Sunset Station
A Spanish- and Mediterranean-themed hotel and locals casino in Henderson, Nevada, owned and operated by Station Casinos.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Sunset Station is a hotel-casino resort in Henderson, Nevada, operated by Station Casinos. It serves the Las Vegas Valley’s local and regional customer base rather than positioning itself primarily as a destination resort on the Las Vegas Strip. The property opened on June 10, 1997, becoming Henderson’s first hotel-casino resort and the fourth Las Vegas Valley property opened by Station Casinos. Its launch represented Station Casinos’ move toward larger and more upscale locals-oriented resorts, a direction later associated with properties such as Green Valley Ranch and Red Rock Resort. The resort was announced in February 1994, although its development schedule was delayed while Station Casinos pursued other projects, including the acquisition of the Texas hotel in North Las Vegas and plans for a casino in Kansas City. Construction eventually advanced, and the hotel tower was topped out on February 7, 1997. The completed project reportedly cost $198 million. At opening, Sunset Station employed approximately 1,800 people and offered a combination of gaming, lodging, food and beverage, entertainment, bowling, cinema, and family-oriented amenities. Sunset Station’s identity is built around a Spanish and Mediterranean architectural theme. Its interior design draws on visual references from Spanish cities including Barcelona, Madrid, Segovia, Seville, and Valencia. The resort’s Gaudi Bar was inspired by the work of architect Antoni Gaudí and features a large stained-glass ceiling assembled from thousands of pieces of glass. The exterior uses facades designed to resemble Spanish villages, while painted ceiling treatments contribute to an immersive resort environment. The property contains a large casino and a 21-story hotel tower with 448 rooms. The tower rises approximately 230 feet and is Henderson’s tallest building. The casino measured about 80,000 square feet when it opened and later expanded to approximately 100,000 square feet. Its gaming mix has included slot machines, table games, a sportsbook, poker, and keno. In the late 1990s, the casino experimented with exercise-themed slot machines incorporating stationary bicycles and treadmills. Sunset Station also operates as an entertainment and leisure complex. Its facilities have included a movie theater, restaurants, a buffet, meeting space, live entertainment venues, an amphitheater, and a substantial bowling center. The bowling facility, Strike Zone, opened in 2005 with 72 lanes and was described at the time as one of the country’s most expensive bowling alleys. The resort has hosted touring musicians and entertainers across several genres, including rock, country, pop, and soul. The property has evolved through additions and renovations. A $45 million expansion began in 1998 and added parking, cinema screens, meeting facilities, a steakhouse, and gaming space. The hotel tower underwent renovation in 2016. A further casino-floor renovation began in October 2023, including an updated sportsbook with a bar and a 150-foot video wall. Sunset Station remains an active Station Casinos property and continues to combine casino gaming, hotel accommodation, dining, entertainment, and recreational amenities for Henderson and the broader Las Vegas Valley.
History
Station Casinos announced Sunset Station in February 1994 as a major hotel-casino development for Henderson, Nevada. The project was intended to broaden the company’s locals-casino model with a more substantial resort offering. Groundbreaking was initially expected in the following year, but the schedule was delayed while Station Casinos managed other development priorities, including its purchase of the Texas hotel in North Las Vegas and plans for a Kansas City casino. Construction eventually proceeded, and the resort’s hotel tower was topped out on February 7, 1997. The development reportedly cost $198 million. Sunset Station opened on June 10, 1997, becoming Henderson’s first hotel-casino resort and the fourth Station Casinos property in the Las Vegas Valley. Its opening reflected a growing market for upscale casinos aimed at Las Vegas-area residents rather than relying exclusively on Strip tourists. The property was well received, and Station Casinos subsequently pursued similarly upscale locals resorts, including Green Valley Ranch and Red Rock Resort. The original property combined an approximately 80,000-square-foot casino with a 448-room hotel tower, restaurants, entertainment venues, a cinema, a video arcade, child-care facilities, and a large buffet. The hotel tower contains 21 stories and rises about 230 feet, making it Henderson’s tallest building. The Spanish and Mediterranean theme was expressed through architecture and interior design inspired by Spanish cities. The Gaudi Bar became one of the property’s most distinctive spaces, with a large stained-glass ceiling influenced by Antoni Gaudí’s design vocabulary. Sunset Station expanded soon after opening. A $45 million project launched in 1998 on the south side of the resort. It added a parking garage, more movie screens, meeting space, the Sonoma Cellar Steakhouse, and additional casino capacity. The resort’s original restaurant mix also changed. Gordon Biersch Brewing Company ended its lease in March 1998 after determining that its premium alcohol proposition did not fit the spending profile of the resort’s budget-conscious clientele. Station Casinos then took over the space and reopened it as Sunset Brewing Co. The property’s entertainment program has included the 600-seat Club Madrid and an amphitheater. Performers associated with the venue have included Foreigner, Gladys Knight, Jamie Foxx, Keith Urban, Merle Haggard, The Monkees, Pat Benatar, Tears for Fears, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, and ZZ Top. In 2005, Sunset Station added Strike Zone, a 76,000-square-foot bowling center with 72 lanes. The facility cost $26 million and later hosted the Professional Bowlers Association’s Motel 6 Classic in 2007. Employment and labor relations have also formed part of the property’s operating history. Sunset Station employed about 1,800 workers when it opened and had approximately 1,200 employees in 2017. In 1999, employees voted by 83 percent to unionize, making Sunset Station the fifth Station Casinos property in the Las Vegas area to receive representation from the Culinary Workers Union. The hotel tower was renovated in 2016. In October 2023, the property began another casino-floor renovation focused in part on modernizing its sportsbook. The planned sportsbook redesign included a bar and a 150-foot video wall. Sunset Station continues to operate as a Station Casinos hotel and locals casino, with gaming, lodging, dining, entertainment, bowling, cinema, and meeting amenities.
