Two years after opening the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pa., Las Vegas Sands Corp. has opened the project's long-awaited hotel component, the Sands Hotel, it announced last month.
Located in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, approximately an hour from Philadelphia and 90 minutes from New York City, the hotel welcomed its first guests over the Memorial Day weekend and celebrated its official grand opening on June 9.
"We are very pleased to expand our property in Bethlehem to include the luxurious Sands Hotel, which will provide guests traveling from both near and far with a new level of comfort and convenience," said Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon G. Adelson. "Sands Bethlehem, our first U.S. property outside of Las Vegas, has been a successful partnership between Las Vegas Sands, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the residents and businesses of the local Lehigh Valley. We look forward to building on that partnership and achieving even greater success in the months and years to come."
Along with 300 guest rooms, the new hotel includes an indoor swimming pool and a fitness room, as well as over 5,000 square feet of meeting space and 3,000 square feet of pre-function and exhibit space — not to mention "In-Room Dining from Emeril's Kitchen," a private dining service for hotel guests by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse.
Adjacent to the hotel, the Sands Casino, a former steel plant, has 3,000 slot machines and 100 table games. The addition of a hotel is expected to give the casino — as well as the entire Pennsylvania gaming industry, which experts predict will soon overtake Atlantic City, N.J., as the nation's second-largest gaming market, behind only Nevada — a major boost. During its opening weekend alone, it saw occupancy peak at more than 80 percent.
"The volume of guests we saw this weekend is a great indication of future success of the Sands Hotel and we are extremely excited for what's to come," said Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem President Robert DeSalvio.
Although a construction timeline has not been announced, future plans at Sands Bethlehem include 200,000 square feet of retail space and a 50,000-square-foot events center for meetings and conventions.