BEST BETS
Our picks for some of the hottest casinos in the U.S.
By Karrie L. Zukowski
Everyone has a favorite place to play, and the experts at Strictly Slots are no exception. To showcase our preferred casino destinations, we present some of our picks for favorite casinos in various regions across the country. Here are our selections for this month’s Best Bets.
MOTORCITY CASINO HOTEL
Detroit, Michigan
In the heart of Detroit you’ll find an exciting escape destination – MotorCity Casino Hotel. Featuring world-class luxury hotel accommodations, spa facilities, ne dining, live performance venues and high-energy gaming, it’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else.
Guests are surrounded by elegance, the latest technology and quality nuances when staying in one of the 400 luxurious rooms or 33 spacious suites. Featuring such amenities as complimentary Wi-access throughout the hotel property, decadent bedding with 300- thread count linens, exclusive on-screen pillow library, marble bathroom with separate soaking tub and shower, in-room coffee maker featuring Starbucks coffee, exclusive D.Tour Spa bath products, 24-hour in-room dining and fitness center, you won’t nd its equal.
Neon lights. Music. Excitement. Great food. It’s all at MotorCity! With over 2,800 slot machines, 59 table games and a 12-table smoke-free Poker Room, it’s a player’s paradise.
MotorCity provides an innovative, interactive gaming experience for slot players. Traditional reel games and the newest five-reel and video games are available in denominations ranging from 1¢ to $100. The slot areas offer a complete, interactive audio/video system to enhance guests’ play. Each slot chair is fully adjustable and ergonomically designed for comfort and ease of movement. Some popular games featured are Cleopatra and Cleopatra Multi-Play Progressive, Zeus, Wolf Run Multi-Play pennies, Double Diamond, Queen of Atlantis, Wheel of Fortune, Double Gold, Firehorse, African Diamond, China Shores, Tarzan and Tablemaster Fusion – Video Blackjack.
MotorCity also offers a wide variety of table games, from the ever-popular blackjack, craps, and roulette, to other specialty table games like progressive 3-card poker, casino war, progressive pai gow poker and mini-baccarat. And for the poker player, there’s a Poker Room that features a variety of poker games to suit players of all levels including seven card stud, Omaha hi-lo and Texas hold’em.
And because you can’t fully enjoy yourself with an empty stomach, MotorCity provides six exceptional dining options for refueling. The AAA Four Diamond Award-winning restaurant, Iridescence, will exceed your expectations on every level. Modern American cuisine is complemented by breathtaking city views and a Wine Spectator award-winning wine list. If variety is key, chefs prepare the best in American and international cuisine with premium ingredients right at the Assembly Line Buffet. Soak in some Detroit history at The Lodge Diner. You’ll find everything from chicken and waffles to Jack Daniels BBQ ribs. Day, night or late night, it’s a great call. So from fine dining to quick bites, they’ve got you covered.
And to complete the MotorCity experience, visit the Sound Board. This intimate setting, seats up to 2,400 fans allowing them to get close to their favorite entertainers. Upcoming events include Patti La- Belle Thursday, October 19, Doug E Fresh, SugarHill Gang, and Furious 5’s Melle Mel and Scorpio, October 26, Andy Cohen, November 2, Night of Knockouts XI, November 3 and Keith Sweat, November 5. For more information, visit www.motorcitycasino.com.
STRATOSPHERE CASINO, HOTEL & TOWER
Las Vegas, Nevada
At the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower, casino players from all over the world enjoy the complete array of entertainment, amenities, dining and nightlife one would expect from a Vegas Strip casino resort… and then some!
Located conveniently in the middle of all the casino action and excitement, the Stratosphere offers the latest popular and themed table games and slot machines for its players. All players, slots and table games, are recognized and rewarded for their play. Some benefits include: restaurant and show discounts, every day point multipliers, “follow me” points, room upgrades, VIP services, host services, prize giveaways, cash drawings and special invitations to exclusive VIP events and tournaments. With the ace l PLAY card, players earn points quickly and can turn points into cash, casino play or comps at a significant discount. There is a lot of flexibility with the benefits you earn; that is one of the reasons the Stratosphere was voted Best Players Club in Casino Player’s Best of Gaming Las Vegas poll. For first time visitors, show them your players club card from another Las Vegas Strip casino and they’ll tell you how you can qualify for an automatic upgrade.
