Bits Beyond the Berms 5/21/07 - 5/27/07

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Bits Beyond the Berms
5/21/07 - 5/27/07

5/21/07
~CoCo Key Water Park Ready to Open

5/22/07

5/23/07
~Minnesota's Treasure Island Resort & Casino to Expand

5/24/07

5/25/07

~Roswell Still Considering to Build an Alien Theme Park
~Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld Nears Completion of Renovations
~Further Details on MGM's $700 Million "M Resort"

5/26/07

5/27/07

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Giant Indoor Water Park Ready To Open In Danvers

WBZ TV
May 21, 2007

New England's newest indoor water park will open its doors Tuesday.

The 65,000 square-foot CoCo Key Water Resort consists of four water slides, an adventure river, dip-in theatre, wave beach and several activity pools. It also includes snack bars, a lounge, spa facilities, private cabanas and birthday party rooms.

Wondering how much water is needed to fill a park of that size? Resort officials say 190,000 gallons flow through the parks filtration system every three hours.

The $30 million park was built at the Sheraton Hotel on Ferncroft Road in Danvers.

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Treasure Island Resort & Casino to Expand

By Dawn Schuett
The Rochester Post-Bulletin
May 23, 2007

WELCH -- A $50 million expansion project at Treasure Island Resort & Casino will nearly double its number of hotel rooms and provide more space to accommodate larger conventions and entertainment events.
Plans for construction, which is set to begin June 1, include 230 more hotel rooms, a 30,000-square-foot event center with a 2,800-seat showroom and a family fun center with a 24-lane bowling alley.

Frank Loth, interim general manager and director of finance for Treasure Island, said the project is designed to meet the demand for hotel and convention space and give guests more entertainment options during their stay.

The project does not include expansion of the gaming operation.

"What we're trying to do is be more things to more people," Loth said.

The expansion will make the resort and casino more of an entertainment destination. On a small scale, it will be what Las Vegas has become, Loth said.
"A lot of people go to Las Vegas now, and they don't even go gambling," he said. "They go there for the shows or for the food or other entertainment facilities."

Even with its proximity to Twin Cities destinations such as Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake and the Mall of America in Bloomington, Treasure Island can compete, he said.

Treasure Island currently turns away many people who want to reserve hotel rooms on weekends and larger groups seeking a convention location, according to Loth.
"What we offer is a beautiful locale on the river," Loth said. "We think that there's enough business down there, and we can create enough attractions to be a good spot for not only Treasure Island but also for Red Wing."

Once completed in the fall of 2008, the expansion is expected to create at least 50 new jobs, bringing the total workforce at the facility to more than 1,600, with an annual payroll of more than $50 million.

"This project is an investment that will secure Treasure Island's status as a premier entertainment destination and a leading contributor to the local economy," said Audrey Bennett, president of the Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Council.
In terms of cost, The project is the largest expansion in Treasure Island's history. Knutson Construction of Rochester and RSP Architects of Minneapolis are doing the construction and design of the project.

Treasure Island began with bingo in 1984. Its 250-room hotel opened in 1996 after a $20 million expansion and redesign. A $34 million expansion to the casino was finished in 2001.

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Roswell Considers Building an Alien Theme Park

Associated Press
May 25, 2007

ROSWELL, N.M. - Only in Roswell.

City officials want to build a UFO-themed amusement park that would be dubbed the Alien Apex Resort.

They envision an indoor roller coaster that would take passengers on a simulated alien abduction.

City planner Zach Montgomery says the park would cost several hundred millions of dollars and could open as early as 2010.

Roswell has received a $$245,000 legislative appropriation for initial planning.

Requests for proposals will be advertised next month, with the top three proposals will be considered later this summer.

The so-called Roswell Incident has brought Roswell worldwide fame.

It centers on a purported UFO crash in July 1947, which the military later contended was a top-secret weather balloon.

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Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld® Nears Completion of Renovations; Enjoy Special Summer Holiday Rates

Experience the extraordinary $31 million transformation taking place at the stunning Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld®, and take advantage of great summer holiday rates while enjoying the convenience and luxury of a SeaWorld® hotel.

Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld Press Release
May 25, 2007

Orlando, FL (PRWEB) -- Experience the extraordinary $31 million transformation taking place at the stunning Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld®, and take advantage of great summer holiday rates while enjoying the convenience and luxury of a SeaWorld® hotel.

Scheduled to be complete on approximately June 15, the finishing touches are in progress in the lobby. The hotel near SeaWorld® Orlando is incorporating a modern feel to its atmosphere with contemporary oceanic décor, the lobby showpiece - Mist, a tastebud-tantalizing, fresh Sushi bar. The lobby Starbucks, always popular with the business and leisure traveler, is also near completion and scheduled to open in mid-July.

"It's like an entirely new hotel," said Dave Duncan, Director of Sales and Marketing for the SeaWorld® Orlando resort. "The contemporary, luxury offerings at the hotel qualify it as one of the most impressive in the area while still being affordable and in a great location!"

For competitive rates in this popular vacation destination, take advantage of an unmatched hotel special of $149* per room, per night. The best leisure rate available in Orlando for the Memorial Day holiday, the Orlando resort is also offering an unbeatable Fourth of July rate of $119* from June 29-July 5.

Enjoy luxurious guest rooms, scrumptious cuisine and beverages in the hotel's new restaurants and lounges, and a resort pool second to none, all with a brand new contemporary design. If a fun-filled retreat is what you seek, you'll find plenty of activities including volleyball, basketball, tennis, and an arcade, with world class golf and spas nearby.

The Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld is also near Orlando's landmarks, SeaWorld and Discovery Cove, Walt Disney World, Pirate's Cove Miniature Golf Course, and an abundance of other family-friendly activities. The Orlando family hotel offers packages (starting at $350 for two adults and two complimentary children, and based on two-night stay), for vacationers destined for SeaWorld or Discovery Cove, and also a variety of romance and golf packages.

An abundance of value awaits every guest of this luxury Orlando hotel, located across from SeaWorld® and minutes from Discovery Cove. The Renaissance Orlando Resort at SeaWorld® offers spacious accommodations, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an 18-hole championship golf course and superb amenities. The Orlando, Florida hotel also boasts distinctive meeting facilities and a variety of restaurants, all marked by the Renaissance's signature service. For more information, call (800) 327-6677, or visit renaissanceseaworld.com.

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MGM to Invest in $700m US Resort

World Leisure News
May 25, 2007


Hotel and gaming company MGM Mirage is to invest US$160m (118m euro, £80.7m) in a development partnership with Anthony Marnell III for the 80-acre mixed use property The M Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, US.

The resort, which will include a luxury spa, is being developed by Anthony Marnell III and will cost a total of US$700m (517m euro, £353m) in the first phase alone, excluding land.

Built in multiple phases, the first stage of the development will be located on approximately 40 acres of land and consist of the resort, a spa, an outdoor canyon pool and a 100,000sq ft (9,290sq m) casino.

The development will be situated on the south east corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and St Rose Parkway, around 10 miles south of the Bellagio.

Chair and CEO of MGM Mirage Terry Lanni said: “MGM is pleased to be a part of this unique resort and real estate development. The M Resort is destined to become the premier project on the south Strip.”

Site work on the project has already begun and the resort should open in mid-2009.
Future phases of development for the remaining 40 acres of land are currently being designed and could potentially include a further mixed-use property.

Marnell founded M Resorts with Raymond J Shapiro in 2005 and is the chair, CEO and majority owner of the company.