Biloxi – Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. officials announced today that it has opened its casino at the Westin and Sheraton at Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort at Freeport, Grand Bahama.
The approximately 19,000 square-foot resort-style casino offers 400 slot machines and 21 table games. The property also features a 110-seat upscale restaurant called The Cove.
The casino is expected to draw customers from the south Florida area and the eastern United States, as well as international markets.
Bernard Goldstein, chairman and chief executive officer of Isle of Capri Casinos, said, „Following our completion of the Isle of Capri's venture into the UK, the Our Lucaya casino furthers the company's presence on an international scale.“
The company held an opening ceremony and ribbon cutting to celebrate the event at 10 a.m. EST today. The Honorable Obediah H. Wilchcombe, Minister of Tourism with responsibility for Gaming was in attendance.
Timothy M. Hinkley, president and chief operating officer of Isle of Capri Casinos, said, „Our Lucaya offers an exciting fit to the company's tropical branding efforts. This casino will bring greater opportunities to Isle players through more IsleOne deferred-reward program benefits with travel to the Bahamas.“
The 300 Isle employees marked the event with a pre-opening pep rally and party on Saturday, featuring live entertainment and giveaways.
The Westin and Sheraton at Our Lucaya, operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. includes, 14 food-and-beverage outlets, a conference center, a tennis center, four ocean-front pools and spa & fitness center, two 18-hole championship golf courses and a Butch Harmon School of Golf.
Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc., the leader in regional gaming, owns and operates 17 riverboat, dockside and land-based casinos at 16 locations, including Biloxi, Vicksburg, Lula and Natchez, Mississippi; Bossier City and Lake Charles (two riverboats), Louisiana; Black Hawk (two land-based casinos) and Cripple Creek, Colorado; Bettendorf, Davenport and Marquette, Iowa; and Kansas City and Boonville, Missouri. International locations include Freeport, Grand Bahama and Dudley, England. The company also operates Pompano Park Harness Racing Track in Pompano Beach, Florida.
The Westin and Sheraton at Our Lucaya Beach and Golf Resort is a 372-acre resort on Grand Bahama Island. The 1,260 room resort features two 18-hole golf courses, the Butch Harmon School of Golf, Senses Spa and fitness center, 14 restaurants and lounges, four premier tennis courts, Camp Lucaya children's center and four oceanfront swimming pools. For information, please call toll-free (800) Westin – 1 (937-8461) for the Westin at Our Lucaya, (800) 325-3535 for the Sheraton at Our Lucaya or visit www.westin.com/ourlucaya or www.sheraton.com/ourlucaya.
Starwood is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 740 properties in 80 countries and 105,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W brands, as well as Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwood.com.
This press release may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to change. These forward-looking statements may be significantly impacted, either positively or negatively by various factors, including without limitation, licensing, and other regulatory approvals, financing sources, development and construction activities, costs and delays, weather, permits, competition and business conditions in the gaming industry. The forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the statements herein.
Additional information concerning potential factors that could affect the Company's financial condition, results of operations and expansion projects, is included in the filings of the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, its Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 27, 2003 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 26, 2003.