Casino Windsor was the first casino complex to open in the Metro Detroit/Windsor area. As the first, it set the standard when Detroit finally worked through its bureaucratic obstacles and started to build its three, permanent casino complexes. In other words, the permanent Detroit casinos would be built to provide approximately 400 hotel rooms and 100,000 square feet of casino space.
In response, Windsor upped the ante. In addition to a $439 million renovation and expansion that would ultimately double the number of rooms at its hotel, the entire casino/hotel complex was rebranded as a Caesars property.
Renovation and Expansion
Even it you were familiar with Casino Windsor, the renovated and expanded Caesars-Windsor complex offers a whole new experience. It now offers the understated luxury characteristic of the Caesars brand, including a spacious, majestic lobby; an enormous entertainment complex, aptly named the Colosseum; and two towers of hotel rooms, double that of any one of its rivals in Detroit.
Canadian Advantages
While the once favorable exchange rate enjoyed by Americans crossing the border has dwindled to almost nothing, Caesars offers other advantages of a Canadian location, including a lower drinking age and legalized sports betting. Caesars also offers more entertainment acts, World Series of Poker tournaments and higher table stakes than its Detroit rivals.
Detroit Competition
While the Caesars brand promises visitors a certain host of amenities, the hotel lacks the pizzazz of the MotorCity Casino Hotel and the local flavor and accessibility of Greektown Casino, which is on the People Mover route in downtown Detroit and is in an existing, flourishing neighborhood with its own identity. Caesars Windsor is most like MGM Grand Detroit, which is another property that offers visitors the familiarity and luxury of a well-know Vegas name. For better or worse, both properties are true to their brands regardless of their Detroit/Windsor location.
Bottom Line
Caesars Windsor offers a calm, luxurious casino stay at very competitive rates. Caesars also offers a wide variety of dining choices and an unrivaled entertainment venue, both in terms of theater size and sheer number of acts. While Caesars still enjoys some Canadian perks -- lower drinking age and sports betting -- the disadvantage comes from the hassle of customs and dealing with traffic when crossing over (or under) the Detroit River. Even so, the relatively calm Caesars experience brings just enough of its Vegas origin to make the trip worthwhile.
