[COM] SkyCity Adelaide Casino Expansion | 55m | 12 Levels | Hotel

[Briggzy_03]

Am I correct in my understanding that this $300 million involves what I assume would be a complete gutting and renovation of the whole complex in addition to the new hotel?

[[Shuz]]

I would bloody well hope so. The current facilities are a bit of a dive. Very underwhelming.

[crawf]

You think Adelaide Casino is bad?. Go have a look at the Treasury Casino in Brisbane, that place reeks of a large country town pub. Beautiful exterior though.

[Benski81]

I just got back from Melbourne and spent a bit of time in the Crown and it got me thinking. Does anybody know what that cost back in the day? I'm just trying to get a reference point for what $300 mil could get us given the article mentions a hotel in conjunction with the casino like the crown.

[pushbutton]

As I understand it the artist impression is still not a final design so in therms of aesthetics I'll have to wait until the final design is released.

In terms of facilities, again more information is probably yet to be finalised.

However I do not like the sound of "signature", "exclusive", "high end", "high roller" etc. What about providing some facilities for ordinary people too, as Crown casino in Melbourne does? If they did that would be fantastic and could very well be the start of a brilliant and exciting entertainment precinct for Adelaide.

I fully understand why they want to attract wealthy people from interstate and overseas and it makes good business sense, but $300m should be enough to do this and also provide facilities that will be attractive to normal people as well. Maybe the government should have made that a condition of their monopoly license.

As it stands according to the information I've seen so far, the only people who might benefit are the super-rich. I'm not one of them so it's of no use to me!

[Matt]

Looks like a pretty large expansion. I'm sure there will be bits for us plebs in there too.
Hopefully some eateries/bars facing onto the Riverbank and Festival Plaza.

[ChillyPhilly]

Looks like a pretty large expansion. I'm sure there will be bits for us plebs in there too.
Hopefully some eateries/bars facing onto the Riverbank and Festival Plaza.

That'd be nice. The other day I was thinking about this project and others in Adelaide over the years, and gave a thought to Melbourne too. There's a significant difference between both riverfronts. I think Adelaide has the advantage in that the riverbanks are green. Melbourne ditched this along the Yarra in favour of concrete. Hopefully this advantage is used well.

[Matt]

I'd like to think we can have the best of both.
The car park element of the plenary building (Convention Centre) is a worry though. The section facing the river should be opened up for food/drinks/retail, not walled off for cars. Defies logic that this is even part of the plan.

[Vee]

Looks like a pretty large expansion. I'm sure there will be bits for us plebs in there too.
Hopefully some eateries/bars facing onto the Riverbank and Festival Plaza.

That'd be nice. The other day I was thinking about this project and others in Adelaide over the years, and gave a thought to Melbourne too. There's a significant difference between both riverfronts. I think Adelaide has the advantage in that the riverbanks are green. Melbourne ditched this along the Yarra in favour of concrete. Hopefully this advantage is used well.

Agree with all these sentiments, Matt and ChillyPhilly.
The Riverbank redevelopment is opening up the vista of the River and environs to an increasing number of people beyond the casual strollers, runners, cyclists and the occasional workers, event attendees and Convention visitors as now. The Casino expansion will have to include eateries/bars and views over the river for we plebs as well as high rollers.

The Adelaide Oval new dining/function room, as featured in the Christmas at Adelaide Oval function, promises great views of the river.

The Terrace provides a bar, some alfresco dining and great views over the river. I was there yesterday and the weather was great and there were more people out and about, with a definite interest in the construction of the new Footbridge and the Oval redevelopment across the river. And yes, I also thought about and commented on the contrast with Melbourne with our more elevated and grassy riverbanks.

Isn't the Festival Centre itself getting an extended dining area/facelift overlooking the river in conjunction with/following the Footbridge development? I can't understand why the Festival Centre was built with only a narrow walkway around the (elevated) outside on the river side and failed to incorporate a significant outside elevated alfresco area with river views. (alfresco not high priority in the 60s?)

The plaza area was soul less, deserted, neglected and quite depressing. Thankfully the plaza and Hajek sculpture area are on the radar for redevelopment too.

I think the Casino expansion/hotel on the river side is an essential part of the revitalization of this precinct, bringing more visitors and providing hospitality/event services over longer hours for locals and tourists. Greater numbers of people out and about adds to the vibrancy, visitor appeal and sense of safety/security.

[Nathan]

However I do not like the sound of "signature", "exclusive", "high end", "high roller" etc. What about providing some facilities for ordinary people too, as Crown casino in Melbourne does? If they did that would be fantastic and could very well be the start of a brilliant and exciting entertainment precinct for Adelaide.

