Caesars Entertainment, parent company of Harrah’s New Orleans, announced in December 2020 a $325 million renovation and construction project of the downtown casino to be completed by 2024, and it’s been on a roll since.
“It’s been an amazing year despite the pandemic and the hurricane that really hit us pretty hard,” said Dan Real, regional president for Caesars Entertainment, who oversees the casino’s properties in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Bossier City and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. “It’s been a lot of ups and downs, but the whole way through the team at Harrah’s New Orleans was just extremely resilient. They remain excited as we continue to go through the name change and the rebrand.”
Caesars New Orleans will include a new 340-room hotel with two floors dedicated to the boutique brand Nobu and a Nobu restaurant, additional culinary and hospitality offerings within the casino, and full exterior and interior architectural and design enhancements.
In April, the company joined the New Orleans Saints to announce a 20-year, $138 million naming-rights deal for the Caesars Superdome. Home of the Saints, annual Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff games, the Essence Festival and special events including the 2022 NCAA Men’s Final Four and Super Bowl LIX in 2025, the Superdome represented a solid investment for Caesers, who approved of the current $450 million dollar renovation, on top of more than $350 million in improvements in the last 12 years.
“We’ve invested for two full decades, and hopefully it will be beyond that,” Real said. “We believe, long-term, it’s going to be an unbelievable opportunity for us and for the city.”
This fall, Caesars Sportsbook was named the official sportsbook partner of LSU Athletics just a month before the Sportsbook App and legal in-person sports betting went live at the company’s Harrah’s New Orleans and Horseshoe Bossier City Hotel & Casino. In November, they announced an advertising deal with the “First Family of Football.” Archie, Peyton, Eli, and Cooper Manning will be featured in advertising for and make live event and commercial appearances for Caesars Sportsbook.
Additionally, Caesars announced a partnership with Spiegelworld to construct a brand-new theatre and bring a live circus-comedy show, Absinthe, as part of the renovation in 2024.
“Caesars, as a whole, is all in when it comes to Louisiana, especially when you talk about New Orleans,” he said. “A lot of times people will just talk about what they want to do and what they’re planning to do, but we put our money where our mouth is in the state of Louisiana. We truly are a huge fans of Louisiana, and we wanted to show it through our investment.
“It’s been a great ride. I’m thrilled to be able to show the people, Louisiana, how committed Caesars is to the state. It’s only going to get bigger and better from here.”
