Cape Council gives first-round approval to casino's hotel plan revision

Downtown Cape Girardeau may soon have a new hotel.

For the past several months, Century Casino has worked on plans to develop a hotel at its location in Cape Girardeau.

The City of Cape Girardeau held a public hearing Monday night on an amendment to the previously-approved development plan of Century Casino Planned Development District.

According to a report written by city planner Ryan Shrimplin, the proposed hotel will contain between 75 and 80 rooms.

A rendering of the proposed hotel shows nine floors on the casino's southern side and a main floor lobby. All rooms will face south.

Plans are in motion to establish a hotel with 75 to 80 rooms at Century Casino Cape Girardeau in downtown Cape Girardeau.Monica Obradovic

Lyle Randolph, general manager of Century Casino Cape Girardeau, said the new hotel is a $26 million investment.

"The opportunity to build a hotel on our property is something we've been looking forward to for quite some time," Randolph said. "We're working through the process of finalizing final development plans. ... Ultimately the goal is to spend about $26 million on this project."

The casino's former steakhouse — which has not reopened since the start of the pandemic because of the planning of the project — will transform into the hotel's lobby and possibly host a coffee shop, Randolph told the Southeast Missourian's sister publication, B Magazine, in September.

Council members approved a first reading Monday for an amendment to approve changes to the casino's development plan.

With the council's final approval, the amendment to the casino's development plan will allow for a southern-facing video display board and a logo sign on the hotel's tower.

"It's a fantastic asset," Ward 1 representative Dan Presson said of the casino, which resides in his ward. "It's only going to continue to be a more fantastic asset."

The proposed hotel development follows Century Casino's announcement last July for plans to expand its Caruthersville, Missouri, location.

The company announced it was developing plans for a land-based casino to replace the company's riverboat casino in Caruthersville. Century also acquired property adjacent to the casino, including a two-story hotel. Randolph told B Magazine the company planned to refurbish and reopen the hotel sometime this year.