Andy Hamblen, general manager of Ameristar with shows off his Four Diamond Award from AAA
Diamonds reside in this old gold mining site
By Robert Sweeney
One of the finest developments to occur in our Colorado gaming communities of Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek has been the construction and development of quality hotels. We have some wonderful bed and breakfast establishments, but we’re talking about first class hotels with hundreds of rooms.
The hotels add to the stability of the gaming communities by paying substantial property taxes, hiring large numbers of local people, and allowing people to stay in the communities longer and spend money all around town, which includes the retail stores.
Hotels have been good for the gaming industry.
The exterior of the award-winning Ameristar Casino, Resort & Spa in Black Hawk
This week daughter Sharon and myself were invited to Ameristar’s AAA Four Diamond Award ceremony in Black Hawk. The new hotel and gaming facility opened in September 2009 with 533 suites, meeting rooms and an event center. A swimming pool and spa awaits guests coming to Black Hawk 365 days a year.
Anthony DeNovellis, president and CEO of AAA Colorado, presented the Four Diamond Award plaque and designation to Andy Hamblen, senior vice president and general manager of Ameristar Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk.
Hamblen said the new Ameristar hotel is the only Four Diamond casino hotel in Colorado joining with this honor, Ameristar sister hotels in Council Bluffs, Iowa; St. Charles, Mo; and Jackpot, Nevada, all sharing this honor.
The Ameristar Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk Housekeeping Team Members share in the celebration while holding the coveted AAA Four Diamond Award.
There are a very few Five Star properties; a few in Colorado include the Broadmoor Hotel and several Ritz-Carlton’s in Aspen and Vail. History reveals that the famed Broadmoor was built as a place for the new Cripple Creek millionaires to drink and gamble.
Pete Longi, vice president and assistant general manager of the Black Hawk facility, singled out some key employees who have made the hotel such a success, including Executive Chef Edward Allen, who baked a commemorative cake in honor of the Four Diamond Award. Keith Ball, director of food and beverage, makes sure the hotel guests are well cared for in the many restaurants and bars. He applauded Christi Volk, hotel operations support manager, and Gabriela, the executive housekeeper who oversees a large staff of service personnel who keep the suites clean and tidy.
Rachel Anderson, marketing coordinator, and Healther Perez, administration office manager, at Ameristar.
He singled out two outstanding team members Tyler Conderino and Calvin Black, who each have won the monthly Team Member of the Month awards in 2010 and are candidates for the Team Member of the Year distinction that will be awarded on March 1.
Michelle Shriver, senior vice president of operations, traveled back to Black Hawk from Ameristar corporate headquarters in Las Vegas to return to her roots where she opened the Ameristar hotel as general manager.
Shriver said the hotel was the culmination of years of creative dreams, architectural plans and construction to create the one-of-a-kind resort and now to receive this coveted AAA Four Diamond designated honor.
She recalled arriving in Black Hawk when the casino was under construction and currently adding the second floor to the casino.
Pete Longi, vice president and assistant general manager for Ameristar Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk; Michelle Shriver, senior vice president of Operations for Ameristar Casinos, Inc.; Anthony DeNovellis, president and CEO of Triple A Colorado; and Justin Volk, compliance director.
“Our most loyal guests hung in there with us as we went through those growing pains, and look at their reward today,” Shriver said.
Shriver talked about the challenges in doing the groundwork for the new hotel structure and the “blasting” away of the mountain along with the dust and other obstacles.
“I don’t take ground work lightly,” she said. “…and some other challenges we’ll just leave in the recesses of our memories.”
In her closing remarks she praised Ameristar’s leader Craig H. Neilsen.
“If I had one thing I could change, it would be that our founder and the visionary for this casino resort and spa would be with us today. Craig H. Neilsen had ideas bigger than most could imagine and an eye for detail and quality that makes a facility like this possible. Craig was onsite for our grand reopening of the casino when we put the Ameristar name on the building in 2006.”
Black Hawk Mayor David Spellman and Mike Copp, city manager of Black Hawk. Photos by Bob Sweeney.
The Colorado Gambler staff was present at the time and met Mr. Neilsen, his wife and son. Nielsen had been confined to a wheelchair as a result of an accident that partially paralyzed him but didn’t slow him down mentally.
At that time, Ameristar established a fund for Craig Hospital they have maintained and most recently along with employees donated $121,746.99 to Denver Metro nonprofit organizations, including $48,508 for Craig Hospital. (Full story in last week’s Feb. 11 Colorado Gambler newspaper.)
The temperature in Black Hawk was around -20 below at the time of the celebration, but Black Hawk City Manager Mike Copp and Mayor David Spellman were on hand to congratulate the Ameristar staff on bringing this honor to the city.
The jingle of casino games echoed around the vaulted ceiling and Craig Neilsen would be very proud of his staff and the success of his new Ameristar Hotel.
The Ameristar sets a high standard for the gaming community and brings thousands of guests to town every year. We need bodies in the beds, chips on the tables and a good year for the entire gaming communities in all three cities.
