One month before opening day, work is nearing completion at the new location of Hollywood Casino Aurora.
The $360 million project — located along Farnsworth Avenue and Bilter Road, across the street from Chicago Premium Outlets mall and near the Interstate 88 interchange — has been under construction since 2023. The new casino, hotel and related restaurants are planned to open on June 24, replacing the longtime riverboat Hollywood Casino in downtown Aurora.
But the new Hollywood Casino Aurora will be more than a simple replacement for the downtown location. Greg Moore, vice president and general manager of Hollywood Casino Aurora, called it “an absolute evolution in the strongest sense of the word.”
The old property did well, but it was designed to “just be a casino,” according to Moore. In contrast, the new location is “a full-on entertainment complex,” he said, since it includes a casino, an entertainment venue, an outdoor courtyard, a spa, a hotel and multiple restaurants, some made through partnerships with celebrity chefs.
Members of the media got a chance to walk through the new complex on Thursday morning to get an early look at the offerings. Work was still being done on the open casino floor, which was off limits even for photography but is expected to accommodate around 1,200 people actively engaged in slot machines or table games.
Although the new Hollywood Casino Aurora is getting all new tables, some of the slot machines are being brought over from the downtown location, which is set to close around 14 days before the new casino opens, according to Moore.
The casino floor has its own food and drink offerings — including the main “O Bar,” an Asian restaurant called “Red Lotus,” an entertainment bar called “& Vine” and a sports bar with a state-of-the-art retail sportsbook — but there are a variety of other restaurants through the building, too. Only the casino floor will be restricted to those 21 years old or older, Moore confirmed.
The first restaurant casino-goers are likely to see when they enter the site is Sorella, an Italian steakhouse by celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, since it is located just inside the entrance from the free on-site parking garage.
Hand-laid tiles will welcome guests inside the restaurant, where they might see pasta being hand-made. To enjoy a menu that also includes steaks, Roman-style pizza and other Italian dishes, guests might choose to sit inside or outside on a patio — or a group might rent the private room in the back, which features a functional fireplace and large screens that can be controlled by those renting the room.
Those looking for a more casual experience might check out the Boulevard Food & Drink Hall, which is being developed in partnership with McClain Camarota Hospitality, the restaurant group of James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Shawn McClain.
Located on the bottom floor of the hotel, the food hall will offer general seating and a variety of restaurants with counter-service. In the summer, food hall-goers might choose to sit outside in the front of the hotel or in the enclosed patio.
Restaurants within the food hall will include Tabo Sushi by James Beard Award-winning chef Takashi Yagihashi, Urbanbelly by renowned chef Bill Kim, Lucky Goat by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard, Antique Taco, Pretty Cool Ice Cream and Five50 Pizza.
Although many of these are also at Joliet’s new Hollywood Casino, Moore said that Tabo Sushi and Urbanbelly are going to be unique to Aurora.
The restaurants are “absolutely” going to be an attraction of the new Hollywood Casino Aurora, according to Moore. He said that a lot of effort went into getting people who were internationally known in an effort to “bring the city to the suburbs.”
“And, we have free parking,” he added.
A stroll through the Boulevard Food & Drink Hall will take guests to Drift Spa, the second location of a Pennsylvania-based luxury wellness spa by beauty and wellness entrepreneur Stacey Steffes.
Designed to minimize hard lines to invoke the feeling of being in nature, the spa will feature seven massage rooms and 11 stations for hair, makeup and nails. There’s even a dimly-lit “relaxation room” with cushioned lounge chairs for those waiting for services.
While guests of the hotel will get items from the spa to use in their rooms, Drift Spa will be open for business to all.
Rising above the food hall and spa are 226 hotel rooms, including high-end suites with living-room areas. All of the rooms will feature art, warm color tones, floor-to-ceiling windows and integrated technology, with full room service available.
Guests of the hotel will also have exclusive access to a fitness center, the entrance of which is next to the spa.
Those looking to get an early spot at the Hollywood Casino Aurora hotel can already make reservations by going to www.HollywoodCasinoAurora.com. As of Friday evening, there were rooms available for the night of June 25 ranging from around $500–$600.
Although the hotel rises for many floors higher, there is no “floor four” — the elevator buttons simply go from three to five. Moore explained that, in some cultures, four is considered an unlucky floor, and so it made sense to simply skip it.
While the casino entrance and hotel can be seen from the front of the building, the back also holds an extensive 12,000-square-foot event center.
The goal was to make the event center as close to a “one-stop shop” as possible, Moore said. For instance, the center has its own catering team, he said, which has been practicing for opening day by feeding lunch to those working on the casino.
And just in case someone wants to get married on-the-fly, “Las Vegas-style,” Moore is an ordained minister in the state of Illinois.
“So, I can step in and make sure that gets done,” he said.
The event space is modular, with walls that can be added and a stage that can be positioned at various spots throughout the space. So not only will the event space be available for weddings and corporate events, but it is also set to host a variety of live acts.
Several shows have already been announced, including X Ambassadors on July 11, Lit and Sponge on July 17, The Marshall Tucker Band on Aug. 28 and Ben Bankas on Sept. 6.
Beyond those already planned, Moore said that Hollywood Casino Aurora intends to continue offering live shows into the future, and that they aren’t being held simply because the new casino is opening up this year.
The new Hollywood Casino Aurora is set to be LEED Certified, incorporating solar panels on the roof of the casino, energy-efficient lighting, water conserving toilets and integrated sink systems.
Once the new location is open, Hollywood Casino’s parent company Penn Entertainment has an agreement with the city of Aurora to demolish the riverboat location in downtown, including the barge, building and walkway over the Fox River, then turn the land over to the city of Aurora.
On Friday, a city spokesperson confirmed that Aurora intends to move forward with that agreement, noting that the building would be demolished and that the riverfront area would be restored, but did not give any additional details about future plans for the site.
The city of Aurora is supporting the new Hollywood Casino location through an agreed up-front payment of $50 million, to be paid back to the city through a tax increment financing district on the property. The passage of that TIF district was controversial and was opposed by current Mayor John Laesch, who was an alderman at-large on the Aurora City Council at the time.
City officials previously said that the incentive was needed to keep the casino in Aurora.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
