BLACK HAWK, Colo. -- It's quiet in now, but give it a day.
“The project that’s been a long time in the making. But we’re super excited to open our expansion tomorrow on Thursday,” Director of Marketing for Monarch Casino, Resort & Spa Erica Ferris said.
The expansion at the Monarch Casino in Black Hawk is huge.
“Three new restaurants and expanding gaming floor, sports book, desk. Next Wednesday we'll open the first half of our hotel and shortly after that we'll open the rest of it. We'll crown with 516 rooms, spa, fitness center, five restaurants, retail space, expanded gaming, 40 table games and an extraordinary,” Ferris said.
The novel coronavirus pandemic delayed the expansion a little bit.
"It is a unique time to open a property. Never saw this coming. But I think 2020 has given us a lot of surprises,” she said.
The surprise of 2020 brought a new obstacle with the pandemic.
“I think we would be nervous to open at any time, I just think it makes this a little bit more challenging but it also makes us really want to work harder,” Ferris said.
There will clearly be a number of health and safety protocols. Spacing between gaming machines, health checks, servers at the buffet, diner limits, but of all the challenges moving forward, one is a little surprising.
“One of the biggest challenges we’ve had, awkwardly, is hiring. We have hundreds of positions that are still available in our new resort,” she said.
It's got the look. They're just hoping people come and they keep an eye on what's happening in Gilpin County.
“There’s a lot of things that we're concerned about right now. I think we have decided to focus on doing the best that we can and to make sure that we’re following more than we’re being asked to do,” Ferris said. “I don’t think 2020 has been easy for anybody but we’re doing the best we can. Really proud of how the team has behaved and acted."
