The Harrah College of Hotel Administration held a groundbreaking ceremony for Hospitality Hall on March 30, 2016. The building will offer 93,500 square feet of experiential learning spaces, a rooftop event space looking toward the Strip, a golf center for the PGA management program, and a student-run cafe.
Dean Stowe Shoemaker noted that the $59 million facility “is designed to be accessible and collaborative, with open halls and common areas for students to interact with other students, educators, and industry.”
Rather than a tossing of dirt with a ceremonial shovel, the groundbreaking celebration involved a sabrage, a technique for opening a champagne bottle with a saber.
The new building will be located just west of the Hotel College's current home in Frank and Estella Beam Hall.
UNLV President Len Jessup noted that the costs of construction have been split between state funding and private donors. Founder-level donors include: Caesars Entertainment Foundation; Konami Gaming, Inc.; Las Vegas Sands; MGM Resorts International; Boyd Gaming Corp.; Station Casinos; the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation; and the Engelstad Family Foundation. Leader-level donors include Don and Dee Snyder; and Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada. Benefactor-level donors include: Bob Boughner; Cynthia Kiser Murphey; and Harrah Hotel College faculty.
A rendering of Hospitality Hall. The building is expected to open at the end of 2017.