- 2023
Casino renovation begins
[1]A casino-floor renovation began, including plans for an upgraded sportsbook.
- 2016
Hotel tower renovated
[1]The property’s hotel tower underwent renovation.
- 2007
PBA Tour event held at Strike Zone
[1]Strike Zone hosted the Professional Bowlers Association’s Motel 6 Classic.
- 2005
Strike Zone opens
[1]The resort opened a 72-lane bowling center known as Strike Zone.
- 1999
Employees vote to unionize
[1]Employees voted in favor of union representation by an 83 percent margin.
- 1998
Expansion begins
[1]A $45 million expansion added gaming, parking, cinema, meeting, and dining capacity.
- 1997
Hotel tower topped out
[1]The Sunset Station hotel tower was topped out on February 7, 1997.
- 1997
Resort opens
[1]Sunset Station opened on June 10 as Henderson’s first hotel-casino resort.
- 1994
Station Casinos announces Sunset Station
[1]Station Casinos announced plans for a major hotel-casino resort in Henderson.
Products and positioning
A full-service locals casino resort combining gaming, hotel rooms, dining, entertainment, bowling, cinema, and event facilities in a Spanish- and Mediterranean-themed setting.
Casino gaming · 1997
Sunset Station Casino
The resort’s principal gaming operation offers slot machines, table games, sportsbook betting, poker, and keno. The casino opened at approximately 80,000 square feet and later expanded to around 100,000 square feet. Its sportsbook has been a focus of the casino-floor modernization announced in 2023.
Hotel accommodation · 1997
Sunset Station Hotel
The hotel comprises 448 rooms in a 21-story tower. Rising approximately 230 feet, the tower is Henderson’s tallest building. It was renovated in 2016 and forms the lodging component of the integrated hotel-casino resort.
Bowling and recreation · 2005
Strike Zone
Strike Zone is a 76,000-square-foot bowling center with 72 lanes. It opened in 2005 as a major recreational attraction within Sunset Station and hosted the Professional Bowlers Association’s Motel 6 Classic in 2007.
Live entertainment · 1997
Club Madrid
Club Madrid is a 600-seat entertainment venue at Sunset Station. The resort has used the venue and its amphitheater to present touring performers from rock, country, pop, and soul music.
Bar and hospitality · 1997
Gaudi Bar
Gaudi Bar is a themed bar whose design references the work of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. Its central feature is a large stained-glass ceiling made from thousands of glass pieces and weighing approximately 12 tons.
Brand decisions
2023
Modernize the casino floor and sportsbookGeneration changeBackground
Sunset Station began a casino-floor renovation as gaming and sportsbook environments continued to evolve.
Action taken
The renovation plan included a redesigned sportsbook with a bar and a 150-foot video wall.
Aftermath
The reference confirms the renovation began but does not provide a completion date or performance results.
1998
Replace Gordon Biersch with an in-house brewing conceptStrategyBackground
Gordon Biersch Brewing Company ended its restaurant and microbrewery lease after concluding that its premium alcohol offering did not match the resort’s budget-minded customer base.
Action taken
Sunset Station took over the space and reopened it as Sunset Brewing Co.
Aftermath
The change aligned the space more closely with the property’s local-casino positioning, although the available reference does not provide later performance results.
Sources2 sources
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