UPDATE: Dizzying additions to River Rock Casino Resort
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Updated: November 23, 2009 7:09 AM
A pair of Canadian firsts highlight River Rock Casino Resort's $30 million worth of renovations, which were unveiled Thursday and hold the promise of making casino patrons dizzy with excitement.
Two spiral escalators welcome visitors to the casino's cavernous new grand atrium, becoming just the fifth such twisting automated walkways in North America.
River Rock's Howard Blank took The Richmond Review on a tour of the casino's extensive makeover, which has been 18 months in the making.
Supplied by Mitsubishi, the escalators took seven months to assemble, install and test.
They sweep guest to the second-floor check-in area, strategically located to also welcome what casino officials hope is a steady stream of visitors from the elevated walkway linking directly to the Canada Line's platform.
Now that the $2 billion Canada Line is in full operation, access to the casino has never been easier.
The Bridgeport Canada Line station sits adjacent to a multi-level parkade with hundreds of parking stalls, and a heated enclosed area—soon to include retailers and restaurants—leading rapid transit into the casino via a flat moving escalator, simultaneously greeted by the comedic voices of Bill Cosby, Joan River, and Don Rickles.
River Rock now also boasts specialized private suites akin to that found at GM Place, offering guests a spacious, relaxing but equally intimate alternative when watching a performance at the River Rock Show Theatre.
The Dal Richards Suite, named after the legendary Vancouver big band leader, is adorned with Dal Richards memorabilia, with leather couches, a private washroom, a large flat-screen TV with live audio piped in from the stage, and a handful of balcony seats with unobstructed views of the performance.
The cost to access the suite is an additional $10 over the regular ticket price, and each suite has its own concierge. One double suite can accommodate up to 50 people.