There is no shortage of exciting themed tournaments and promotions at the Stratosphere.ace | PLAY members receive invitations to slot tournaments as well as exclusive high stakes blackjack tournaments and invitation-only special parties and events. Upcoming events include the $15,000 November Blackjack Tournament with guaranteed prize money, and the signature New Year’s Eve Celebration in Las Vegas. Celebrate New Year’s Eve partying in the sky! VIP ace l PLAY members receive special invitations to exclusive parties in the Stratosphere Tower, as well as admission to the after-party to keep the night going well into 2018. General admission tickets are also available to all parties and start at $199. Players can also participate in the $16,000 New Year’s Point Challenge, with the top 25 base point earners sharing in prize money with first place winning $5,000 cash. There are also cash drawings totaling $7,500 and all players are eligible to participate in this year-end promotion.
Special VIP players receive exclusive invitations to events such as golf outings, concerts, cruise voucher giveaways and dinner & wine pairing events. For more information on ace l PLAY, visit StratosphereHotel.com/Casino-Promotions. To learn how to become a VIP invite player, email VIPevents@StratosphereHotel.com. For more information, visit: StratosphereHotel.com.
TURNING STONE RESORT CASINO
Verona, New York
The latest upgrades at the award-winning Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York, reinforce the Oneida Nation’s commitment to consistently improving its amenities and providing an exceptional guest experience. It’s all-new contemporary gaming floor, upgraded amenities and Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star rated hospitality all factor in to this ultimate gaming getaway in Upstate New York.
With more than 4.5 million visitors a year, Turning Stone is known for its consistent upgrades and additions that provide a variety of options to enhance the guest experience. Most recently, Turning Stone introduced an entire floor of hypoallergenic rooms in its AAA Four Diamond Award-winning Tower Hotel, designed to eliminate indoor allergens, pathogens and toxins that often plague allergy sufferers. The Tower’s 18th floor offers 20 completely remodeled hypoallergenic rooms that feature hardwood floors, blinds and sheers rather than heavy drapery, powerful state-of-the-art HEPA air purifiers and CleanRest mattress and pillow encasements that stop allergens and dust mites. The new hypoallergenic rooms are part of an extensive $8 million, floor-by-floor remodel of the 285 Tower hotel rooms, bringing a fresh, clean, contemporary design to award-winning resort. With more than half of the rooms already remodeled, the entire project is expected to be completed by summer 2018.
The new Tower guest rooms complement the fresh, clean and contemporary design of the all-new 125,000 square-foot gaming floor. The recently debuted Casino Blu is a smoker-friendly casino that exists within the casino and offers one of the only smoker-friendly gaming floors in the region. Casino Blu features a state-of-the-art air filtration system, a wide variety of slot machines and table games and its own cocktail lounge. Other than Casino Blu, the remainder of Turning Stone’s all-new gaming floor is now smoke-free, allowing guests to choose their preferred experience. The all-new gaming floor also features a renovated Keno Lounge and the brand new Golden Dragon – an international high-limit gaming section offering popular table games such as midi baccarat, pai gow poker and blackjack.
All of these additions stand as a testament to why Turning Stone is the leading tourist destination in its region. Industry experts have praised Turning Stone with many accolades over the years including being named “Best Countryside Hotel/Lodge” in 2015 and “Most Excellent Golf Resort” in 2010 by Condé Nast Johansens, earning Forbes Travel Guide’s prestigious Four Star rating for not one, but three of its venues – The Lodge, Wildflowers Restaurant and Ska:ná: spa and Wine Spectator magazine named TS Steakhouse an Award of Excellence recipient.
The only property in Central New York to earn both the AAA Four Diamond and the Forbes Four Star awards, Turning Stone continues to also receive rave reviews from guests. TripAdvisor recently awarded The Lodge, the all-suite hotel, with the 2017 Certificate of Excellence. With 95 percent of all reviews as “excellent” or “very good,” the award-winning hotel was recognized for its exceptional guest service and beautifully appointed rooms.
Providing a diverse range of options for all its guests, as well as continually transforming its offerings, Turning Stone rivals resorts you’d nd in major cities around the world.
