The first luxury casino-hotel is coming to Cripple Creek, nearly doubling the town’s hotel capacity.

Earlier this week, Full House Resorts announced it would be as the Chamonix Casino Hotel, after the Chamonix-Mont Blanc resort in the French Alps.

The hotel plans to have around 300 guest rooms and VIP suites, the first in the market, and an equally attractive casino floor to accompany it.

Additionally, will offer fine dining options, a spa, a convention space, and a rooftop pool. The company plans to complete the project in the fourth quarter of 2022, with Full House expected to spend roughly $180 million to make it all happen.

Full House’s Second Property in Colorado

Chamonix may have its sights set on being number one in the Cripple Creek market. Still, it’s also hoping to boost another casino property profile, as Full House already has one property in the state’s second-largest casino town in Bronco Billy’s, with Chamonix becoming its new neighbor.

Both Full House properties will share the same loyalty rewards programs. Bronco Billy’s will remain open during construction, though it will temporarily close once Chamonix opens to receive a facelift of its own. It will, however, retain its Western theme, and the two properties will ultimately be adjoined to one another upon completion of both projects.

Daniel Lee, President and CEO of Full House Resorts, called the pairing of the two “a perfect complement” to one another. Lee went on to say the company looks forward to welcoming their first Chamonix guests in late 2022 and having the 30-year-old Bronco Billy’s fully ready to go before peak season in summer 2023.

The merging of the two casinos will instantly change the casino dynamics in the town, as it looks to make its properties a true destination gambling resort that might appeal to a broader array of gamblers.

That could very well include Colorado sports bettors, as Full House has been . In Colorado, Full House has partnered with Churchill Downs and SBK Sportsbook.

Making Accommodations During Construction

When Chamonix opens, its premises will also feature a self-parking garage set to hold over 300 vehicles. In the meantime, its development site sits on Bronco Billy’s former self-parking lots.

To temporarily alleviate parking issues, Full House has acquired other nearby pieces of land and has also announced Bronco Billy’s will be offering complimentary valet service directly in front of the casino entrance on Bennett Avenue. For those who wish to use self-parking, Bronco Billy’s will also provide a shuttle service from its lots to the casino.

Full House has also already accounted for Bronco Billy’s 24-room hotel having to close at some point during Chamonix’s construction. It is in the process of acquiring the nearby Carr Manor, a historic 15-room bed and breakfast a block and a half away from Bronco Billy’s. As with self-parking, Bronco Billy’s will provide a courtesy shuttle to its guests at Carr Manor and will allow for any loyalty points to be redeemed there as well.

“Bringing the French Alps to the Rockies”

November 2020’s passing of Amendment 77 abolished Colorado’s $100 betting limit, and come May 1, each of Colorado’s gambling towns will be able to set their own limits. It’s no coincidence that ground has now been broken on a property aimed towards the high roller clientele along the Front Range.

“Chamonix will bring the luxury of the French Alps to the Rockies, combining ‘European Elegance with Colorado Comfort,’” Lee said of the new resort. Cripple Creek is near Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Cañon City, and two hours from Denver. These locales are in a period of rapid growth and possess a combined population pushing five million.

According to Lee, Chamonix did not initially have such a large hotel room in the plans, but the opportunities to attract a growing market without restrictive betting limits and to become a destination on its own were enough to take the plunge. The response was to increase the plans by 67%, with the original plan for a 180-room hotel increased to 300 rooms.

Full House Making Splashes Elsewhere Too

The Chamonix announcement also came with a mention that Full House has come to terms with the State of Mississippi to lease tidelands adjacent to its Silver Slipper Casino along the Gulf of Mexico in Lakeshore, MS. Full House is expected to make a $75 million investment to expand the Silver Slipper, creating more than 150 new waterfront guest rooms in the process.

Full House also has properties in Rising Sun Indiana (outside Cincinnati), Incline Village Nevada (along Lake Tahoe), and Fallon Nevada.