NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Empire Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ-GM: NYNY) (“Empire”) and its wholly owned subsidiary Montreign Operating Company, LLC (together with Empire and its other subsidiaries, the “Company”) today announced the new marketing campaign, “A Catskills Destination Reborn” for the Montreign Resort Casino (“Montreign”). This campaign captures the Company’s vision of Montreign by reimagining the Catskills as a world-class resort destination for gaming and entertainment. Staying true to the legacy of the Catskills while at the same time looking towards the future, Montreign will combine its 18-story casino, hotel and entertainment complex featuring an 80,000 sq.ft. casino (with 61 table games and 2,150 state-of-the-art slot machines), 391 luxury rooms designed to meet the 4-star and 4-diamond standards of Forbes® and AAA®, multiple dining and entertainment options, and meeting and conference space with the natural beauty of its surroundings. Montreign, from an architectural, design and use-of-materials perspective, was designed to blend naturally with the pristine and beautiful environment of the Catskills.
As part of the reimagined Catskills, Empire has entered into an exclusive agreement with Monticello Motor Club (“MMC”), North America’s Premier Private Racetrack and Country Club, making Montreign the only casino on the East Coast to offer guests the experience of driving high-performance vehicles on MMC’s private 4.1-mile track. Located just minutes from Montreign, MMC will provide Montreign’s premium guests access to MMC’s stable of exotic high-performance street and race vehicles, instruction from its team of driving pros, outdoor karting, ice/snow winter driving lessons, and its off-road Land Rover Experience. The agreement with MMC is an example of how the Company is working with local businesses to ensure a beneficial relationship for all stakeholders in the region.
In addition, Empire has teamed up with award-winning chef, author and TV personality Scott Conant to open his newest restaurant, Bistecca by Scott Conant, at Montreign. The Italian steakhouse will be a fine dining destination featuring a menu comprised of prime and Angus cut meats, fresh seafood, poultry and classic Italian dishes. The global wine list will be robust to accompany the menu, and will feature wines from New York, California, France, Italy, Chile and Argentina, among others.
“Montreign, for which we have full funding commitments, represents a new approach toward gaming and entertainment that will reimagine, reinvent, and revitalize the Catskills for years to come. Our intention is simple: the rebirth of the hospitality and tourism industries in the Catskills. This type of out-of-the-box thinking, coupled with our deep-rooted community engagement, will produce a resort experience seen nowhere else in the United States,” said Emanuel Pearlman, Chairman of Empire. “We are a New York company committed to creating good-paying union jobs in the region, while generating much needed revenue for the community.”
“I’m excited to be working with Montreign because our shared vision for the Catskills is to create a dining destination in an area that I have always loved visiting and is just a few hours from my home,” said Conant. “At Bistecca, we will source our ingredients from the region as much as possible, offer a global wine list, and deliver a dining experience that will delight our guests whether they are looking for classic steakhouse dishes or Italian classics. The menu will be a true testament to the bounty of the Hudson Valley.”
“Where else on the East Coast can you check in to your hotel, enjoy a day at a luxury gaming facility, and then learn the art of high-performance driving in a fleet of exotic cars at a private country club race track?” asked Ari Straus, partner and CEO of Monticello Motor Club. “Through this exclusive arrangement with Empire, Montreign’s premium guests will have that very option.”
Empire also unveiled the design of its “Me. Card” to be used for the Company’s Me. Club rewards program. The Me. Card will provide guests with the opportunity to earn points for slot and table play, and if permitted by gaming regulators, guests will be rewarded for enjoying hotel, dining, entertainment and spa experiences at Montreign as well. In addition, Montreign will offer its Me. Card rewards points program with eligible hospitality, restaurants, entertainment venues and retail establishments both within the Adelaar resort and at other local and regional establishments. This will provide guests an incentive to experience the wide variety of excellent and diverse entertainment, retail and hospitality options in Sullivan County and the Catskills and further driving economic activity.
A new Montreign Resort Casino website has been launched at www.montreign.com
Montreign is part of the larger Adelaar resort, a proposed $1 billion four-season destination resort developed by an Empire subsidiary and EPR Properties (“EPR”). Beautifully situated in the pristine Catskills, Adelaar is poised to become one of the most comprehensive destination gaming resorts in the northeastern United States, and will feature a variety of world-class leisure and recreational options, including an indoor waterpark hotel and adventure park, a Rees Jones-redesigned “Monster” Golf Course, restaurants and world-class shopping and entertainment. Located 90 minutes from New York City, Adelaar is expected to create more than 5,000 construction and permanent jobs in an area with one of highest unemployment rates in the state.