Disagree. When it opened, Adelaide Casino was pitched in the vein of an up-market European casino. You had to properly dress up if you wanted to go, and it all had an air of class to it. As they've chased the "ordinary person" since, the experience has rotted down where they have banks and banks of poker machines, tacky sports bars, lacking dress codes and woeful cover bands for "entertainment". They've taken a beautiful setting and made it an utterly horrible.

[Brucetiki]

However I do not like the sound of "signature", "exclusive", "high end", "high roller" etc. What about providing some facilities for ordinary people too, as Crown casino in Melbourne does? If they did that would be fantastic and could very well be the start of a brilliant and exciting entertainment precinct for Adelaide.

Disagree. When it opened, Adelaide Casino was pitched in the vein of an up-market European casino. You had to properly dress up if you wanted to go, and it all had an air of class to it. As they've chased the "ordinary person" since, the experience has rotted down where they have banks and banks of poker machines, tacky sports bars, lacking dress codes and woeful cover bands for "entertainment". They've taken a beautiful setting and made it an utterly horrible.

Maybe Adelaide-ians lack class

[pushbutton]

However I do not like the sound of "signature", "exclusive", "high end", "high roller" etc. What about providing some facilities for ordinary people too, as Crown casino in Melbourne does? If they did that would be fantastic and could very well be the start of a brilliant and exciting entertainment precinct for Adelaide.

Disagree. When it opened, Adelaide Casino was pitched in the vein of an up-market European casino. You had to properly dress up if you wanted to go, and it all had an air of class to it. As they've chased the "ordinary person" since, the experience has rotted down where they have banks and banks of poker machines, tacky sports bars, lacking dress codes and woeful cover bands for "entertainment". They've taken a beautiful setting and made it an utterly horrible.

Maybe Adelaide-ians lack class

Can't really comment, except to say I am an ordinary person without millions to waste. MOST people are!

The Crown Casino in Melbourne (which I use again as a comparison because it's the only other casino I'm fairly familiar with) is accessible to ordinary people as it has facilities like food courts, roving entertainment, theatrical events incorporated into the architecture, shops, cinemas, cafes, theatres, bars, and nightclubs. It certainly has plenty of class as well though.

[ghs]

Crown casino has plenty of class.

I disagree. It just full of poker machines and stupid people who go there and lose
money. It's good, but I wouldn't say it has plenty of class.

[Matt]

The hotel/restaurants/shops might have a bit of class/grandeur, but the casino is trashy as anything.
Heaving with people, pokies and pissheads.

[bm7500]

Some proposed timing of the Casino works.

Adelaide | Commuters aren’t alone in their frustration with delayed rail projects – Adelaide Casino is also losing out.

New Zealand-based SkyCity, owners of the casino at Adelaide Railway Station, blamed rail delays for flat revenue in its annual report to shareholders, tabled this week at the company’s AGM in Auckland.

Revenue at the casino has been flat, due in part to the State’s soft economy and the rail delays, chairman Nigel Morrison told shareholders.

“A soft economy continued to beset Adelaide this year, with ongoing uncertainty over mining plans and a consequent softening in overall confidence,” Morrison said.

“Normalised revenue of A$160.4 million was flat.

“In January, the railway station that the casino sits above was closed for electrification – meaning no trains coming to our site, another of the major rail-lines still has not re-opened and no carparks.

“Our people certainly had to work hard to maintain visitation and revenue – and they did a good job in such challenging circumstances focusing on costs and increasing normalised (pre-tax earnings) margin to 23.6 percent.”

The casino operator said there were some recent positive signs.

“More recently,earnings have picked up – a sign perhaps that the worst of the downturn is over.”

The pain from rail delays, however, is likely to continue with Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis admitting yesterday the scheduled September re-opening of the Noarlunga line was “45 to 60 days” away.

The line has been closed for nine months for upgrade work.

Similar delays were experienced with the re-opening of the Belair line.

SkyCity’s report also outlined the schedule of works for the proposed redevelopment of its casino and entertainment complex.

“In July 2013, changes to the gaming legislation in South Australia passed through Parliament, paving the way for us to finalise our agreements with the Government,” the report said.

“Two key phases of development will follow.

“The first will be the refurbishment of our existing operations … to be completed during the first half of the year in 2014.

“In the second phase, we will seek development and planning approvals for our new development including the 6-star hotel, extended gaming and signature food and beverage restaurants.

“All going well, we should start construction of these in early to mid 2014 with a view to completion by mid-to-end 2016 calendar year.”

SkyCity’s general manager of business development Aaron Morrison relocated to Adelaide in January to lead the transformation.

http://www.indaily.com.au