Caesars Windsor
{{Short description|Casino hotel in Windsor, Ontario, Canada}}
{{Infobox Casino
|casino=Caesars Windsor
|theme=Roman Empire
Greece
|location=377 Riverside Drive East
Windsor, Ontario
N9A 7H7
|logo= Caesars logo.svg
|image= Caesars Windsor - panoramio.jpg
|caption= Caesars Windsor in August 2013
|rooms=389 room Forum Tower & 369 room Augustus Tower
|date_opened={{start date and age|1994|05}} {{small|(as temporary casino)}}
{{start date and age|July 29, 1998}} {{small| (as permanent resort)}}
|license_holder=Caesars Entertainment
|space_gaming={{convert|9290|m2|abbr=on}}
|attractions=
|shows=5,000 seat Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
|notable_restaurants=Neros Steakhouse
|owner=Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
|casino_type=Land-based
|renovations= 2007–2008
|names_pre=Casino Windsor (1994–2008)
|website={{URL|https://www.caesars.com/caesars-windsor}}
}}
Caesars Windsor (formerly known as Casino Windsor) is a casino hotel located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is one of four casino resort hotels in the Detroit–Windsor area and was opened in May 1994 as a temporary casino on the waterfront of the Detroit River. The current, permanent resort opened on July 29, 1998. Owned by the Government of Ontario (through the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation), it is operated by Caesars Entertainment. Both the 1998 Casino Windsor and 2008 expansion were designed by WZMH Architects.{{cite web |title=Caesars Windsor |url=https://www.wzmh.com/projects/caesars-windsor?cat=hospitality |publisher=WZMH Architects |access-date=January 4, 2019}}
The casino overlooks the Detroit skyline from the waterfront, and is near the Canadian end of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. The creation of this casino was a leading factor in the Michigan legislature authorizing the legalization of casino gambling in Detroit in the early 21st century.
The "Forum" hotel tower stands at 23 stories tall and opened in 1998. The "Augustus" tower stands at 27 stories and opened in 2008. Caesars Windsor attracts about six million visitors annually, from Ontario, Canada; and Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and other states in the Midwestern United States.Cordiano, Joseph (February 15, 2005). [http://www.ontariocanada.com/ontcan/page.do?page=5900 Government of Ontario invests in a competitive Casino Windsor] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230200019/http://www.ontariocanada.com/ontcan/page.do?page=5900 |date=2007-12-30 }}.Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. Retrieved on October 28, 2007."Caesars Windsor attracts around six million visitors each year and is a key driver of the local economy." Since 1999, its main competitors are the American MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino located across the river in Detroit.
History
File:CasinoWindsorgamingfloor.JPG
In 1993, the Ontario government selected a joint venture of Caesars World, Circus Circus Enterprises, and Hilton Hotels to build and operate a province-owned casino.{{cite news|title=Company news: Caesars, Circus Circus, and Hilton in casino deal|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/04/business/company-news-caesars-circus-circus-and-hilton-in-casino-deal.html|date=4 December 1993|newspaper=New York Times|access-date=2012-04-26}}
Casino Windsor opened in a temporary location in May 1994 as Ontario's first casino. The former Art Gallery of Windsor, located on Riverside Drive, was refitted to house the interim casino. The casino attracted record numbers of customers, millions annually from the U.S. and Canada. Line-ups wrapped around the building. In response, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced it would bring a riverboat casino to the riverfront. The Northern Belle was located at the foot of Ouellette Avenue on the Detroit River. It was open from December 1995 to July 1998.
During this time, the permanent casino was under construction on the former Windsor Market site, a few blocks east of the temporary casino. It opened on July 29, 1998, with a grand opening celebration with a James Bond 007 theme.[http://www.casinowindsor.com/Corporate/CompanyHistory.asp Casino Windsor's Company History] Daisy Fuentes and Regis Philbin were among the stars that attended. The new site included a waterfall and tropical entrance, hotel, five restaurants, gift shops, and an entertainment lounge.
In February 2005, representatives from the Ontario Government, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, and the executive team announced a $400 million expansion project. It was completed in June 2008. It added a convention centre, a 5,000-seat entertainment centre, and a 27-story hotel tower.
Effective May 31, 2006, Casino Windsor became one of the first smoke-free commercial casinos in North America. It complied with the Smoke Free Ontario Act, banning smoking from all enclosed workplaces and public places.