Because of the early and comprehensive planning of Adelaar, and the diligent pursuit of all approvals needed, the Company is able to commence construction of Montreign immediately upon award of a gaming license. Many permits and approvals are already secured for Adelaar, generally, and for Montreign, specifically, and additional permits and approvals are being actively processed. Once a gaming license is awarded, Montreign can begin creating real jobs and injecting tax revenue into the community almost immediately.
Empire and EPR are committed to utilizing New York contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. Montreign has already engaged as its construction manager LPCiminelli (“LPC”). Through LPC, the Company has signed a Project Labor Agreement with the local unions affiliated with the Hudson Valley Building and Construction Trades Council. In addition, Montreign has engaged DACK Consulting Group to aid its efforts in reaching out to the New York MWVBE contracting community, as well as to assist Montreign with its MWVBE-purchasing and diversity hiring efforts. Montreign and Adelaar have the support of the Town of Thompson Board, which has voted in favor of supporting Montreign’s gaming license application.
Further, Montreign and Upstate Theaters for a Fairgame (“Fairgame”) have entered into an MOU on behalf of Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Sullivan County (“Bethel”), and Bardavon Opera House in Dutchess County (“Bardavon”) to assist in the promotion of events at these venues. The MOU contemplates support for Bethel and Bardavon’s respective missions and the operation of these entertainment venues and includes cross marketing efforts and financial support.
About Empire Resorts
Empire Resorts, Inc. owns and operates, through its subsidiary Monticello Raceway Management, Inc., the Monticello Casino and Raceway, a harness racing track and casino in Monticello, N.Y., and is 90 miles from midtown Manhattan. For additional information, please visit www.empireresorts.com
Upon the awarding of a casino license from the New York State Gaming Facility Location Board, Empire will begin construction on Montreign – an 18-story casino, hotel and entertainment complex with 61 table games, 2,150 state of the art slot machines and 391 luxury rooms designed to meet 4-star and 4-diamond standards. For additional information, please visit www.montreign.com
About EPR Properties
EPR Properties is a specialty real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests in properties in select market segments which require unique industry knowledge, while offering the potential for stable and attractive returns. Our total investments exceed $3.8 billion and our primary investment segments are Entertainment, Recreation and Education. We adhere to rigorous underwriting and investing criteria centered on key industry and property level cash flow standards. We believe our focused niche approach provides a competitive advantage, and the potential for higher growth and better yields. Further information is available at www.eprkc.com. Renderings, tenant information and other details about Adelaar can be found at www.AdelaarNY.com.
About Scott Conant
Renowned chef Scott Conant is a successful restaurateur and television personality, appearing as a frequent judge on Food Network's "Chopped." He is the author of three cookbooks and has opened several Scarpetta restaurant locations across the country, as well as D.O.C.G. Enoteca at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. Scott's signature Italian cuisine can also be found at the American Express Centurion Lounge in McCarran International Airport, and at the SCM Culinary Suite, a private loft where he hosts events and cooking demos and develops recipes. @conantnyc, www.scottconant.com.
About Monticello Motor Club
Monticello Motor Club, North America’s Premier Private Racetrack and Country Club, features 4.1 miles of asphalt dedicated to the driving pleasure of its members – individuals who are passionate about automobiles, who relish the driving experience, and who seek a place of belonging among like-minded people. Just 90 minutes from New York City, MMC is a luxury destination with an array of services and amenities, such as professional instruction, track-side support, premium car storage, race car rentals, private race schools for novice to experienced track enthusiasts, a karting facility, an off-road course, corporate entertainment, fine dining, and five-star services. For more information please visit http://www.monticellomotorclub.com/
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include statements about our plans, strategies, financial performance, prospects or future events and involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict. As a result, our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "will," "would" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company and our management team, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, levels of spending in business and leisure segments as well as consumer confidence; plans for signing and closing on definitive transaction documents; the construction commencement date for Montreign; relationships with associates and labor unions and changes in labor law; the financial condition of, and our relationships with, third-party property owners and hospitality venture partners; changes in the competitive environment in our industry and the markets where we operate; the timing of the receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals for the development project, including the issuance of a Gaming Facility License to us; changes in federal, state or local tax law; general volatility of the capital markets and our ability to access the capital markets to secure necessary financing. A more complete description of these risks and uncertainties can be found in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
