Montreal casino expands, opens 200-room hotel at Parc Jean-Drapeau
Montreal Casino is expanding its resort operations on Notre-Dame Island in Jean-Drapeau Park with a new 200-room hotel.
Loto-Quebec, the government organization responsible for regulating and operating casinos and lottery games in the province, announced plans to expand its Montreal casino on Monday. The project costs C$150 million ($112 million) and is expected to take two to three years to complete.
The hotel will be built next to the current casino and across from St. Helens Island on the St. Lawrence River. Montreal Casino does not currently offer on-site accommodation.
The Montreal Casino has been a landmark in the city for 30 years. We are extremely proud to announce the construction of this hotel as it will place the casino at the top of the best entertainment destinations. “It will showcase Montreal beautifully,” said Jean-François Bergeron, president and CEO of Loto-Quebec.
The Montreal Casino replaced the International World's Fair, commonly known as Expo 67, and was built for the 1967 World's Fair. The casino features over 3,200 slot machines and 115 electronic and live dealer table games.
Local Opposition
Loto-Quebec is a Crown Corporation that owns six resorts and gaming facilities. In addition to the Casino de Montreal, these casinos include the Casino du Lac in Gatineau, the Casino Mont-Tremblant, the Hotel Casino Charlevoix in La Malbaie, the Salon de Québec and the Salon de Trio Rivière.
Montreal casinos attract more than seven million visitors each year. Caroline Proulx, tourism minister for the Lanaudier region, said the hotel will add to the destination's appeal and "further raise Montreal's profile on the world stage."
Not everyone agrees that Parc Jean-Drapeau lacks hotels.
"Parc Jean-Drapeau is a gem that deserves development, but not by adding a luxury hotel. I can't believe the city would allow a hotel to be built in the middle of a famous park." City Councilman Craig Soffer "This is a completely unacceptable commercialization of public space," he said. "
Sauvé added that the luxury hotel would primarily serve an "affluent clientele". He said those guests would "enjoy the beautiful view of the Formula 1 track from their balconies and luxury suites," while Montrealers would "suffer from not being able to access the entire area of Notre Dame."
Early Planning Phase
Specific details about the Montreal casino hotel are unclear, with Loto-Quebec saying the hotel is only in the early stages of soliciting offers from developers. The lottery and gaming group supports the construction of a "low-rise building" with "the highest sustainability standards to minimize environmental impact".
Parc Jean-Drapeau is the third largest park in Montreal, covering an area of approximately 520 hectares. St. Helens was named by French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1611 after his wife Helene.
St. Helen's Island remained in private ownership until 1818, when the British government acquired the site and used it as a fort. It wasn't until 1870 that the new Canadian government bought it and transformed it into a park. The artificial island of Notre Dame was built for the 1967 World's Fair.
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Source: www.casino.org
