Harveys bets big on $160 million makeover

Harveys Lake Tahoe began a $160 million transformation in October that will touch every corner of the resort and casino from its gaming floors to its guest rooms.

“It’s a $160 million worth of capital investment in the property,” said Senior Vice President and General Manager Karie Hall. “The entire casino will get renovated.”

The two-year project is the most extensive overhaul in the resort’s 80-year history.

“We’ll start at the Stateline Avenue corner, right where Wolf (by Vanderpump) is, and then come through the casino,” Hall said. “…we’ll probably wall spaces off and then just phase it through the casino during the slower season.”

Once an area is complete, there will be a big reveal.

There will be a break during the summer season. The rest of the year, the goal is to phase it so there’s minimal disruption to guests.

“People can still stay here,” Hall said. “They can still gamble. They can still dine. And we’ll just kind of keep things between walls and then unveil.”

The first target date for the largest casino in Stateline is June.

“For sure by the end of June, you’ll see a lot of transformation happening between our lobby spaces, our front desk areas, and then some more in the casino,” Hall said.

Hall said the catalyst for the renovation was the Carano family. The family’s involvement in gaming began in 1973 when patriarch Don Carano converted land in downtown Reno into the Eldorado Hotel Casino.

Gary L. Carano is the current executive chairman of the Caesars Entertainment Board of Directors. Since 2014, he served as chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Eldorado Resorts. In 2020, Carano oversaw the successful acquisition of Caesars Entertainment Corp.

Harveys Lake Tahoe is owned by Vici Properties Inc., a real estate investment trust specializing in casino and entertainment properties, according to Wikipedia.

In 2017, ownership of Harveys was transferred to Vici Properties as part of a corporate spin-off then leased back to Caesars Entertainment, which is the operating license holder, according to Wikipedia.

“They know the value of Lake Tahoe,” Hall said of the Carano family. “This is their home base. They live in Reno … They love Lake Tahoe. They really wanted to see these properties brought back to the crown jewels that they remember them to be.”

At the end of the remodel, the 1.6 million square foot Harveys will be completely new.

“You’ll walk in, and it’ll look completely different,” Hall said. “You would not recognize it unless you walked outside and saw Lake Tahoe.”

Hall added, “we love having owners that know our business and are in our backyard and appreciate what Tahoe is and what we should be.”

In May 2021, Hall took the helm of Harveys and Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.

“We’re very proud of a lot of the things we’ve been able to accomplish,” Hall said. “We’ve redone our entire gaming floors’ slot product. We’ve added Caesar Sports to both sides of the property.”

Caesar Sportsbook is also an app and a comprehensive betting system.

“It’s branded under our signature brand, which is Caesars,” Hall said. “That was a pretty good milestone for us.”

A lot of things have been freshened up and changed, including the addition of El Jefe’s Cantina Tahoe to restaurant offerings.

Most excitingly, Hall said, is the recent addition of Wolf by Vanderpump. The project took two years to complete.

“They’re very meticulous,” Hall said of the team. “We love having them as partners. As you can see from walking into the space, very detailed and a lot of change.”

They took a little piece of where an old restaurant buffet was and some casino space and made it into a beautiful restaurant with a patio.

“Obviously, people are loving it,” Hall said. “It’s been very successful.”

Next door is Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen, which opened in 2020. This year, the Michelin-star celebrity chef’s restaurant expanded adding 1,800 square feet, 56 seats, a 1,200-bottle wine display, and a new bar and entrance.

A wall was removed opening up the original restaurant making the total seating area 4,780 square feet. This allows the restaurant to accommodate more large parties, add another 120 covers a night, spread out the tables in turn subduing the restaurant’s volume.

Harveys will be adding the Brew Brothers to its restaurant lineup in 2026.

On tap elsewhere at Harveys is a room renovation for the Mountain Tower and refresher for the Tahoe Tower, which was remodeled in 2020. In all, there are 742 rooms with 36 suites that range from the 1,125-square-foot Superior Suites to the 740-square-foot Executive Suites.

On the 88,000-square-foot gaming floor, there will be all new tables, chairs, pit stands, TVs, a sound system, carpet and a new ceiling with the same game offerings.

“Just freshening all of them up,” Hall said. “… it will visually be very different from how it is now.”

Entertainment is an important part of Harveys and Harrah’s, Hall said.

“We love our concert series,” Hall said. “We’re incredibly proud of it. We’re making sure that we’re relevant.”

She said the casinos are bringing in the A-listers in addition to being known as the place to see people right before they pop.

“As people are coming up in the industry, we were incredibly lucky and so blessed to get Luke Combs,” Hall said. “… we got Lainey Wilson this year. But we’ve also had some of our sleeper concerts, Jordan Davis. I was so surprised at how well that went.”

In 2024, Harveys won the Tahoe Daily Tribune’s Best of Tahoe award for Outdoor Live Music Venue and Best Steak in the Sage Room. That same year, Diners Choice awarded Wolf by Vanderpump.