Posted on: December 15, 2023, 11:13h.
Last updated on: December 15, 2023, 11:13h.
Rivers Casino Philadelphia has finally opened a hotel more than 17 years after the company that owns the property told state officials it would offer lodging.
Rivers Casino this week debuted its Riversuites Hotel at The Battery Philadelphia. The 62-room all-suite facility is part of The Battery, a mixed-use complex inside a former power plant along the Delaware River.
The 500,00-square-foot Battery, in addition to the 62 guestrooms, has 171 residential apartments, office space, a lobby bar, an indoor gym, coworking space, a rooftop pool, a library and study, and a golf simulator. An outdoor pier provides private gathering space for residents and tenants.
Eric Althaus, general manager of Rivers Casino Philadelphia, says opening a hotel has “always been something we wanted to do.”
This gives us another tool to take care of our guests and to bring people to this area that typically don’t come up [northeast of the downtown area],” Althaus added.
Rivers Casino is owned and operated by Rush Street Gaming, a Chicago-based developer of regional casinos. The 45,000-square-foot casino has over 1,500 slot machines, 72 table games, and a BetRivers Sportsbook.
The casino in 2022 won $118.4 million on its slots and $98.2 million on its tables. Its oddsmakers won $13.1 million.
Hotel Adjacent to Casino
The Riversuites Hotel at The Battery is a short walk from the casino along the Delaware River Trail. Rivers Casino officials say a complimentary shuttle will also transport guests between the facilities who do not wish to make the roughly three-tenths of a mile walk.
The Riversuites rooms range in size from 850 square feet to nearly 2,300 square feet. Each occupancy comes with a full kitchen, a bedroom with a queen or king bed, a dining area, and a full bathroom.
Rooms can now be booked, with rates starting at $275 a night before taxes and a $25 nightly resort fee.
Hotel Long Overdue
When Rush Street Gaming applied for its Philly casino license in 2006, company reps told the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) that the casino would include a hotel.
The Battery was developed and is owned by Ira Lubert through his real estate firm Lubert-Adler. Lubert is behind a plan to open a mini-casino in State College near Pennsylvania State University at the Nittany Mall. Lubert is partnered with Bally’s on the project, but a legal challenge to the PGCB awarding Lubert the license is ongoing.
Rush and Lubert-Adler did not disclose publicly their financial arrangement.
Rivers Casino loyalty members participating in Rush Rewards can now use their points for stays at The Battery. Black cardholders qualify for a free night stay. The tier level begins at 25,000 points.
Rush Rewards credits one point for every $5 bet on slots, $10 on video poker, and $10 in sports bets. Table and electronic game credits are based on average bet and time played and vary by game type.