arvenstone.comEditorial Index

Chapter Three

Casino Hotels

Four hotels that happen to contain a gaming floor. Each is treated here as a hotel first: where it sits, how the rooms and restaurants work, what the surrounding area offers, and where the gaming floor fits among the rest of the property's facilities. Nothing in this chapter is written to encourage gambling, and no gaming is available through this site.

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Montreal Casino & Hotel

Montreal, Canada

The Montreal property occupies a distinctive site on Île Notre-Dame, in buildings that began life as pavilions for a world exposition and were later converted. That origin still shapes the experience: the levels are unusual, the sightlines are long, and the river and park setting is genuinely separate from the downtown core a short drive away.

As a hotel it works as a self-contained stay. There are several restaurants at different registers, a theatre and event programme, and the parkland of the island immediately outside for anyone who wants an hour of walking between meals. The gaming floor is one of the property's facilities, operating on its own levels with its own hours, and it is entirely possible to use the hotel without visiting it.

Île Notre-Dame, Montreal, Quebec · converted world-exposition pavilions · multiple restaurants, theatre and event spaces · gaming floor on dedicated levels, age-restricted

Fallsview Casino Resort

Niagara Falls, Canada

Fallsview is built into the escarpment above the Niagara gorge, and the name is literal — the upper floors and several of the public rooms look directly onto the falls. That single fact organises the whole property. Restaurants are placed for the view, the guest rooms are graded by it, and the building's circulation carries people upward rather than inward.

Beyond the view it functions as a resort hotel: a spa, a large theatre that draws touring acts, a shopping concourse, and enough dining to keep a two-night stay varied. The falls themselves, the parkland along the river and the town's other attractions are within walking distance. The gaming floor occupies its own section of the complex, one component of a much larger building.

Above the Niagara gorge, Ontario · rooms and dining oriented to the falls · spa, theatre and retail concourse on site · gaming floor in a dedicated section, age-restricted

River Rock Casino Resort

Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

River Rock sits on the Fraser River in Richmond, a few minutes from Vancouver International Airport and on the rapid transit line into the city — a combination that makes it unusually practical as a base rather than a destination. There is a marina at the water's edge and a long riverside walk beyond it.

The hotel side is straightforward and well equipped: comfortable rooms, a spread of restaurants from casual to formal, a large theatre used for concerts, and conference facilities that see steady business use. Richmond's own food scene is a short walk away and is reason enough to stay in the area. The gaming floor is a separate, age-restricted part of the complex with its own entrances.

On the Fraser River in Richmond, near Vancouver airport · rapid transit connection to central Vancouver · theatre, spa, marina and several restaurants · gaming floor separately accessed, age-restricted

Casino Rama Resort

Orillia, Ontario, Canada

Casino Rama stands in the lake country north of Toronto, near Orillia, on land belonging to the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. It is the most rural of the four properties in this chapter, and the setting does most of the work: lakes, woodland and small towns in every direction, with the resort as the one large building among them.

The hotel offers full-service rooms, a spa, a sizeable entertainment venue that has hosted touring performers for decades, and a range of restaurants scaled to guests who are staying rather than passing through. Many visitors treat it as a weekend base for the surrounding region. The gaming floor is one facility within the resort, age-restricted and separately managed from the accommodation.

Near Orillia, Ontario, in the lakes region north of Toronto · owned and operated in association with the Chippewas of Rama First Nation · entertainment venue, spa and several restaurants · gaming floor age-restricted