Courtesy Margaritaville Biloxi
Margaritaville Casino
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi has long been a popular gaming destination on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. This spring, the city welcomed a new inland gaming property: Margaritaville Casino. With a theme based on Jimmy Buffett’s legendary beach anthem, the casino combines traditional gaming with a laid-back attitude and atmosphere characteristic of Buffett’s music and the Margaritaville brand.
“What’s very unique about this property is that when you walk in, the back is all windows, so you look over the Back Bay,” said Kay Day, the casino’s director of marketing. “We’re really bringing the outside in and the inside out. We want to be fun and easy.”
Players will find 820 slot machines and 18 table games inside the 26,000-square-foot gaming area. The complex also features the signature Margaritaville restaurant, with over-the-top island touches such as a volcano waterslide.
In addition to gaming and dining, Margaritaville Casino offers a variety of indoor and outdoor entertainment. Stilt walkers, popular side performers at Jimmy Buffett concerts around the country, entertain guests at the casino’s entrance. And regional musical acts perform at the Landshark Bar, an outdoor lounge overlooking the bay.
The special features are part of an effort to brand the property according to the tropical flair associated with Margaritaville and Jimmy Buffett.
“We’ve got lots of palm trees and murals all over the walls that incorporate the Gulf Coast,” Day said. “We’ve got lime-shaped light fixtures and a bar inside the restaurant called Five o’ Clock Somewhere.”
L’Auberge Casino and Hotel
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Some 18,000 people attended the Labor Day weekend opening of L’Auberge Casino and Hotel Baton Rouge, the newest Pinnacle Entertainment casino in Louisiana. The $368 million property has a 74,000-square-foot facility with 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games and a poker room
Built on a 575-acre site overlooking the Mississippi River, the property showcases the area’s nature and culture.
“Our architect has done a fabulous job in designing this property rooted in Louisiana culture, the river and our fish camps,” said vice president of marketing Kim Ginn. “You see about seven fireplaces throughout the property. There’s a lot of stone and a lot of deep, rich colors. And we have little touches of red to play on the name of Baton Rouge, which means ‘Red Stick.’”
The complex’s 12-story hotel has guest rooms and a rooftop swimming pool that overlooks the river. Among the four restaurants at the property are a buffet called Bon Temps and a sports bar that pays tribute to Louisiana athletes. The fine-dining restaurant, called Eighteen, serves seafood and steak.
Developers built the new property with festivals and special events in mind. A multipurpose indoor event center has seating for up to 1,500 people for concerts and entertainment. Outdoor festival grounds at L’Auberge can hold up to 2,500 for large-scale celebrations.
