To people driving past it, the Durango Casino & Resort might not look like much yet. The property is still under construction, the main building only a shell of what it will be when it’s completed in about a year.
But to the thousands of people supporting the project along the 215 Beltway, including contractors, construction workers, the owners and other stakeholders, the skeletal structure of the Durango is a massive milestone.
It’s proof of the progress being made by Station Casinos, the powerhouse locals gaming brand, following a July announcement that it would demolish and sell land that was home to three of its former casinos, which initially closed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With six sites like the Durango under entitlement or development, Scott Kreeger, president of parent company Red Rock Resorts, said Station is poised to double its size over the next eight to 10 years.
“We have these old sites in all key areas of Las Vegas,” Kreeger said, “and we’re super excited, once we get the Durango successfully open, to start on the next project.”
In an October 7 ceremony, Station celebrated the topping off of the Durango’s 216-foot tower and the official end of heavy construction on the project. The foundation of the building is officially in place, and—with the help of approximately 1,600 construction workers—the hotel and casino will ideally open in October 2023, Kreeger said.
As a beam carrying the American flag, one representing the Durango and another representing general contractor William A. Richardson Builders was lifted hundreds of feet into the air by a crane, construction workers milled around eating barbecue and signing a commemorative beam, which was also signed by Kreeger and other project leaders.
Posters displayed designs for the resort, showing what the building will eventually offer—including lavish lounges, dining halls and outdoor areas.
Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones was in attendance and said the project is moving at one of the fastest paces he has seen for a resort in the area. He pointed to the Dream Hotel, an upcoming project on the Strip that he said was approved the same day as the Durango but is still awaiting construction, as a comparison.
It’s exciting to have reached the halfway point, Kreeger said.
“Most importantly, I’m excited for our team members, the ability to grow their career, the ability to create more jobs in the community,” he said, citing the 1,500 full-time jobs the finished project will bring. “At the end of the day, we’re in the people business, both with our team members and our customers.”
The Durango will draw people in with great food, good entertainment and more, Jones said. He added that it will likely bring in not only locals but also people from across the country.
The southwest corridor of the Las Vegas Valley is growing rapidly, Jones said. “It’s just booming. And I think when people come here from out of state, they’re looking at a new place to move for themselves or for their business. I think they see this southwest corridor over here and they think, ‘Wow, let’s move there.’”
Kreeger echoed that sentiment, explaining that vibrant growth in residential and business communities in the area makes it the best time to develop a project like the Durango.
And while the 15-floor resort will meet the expectations of locals who are familiar with the traditions of other Station properties, it will also “raise the bar,” Kreeger said. Among other amenities, the Durango will feature four signature restaurants, an 11-unit food hall and 211 hotel rooms.
The Valley has really changed over the past decade, Kreeger said, and incoming Nevada residents are changing the demographic. Station continually adjusts its product to fit the relevancy of the neighborhood in which it develops, he said.
Now is the right time to execute the company’s growth strategy, he said, as the Durango charges full-steam ahead and other sites are prepared for and undergoing development.
“It’s actually a strategy steeped in 45 years of history,” Kreeger said. “It’s always been a core business strategy for us to own prime land across the Valley for development. There’s no one more bullish on Las Vegas than Station Casinos.”
Click HERE to subscribe for free to Vegas Inc’s BizClick newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest business news in Las Vegas sent directly to your inbox each Monday.