File:Caesar Windsor front desk.jpg
Renovations were undertaken at the original facility, adding bars, a large buffet, and repositioning many of the slots and table games. The official relaunch took place on June 19, 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=ec043786-5a7d-4757-8b25-e730d718c5e8|title=Caesars Windsor 'breathtaking'|last=Vander|first=Chris|publisher=The Windsor Star|access-date=2008-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628213704/http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=ec043786-5a7d-4757-8b25-e730d718c5e8|archive-date=2011-06-28|url-status=dead}}
Management
The casino is publicly owned by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation; a large portion of the profits are returned to the provincial government.
File:Caesar sign on Casino Windsor.jpg
In December 2006, Harrah's announced that it would change the name of the casino to Caesars Windsor. At the same time, the operators began construction of a new 27-story hotel (the "Augustus Tower". It opened in 2008 and provides a 5,000-seat entertainment centre, and {{convert|100000|sqft|m2}} of convention space.Article, Windsor Star, 13 June 13, 2008
The operators intended to make the casino more attractive to U.S. gamblers. Before the September 11 attacks by terrorists in 2001 in the United States, Casino Windsor was the most popular casino in the Detroit market. Its customer base declined following increased border security by the US, a reduction in the exchange rate gap between Canadian and US currencies, a labour strike that closed the casino for a month in 2004, and the increasing popularity of the three Detroit properties. It may also have been affected by a provincial smoking ban, but Michigan and the US have also restricted public smoking since then.
The changes in the early 2000s were an effort to make Caesars Windsor a destination resort for tourists, and to reward clients of the Caesars brand, a high-end name in gaming. Caesars Windsor reopened on June 19, 2008, and featured American musician Billy Joel, who performed at the relaunch ceremonies to an invitation-only crowd.[http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/ The Windsor Star]{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
The hotel effectively closed on April 6, 2018, due to ongoing workers' strikes. These had resulted in reservation and concert cancellations.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/strike-at-caesars-windsor-postpones-blink-182-russell-peters-shows-1.3942216|title=Strike at Caesars Windsor postpones Blink-182, Russell Peters shows|date=2018-05-23|work=CTVNews|access-date=2018-05-25|language=en-CA}} The strike concluded with a ratification vote on June 4, 2018. Caesars Windsor re-opened on June 7, 2018.{{cite news |title=Caesars Windsor strike over after workers accept deal |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-ontario-caesars-tentative-third-agreement-monday-1.4690275 |access-date=January 4, 2019 |publisher=CBC News |date=June 4, 2018}}
Business climate
File:Caesars Windsor riverfront view 2022.jpg
In the late 1990s, the US-Canadian currency exchange rate had given people from the United States an economic incentive to gamble at Caesars Windsor. Numerous U.S. gamblers crossed the border in Casino Windsor's boom years of the late 1990s. The Canadian dollar was trading below the sixty-five-cent mark{{Cite web |url=http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/rates/can_us_lookup.html |title=Bank of Canada rates lookup |access-date=2007-02-02 |archive-date=2011-06-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611201410/http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/rates/can_us_lookup.html |url-status=dead }} compared to the U.S. dollar in the late 1990s. US visitors had incentive to gamble in Windsor, as well as spend in the city's hotels and hospitality establishments.
The rebounding of the Canadian dollar, which broke the ninety-cent mark in 2006, has been linked to the higher price of oil, since Canada is an oil exporting nation. It negatively affected the casino and the Windsor tourist trade. But, because the Canadian government does not tax gambling winnings, the casino has promoted this to attract clientele from the United States.
In 2007, the Canadian dollar eclipsed and exceeded the U.S. dollar by several cents, which contributed to the decline of the Windsor, Ontario hospitality sector. In addition, the casino must compete with three Detroit casino resorts, which opened across the river in 1999. The positive exchange rate for Canadians in the US has drawn them across the border to shop and gamble.
See also
Notes
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category-inline|Caesars Windsor Hotel & Casino}}
- [http://www.caesarswindsor.com Caesars Windsor]
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20040602031756/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=124175 Casino Windsor at Emporis.com]}}
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070323100720/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=casinowindsorhoteltowerii-windsor-canada Casino Windsor Hotel Tower II "Augustus" at Emporis.com]}}
- [http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=4407 SkyscraperPage.com's Profile on Casino Windsor]
{{coord|42|19|13.35|N|83|2|1.55|W|type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Windsor, Ontario}}
{{Caesars Entertainment}}
Category:1998 establishments in Ontario
Category:Skyscrapers in Windsor, Ontario
Category:Tourist attractions in Windsor, Ontario
Category:Economy of Windsor, Ontario
Category:Caesars Entertainment
Category:Skyscraper hotels in Canada