race & sports book, table games including blackjack and pai gow poker, craps and a poker room. There’s free entertainment nightly in the Casino Cabaret. Hotel guests who want a bit of nature need only walk to Virginia Lake, a small natural lake popular with Renoites that’s a block away. Rates, which vary with type of accommodations and season, start at about $60 double.
Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
About a half-mile farther south on Virginia Street, the Atlantis Hotel Casino (3800 S. Virginia Street) was a small motel in the 1980s. After several rounds of construction and additions, it’s now a 1,000- room hotel with a European-style spa. Nine eateries, a domed swimming pool and casino with video poker, slots, a keno lounge, race and sports book, poker room and table games round out the amenities. The property is adjacent to the Reno/Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority grounds and connected to them by a pedestrian over-crossing. A super size over-crossing called the Sky Terrace, outfitted with gaming machines, oyster and sushi bars, connects the casino with its large parking lot on South Virginia Street. The Atlantis is about half a mile from Reno’s two largest shopping areas, Meadowood Mall (Macy’s, Penney’s and more than 100 other shops and restaurants) and Firecreek Crossing (WalMart, Office Depot, Safeway, Borders, Circuit City and others). Rates at Atlantis start at about $49 for rooms in the adjacent motor lodge, and higher for the hotel tower rooms.
Gold Dust West Casino and Inn
Gold Dust West (444 Vine Street) was constructed during Reno’s late 1970s-mid 1980s hotel/casino building boom as an inexpensive alternative to the then new hotels like MGM Grand (now Grand Sierra). Motel-type accommodations include 30 rooms. Although within walking distance of North Virginia Street, it’s only a block away from the commercial artery called Keystone Avenue. The casino, a favorite with the locals, contains a total of about 500 video poker, video keno and slot machines. The casino’s 24-hour restaurant, “The Grille” is popular with seniors as well as personnel at nearby stores and medical facilities. Average rate $49.
Reno Plaza
One of Reno’s older properties, the Reno Plaza (formerly Holiday Inn,1000 E. Sixth Street) gets mixed reviews from people who have stayed there, primarily because of its neighborhood. With 280 standard rooms and six suites, it’s less than a mile east of the north end of Reno’s Casino Row. It is also within walking distance of the National Bowling Stadium and Downtown Events Center, venue for concerts by classical groups such as the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and entertainers like Santana. Hotel amenities include T. Ashley’s Restaurant, the Lobby Lounge, Diamond’s Diner and Diamond’s Casino. The latter is one of the city’s smaller gambling places, with 10,000 square feet containing 258 video poker and slot machines, four blackjack tables and a sports book. Parking is outdoors and not a good place to be wandering around at night. Rates average about $67 double.
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