Ameristar to expand Kansas City hotel
Ameristar Casinos said this morning it would spend $14 million to expand the hotel portion of its riverboat casino property in Kansas City, Mo.
The project will add 100 hotel rooms and a fitness center to the Ameristar Kansas City and is targeted for completion at the end of 2011.
Ameristar Kansas City currently has 184 hotel rooms, which were renovated in September 2006.
Expanding in Kansas City doesn’t mean the Las Vegas-based regional casino operator is not opposed to other opportunities elsewhere. Ameristar operates a hotel-casino in St. Charles, Mo., outside St. Louis and may be interested in acquiring a third Missouri gaming license.
"Although we have a longstanding commitment to economic development in Kansas City, we have been careful in allocating our free cash flow and capital during the recession,” Ameristar Chief Executive Officer Gordon Kanofsky said. “We are moving forward with this hotel addition now because we believe it will produce an attractive return on our investment."
The hotel addition will feature 80 rooms and 20 suites, and will connect into the current hotel on each floor utilizing the existing infrastructure.
