Since 1971, lifelong friends Nat Carasali and Bill Paganetti have offered Reno and its visitors an escape from the everyday grind. The duo opened the Peppermill Coffee Shop and Lounge in the early ‘70s, and with every passing year, the property has become more and more well-refined. Along with partners the Seeno family, Carasali and Paganetti have overseen eight major expansions at the Peppermill, bringing top-notch gaming, entertainment and hospitality experiences to the community. And now the Peppermill has completed its biggest and best expansion ever, importing all the fine-ground details of Tuscany throughout the property.
The Peppermill Hotel Casino’s $400 million Tuscan-themed expansion opened its second phase in December 2007. The highlights of the expansion include: Tuscany Tower, the new 19-story 600-all-suite luxury tower with eight distinct designs that range from 550 square feet to 2,200 square feet; Biscotti’s, the property’s newest restaurant, featuring unique dishes and heart-warming classic comfort foods; Biscotti’s Café, a modern-day coffee shop where quick sips of cappuccino or espresso can be enjoyed in a quaint Italian setting; Tuscany Ballroom, a 62,000-square-foot convention center with fine Italian-inspired details; Poolside Terrace, a hot new nightclub featuring oversized couches and chairs and Italian greenery; and two romantic Wedding Chapels featuring cozy bridal suites and an array of bridal services. With all these new amenities and the gorgeous Sierra Nevada Mountains as its backdrop, the Peppermill Hotel Casino now proudly offers 1,635 rooms with 785 suites, 10 restaurants and more than 102,000 square feet of convention space.
A Masterful Plan
It’s always a difficult task to expand an existing property. Disrupting customers, employees and services, which can potentially mean loss of revenue, is just one of the many concerns — not to mention the logistics of the construction itself. But the Peppermill met these challenges with some well-thought-out planning. “The initial goal was to build a $400 million expansion without disrupting business,” Peter Wilday, a key designer and architect on the project, said. “We started with the new six-story parking structure and built that on the south side of the property while our guests parked on the north and west sides.”
By starting construction on the south side, Peppermill customers were able to continue using the old porte cochere until the new parking structure and porte cochere were finished. “The old porte cochere then became part of the casino expansion, which includes the new race and sports book,” Wilday added. “Once that phase was completed we moved to the west side of the property to build the new 600-room hotel tower, 62,000-square-foot convention center, the two restaurants and the lounge. We are just beginning the third phase, which includes a new three-story spa and salon, restaurant, nightclub and pool deck with Tuscan gardens and cabanas.”
The design team knew it was extremely important that the end result provide the best guest experience possible. “The project is unique in that we thought about our guests’ needs, including those attending conventions and meetings,” Wilday said. “The Tuscany Tower and Tuscany Ballroom entrances are near each other so that our guests can walk out of the elevator and be right next to the Tuscany Ballroom, Poolside Terrace Lounge and Biscotti’s restaurant.” That layout makes for a better experience for convention and trade-show guests — all too often hotel towers and convention space are on opposite sides of the property, making a long walk from rooms to meetings.
The Taste of Tuscany
The Tuscan theme of the expansion has deep roots with the owners. “We chose the Tuscan theme because all of the owners are Italian,” Wilday noted. “We always wanted to do something Italian and thought this was a great opportunity.” Inspirations from Italy are visible everywhere, from the meticulously hand-painted murals, hand-blown glass lamps, Cypress trees and marble statues inside Biscotti’s to the marble bathrooms with European-style soaking tubs in the Tuscany Tower luxury suites and the Tuscan gardens and Italian artwork at the Poolside Terrace. The beauty and luxury of Italy are omnipresent.
“When we started to build the parking garage, it was originally designed as just a parking garage,” Wilday added. “But as time passed, we decided to extend the taste of Tuscany to the main entrance on Virgina Street.” Continuing with the Italian theme, the design team added a striking dome near the porte cochere and will eventually add Tuscan themes and colors around the entire building.
“One of the most memorable moments is when we made that commitment to highlight Tuscany around the property,” Wilday said.
Other highlights of the expansion are the Wedding Chapels, which continue the Tuscan theme with elegant decorations and colors; and the courtyard, which is currently under construction and will feature pools and gardens evoking the feel of Italy with Tuscan-themed buildings wrapping around its perimeter.
“The expansion is definitely a team effort,” Wilday says. “The owners, architects, construction company, subcontractors, engineers and employees all worked together to make this project a huge success.”
Key Players
Owners: Bill Paganetti, Nat Carasali, The Seeno Family
Contractor: Sierra Bay Contractors
Architect/Designer: MBA Architects
Krista Reiner is the Managing Editor for Casino Enterprise Management. She can be reached at (701)293-7775 or editor1@aceme.org.
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