Siena Prepares for Reopening

Those colored saucers remind me of my Alien abduction. My implant is starting to tingle.

Is it just me or have we heard this before, "The Siena-2 will cater to high-end with first class amenities and will offer something unseen like never before. Didn't Siena-1 owner say and have the same exact philosophy only to cater to local meth heads who walked in for the penny machines. $5million ant gonna cut it to get that 5 star they're talking about (add a zero to that) and let's get serious. Here is what I would recommended: -repaint the exterior with accent white and red and blend with current terra cotta color. -remove and replace wall to wall carpeting -add imported Italian marble tiles or concrete stain -resurface parking lot, remove luminaries located inside the parking lot to the outside of parking lot and powder coat white so they shine brighter. -install 10' perimeter fencing around parking lot and concentrate on one ingress focal point rather than open to everyone to park and walk through -demolish the hotel in the middle of parking lot, DO NOT wait it out as Siena-1 did. -decrease parking spaces for more comfortable entry and departure rather than current chaos -either go with 90 degree parking or 60 degree parking but not both as currently, highly advise to go with 90 degree because it is easier to park and can handle more vehicles than 60 degree. -relocate front desk closer to casino floor to expose arriving guests to rest of casino -did I already say remove that ugly depressing dark non-padded carpet. -install mirrors on the dark black walls as this will reflect all interior lights (ceiling, machines) and easier to clean (ever wondered why Peppermill has so many). -go green, get LEED, stand out. -install fancy fiber optic, and/or LED colorkinetics throughout

I think the new owners have developed a good business plan and I think they have the capital to keep it up and I remember what the GM said to Nevada Newsmakers, you don't tell the locals you're a locals place the locals tell you you are I think that is genius. I have a reservation to stay on April 27 so I'll have a full review and tons of photos from my experience.

I wish the new owners well. I hope they are open to innovations and also hope they build a nice sports bar and the Cal Neva is yukky.

Why do these casinos try and cater to "high end" clientel? It's Reno, gaming tourism is over. All casino revenue is based on local gaming and people don't care about anything but value. People who want the "high end" experience can just go to Vegas and get the real experience.

Dave, I don't think gaming and tourism is over in Reno, although it is diminished substantially. Nor is it entirely limited to locals. You need to have the right product and if you do, you will capture a share of the neighboring states' visitors. The upscale rooms at Atlantis' concierge tower and the prime rooms at Peppermill seem to me to be renting out okay. I think the lower tiers of casino business is largely comprised of locals, however, with no offense intended, it just happens to be the case. I believe Siena can make it with a supreme marketing effort focused on special events and older clientele living in upscale communities in California. I wish them luck.

Has anyone been in the new casino yet? DTMD? Bueller? I'd love to hear or see what it look like now.

The casino was scheduled to open at 5 p.m. last night so I stopped and after work for a quick walk-through at about 5:10. They were close to opening, but didn't quite make their deadline. There were lots of dealers and pit people huddled up for last-minute instructions, the tables were in place, but there were no chips in the racks, cards in the trays or signs on the tables. The main bar was not open. They were just finishing an attractive new entrance from the parking lot directly into the center of the casino floor so there is no longer a need to walk down to the sidewalk entrances at the corner of the building, which is a big improvement in my opinion. Everything inside, from the floors to the walls to the ceiling, to the machines and tables, is new and clean. The casino floor occupies the same space as the former casino. There are two table gaming pits surrounded by slot machines. Lightning over the slot area is subdued. I am not a slot player so I can't evaluate the inventory, but there seemed to be a good variety of new machines. Also, they are not as densely packed together as in the old casino. Video poker on the floor seemed to be less than optimum. My standard measure is jacks or better, and the only pay tables I could find were 5/8. There were deuces wild and bonus varieties also, but my assumption is that their pay tables were equally reduced. The bar top machines were not in service so I don't know if they will be any different. The gaming pits are brightly lit by the large, circular hanging fixtures that could be seen in some of the construction photos. One is toward the west end of the floor, kind of in the coffee shop end of the casino. It has six tables, two on each side and one on each end. These all appear to be configured either for blackjack or pai gow poker. The larger pit is in the center of the casino floor, basically where the old pit used to be. It has 10 tables, four on each side with a roulette table at one end and a craps table at the other. There is a Let It Ride table, a three card poker table, blackjack and pai gow tables and a full sized baccarat table. There might have been another carnival game in there, too, (like casino hold ‘em or something) but I did not make note of it. One of the pit bosses told me that they planned to start with five dollar minimum limits. They plan to be dealing at least one game of single deck blackjack (double on 10 or 11 only) and one shoe game (double on any two), dealer always hit soft 17, and deal the other games as the market demands. I did not see any rip-off "blackjack pays 6:5 tables," thank God. The roulette is a single zero layout. Craps odds are 3/4/5. I did not have time to play so I can't comment on the attitudes of the dealers, deck penetration, drink service and so on. The upscale restaurants were not yet open. The coffee shop area, in my opinion, is much improved. Where it used to take up more floor space than really needed, the seating area has now been compressed into the river front end of the space. This opens up areas for a Peete’s coffee counter and a sushi bar next to the casino floor. The menu looked like typical coffee shop fare, and the prices were typical coffee shop prices, no bargains but once they get established they might have daily specials like most coffee shops. In sum, at least from a brief walk through it looks like the casino is what the new owners said it would be, that is, an attractive, comfortable boutique casino. Now, if management will just treat players fairly and if the rooms and other amenities measure up as well the Siena just might be around for awhile, at least if they can survive the second tier location. Time will tell.

Thanks Remano!! I am excited to visit the new casino this fall. Sushi is high on my list and Peetes Coffee would be good as well. I hope they bump the craps to 10x odds.....

I give them 2-3 years. I hope they prove me wrong but I just don't see them succeeding. Idealism vs realism.