Artist rendering of the new Montreign Casino.
Empire Resorts, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary Montreign Operating Company, LLC (together with Empire and its other subsidiaries, the "Company") the new marketing campaign, "A Catskills Destination Reborn" for the Montreign Resort Casino ("Montreign"). This campaign captures the Company's vision of Montreign by reimagining the Catskills as a world-class resort destination for gaming and entertainment. Staying true to the legacy of the Catskills while at the same time looking towards the future, Montreign will combine its 18-story casino, hotel and entertainment complex featuring an 80,000 sq.ft. casino (with 61 table games and 2,150 state-of-the-art slot machines), 391 luxury rooms designed to meet the 4-star and 4-diamond standards of Forbes and AAA, multiple dining and entertainment options, and meeting and conference space with the natural beauty of its surroundings. Montreign, from an architectural, design and use-of-materials perspective, was designed to blend naturally with the pristine and beautiful environment of the Catskills.
As part of the reimagined Catskills, Empire has entered into an exclusive agreement with Monticello Motor Club ("MMC"), North America's Premier Private Racetrack and Country Club, making Montreign the only casino on the East Coast to offer guests the experience of driving high-performance vehicles on MMC's private 4.1-mile track. Located just minutes from Montreign, MMC will provide Montreign's premium guests access to MMC's stable of exotic high-performance street and race vehicles, instruction from its team of driving pros, outdoor karting, ice/snow winter driving lessons, and its off-road Land Rover Experience. The agreement with MMC is an example of how the Company is working with local businesses to ensure a beneficial relationship for all stakeholders in the region.
In addition, Empire has teamed up with award-winning chef, author and TV personality Scott Conant to open his newest restaurant, Bistecca by Scott Conant, at Montreign. The Italian steakhouse will be a fine dining destination featuring a menu comprised of prime and Angus cut meats, fresh seafood, poultry and classic Italian dishes. The global wine list will be robust to accompany the menu, and will feature wines from New York, California, France, Italy, Chile and Argentina, among others.
"Montreign, for which we have full funding commitments, represents a new approach toward gaming and entertainment that will reimagine, reinvent, and revitalize the Catskills for years to come. Our intention is simple: the rebirth of the hospitality and tourism industries in the Catskills. This type of out-of-the-box thinking, coupled with our deep-rooted community engagement, will produce a resort experience seen nowhere else in the United States," said Emanuel Pearlman, Chairman of Empire. "We are a New York company committed to creating good-paying union jobs in the region, while generating much needed revenue for the community."
"I'm excited to be working with Montreign because our shared vision for the Catskills is to create a dining destination in an area that I have always loved visiting and is just a few hours from my home," said Conant. "At Bistecca, we will source our ingredients from the region as much as possible, offer a global wine list, and deliver a dining experience that will delight our guests whether they are looking for classic steakhouse dishes or Italian classics. The menu will be a true testament to the bounty of the Hudson Valley."
"Where else on the East Coast can you check in to your hotel, enjoy a day at a luxury gaming facility, and then learn the art of high-performance driving in a fleet of exotic cars at a private country club race track?" asked Ari Straus, partner and CEO of Monticello Motor Club. "Through this exclusive arrangement with Empire, Montreign's premium guests will have that very option."
Empire also unveiled the design of its "Me. Card" to be used for the Company's Me. Club rewards program. The Me. Card will provide guests with the opportunity to earn points for slot and table play, and if permitted by gaming regulators, guests will be rewarded for enjoying hotel, dining, entertainment and spa experiences at Montreign as well. In addition, Montreign will offer its Me. Card rewards points program with eligible hospitality, restaurants, entertainment venues and retail establishments both within the Adelaar resort and at other local and regional establishments. This will provide guests an incentive to experience the wide variety of excellent and diverse entertainment, retail and hospitality options in Sullivan County and the Catskills and further driving economic activity.
Montreign is part of the larger Adelaar resort, a proposed $1 billion four-season destination resort developed by an Empire subsidiary and EPR Properties ("EPR"). Beautifully situated in the pristine Catskills, Adelaar is poised to become one of the most comprehensive destination gaming resorts in the northeastern United States, and will feature a variety of world-class leisure and recreational options, including an indoor waterpark hotel and adventure park, a Rees Jones-redesigned "Monster" Golf Course, restaurants and world-class shopping and entertainment. Located 90 minutes from New York City, Adelaar is expected to create more than 5,000 construction and permanent jobs in an area with one of highest unemployment rates in the state.
Because of the early and comprehensive planning of Adelaar, and the diligent pursuit of all approvals needed, the Company is able to commence construction of Montreign immediately upon award of a gaming license. Many permits and approvals are already secured for Adelaar, generally, and for Montreign, specifically, and additional permits and approvals are being actively processed. Once a gaming license is awarded, Montreign can begin creating real jobs and injecting tax revenue into the community almost immediately.
Empire and EPR are committed to utilizing New York contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. Montreign has already engaged as its construction manager LPCiminelli ("LPC"). Through LPC, the Company has signed a Project Labor Agreement with the local unions affiliated with the Hudson Valley Building and Construction Trades Council. In addition, Montreign has engaged DACK Consulting Group to aid its efforts in reaching out to the New York MWVBE contracting community, as well as to assist Montreign with its MWVBE-purchasing and diversity hiring efforts. Montreign and Adelaar have the support of the Town of Thompson Board, which has voted in favor of supporting Montreign's gaming license application.
Further, Montreign and Upstate Theaters for a Fairgame ("Fairgame") have entered into an MOU on behalf of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Sullivan County ("Bethel"), and Bardavon Opera House in Dutchess County ("Bardavon") to assist in the promotion of events at these venues. The MOU contemplates support for Bethel and Bardavon's respective missions and the operation of these entertainment venues and includes cross marketing efforts and financial support.
For more information visit, www.montreign.com.
Watch this time-lapse photography of the construction project to date.
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