For the first time ever, Reno, Nev., opened a hotel where its primary branding isn’t focused on gaming. The former Sienna Hotel reopened after completing a full renovation to become the Renaissance Reno Downtown Hotel.
The Sienna Hotel closed up shop in June 2015, abandoning 22,000 square feet of casino space to be transformed into an entertainment venue kitted out with shuffleboards, bocce ball and skee-ball, as well as a restaurant and two 50-foot projection screens. The update also added a 15-foot outdoor restaurant deck, capable of seating 90 guests above the Truckee River.
Welcome to the #renhotels family, @RenRenoDowntown! The doors officially opened today. pic.twitter.com/JBj8ROHSSc
— Renaissance Hotels (@RenHotels) April 5, 2017
The 214-room property first opened as the Holiday Hotel in 1956, which struggled without a casino component and continued to struggle once one was added. Fernando Leal purchased the property at auction for $3.9 million, and said in a statement he partnered with Marriott International and planned the renovation as a means to “raise the standards for hospitality in the city.”
“It’s hard to believe but it is the only property over the actual river with outdoor drinks and dining,” Leal said in a statement. “The number of people that we’re going to be employing here is going to be higher than when it was a casino.”
The property will also offer 38,200 square feet of meeting and events space, as well as 10,000 square feet of outdoor recreation space outfitted with a bar and restaurant. The property is pet friendly, and for now only the hotel portion is open for business. The rest is set to go live May 17 after a full grand opening.