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Updated: May 29, 2024 @ 9:20 am
The Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month.
A bird’s eye view of the Seneca Allegany property taken in 2015.
Four years after its first hotel tower was complete, the Seneca Gaming Corporation announced plans to construct a second tower at the Seneca Allegany Resort and Casino. Construction is shown underway in 2012.
A racer launches into the air on a jump near the Seneca Allegany Casino and Hotel in Salamanca last weekend as part of the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series visit to the area in 2014.
Ringo Starr gestures to the crowd while singing in an outdoor concert at Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca in 2016.
The Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month.
SALAMANCA — To those throughout the Twin Tiers and stretching often to Canada, Ohio and beyond, the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino has been a tourist destination for 20 years.
A bit closer to home, the venue has been an employer for hundreds of people and a source of income for the city and county through casino revenue payments via New York state.
Reflecting on both these positive aspects of the casino, as well as some of the challenges it faces during the next decade and longer, Seneca Allegany has been a resounding success by every measure, said Kevin Nephew, President and CEO of Seneca Gaming Corporation.
“We couldn’t be prouder of what the last 20 years have meant for our guests, our team, the Seneca Nation and the surrounding community,” he said.
General Manager Linda Hitchcock, who started as a manager in the resort’s Thunder Mountain Buffet, said it’s amazing to think that it’s been 20 years already.
“It was so exciting to be part of Seneca Allegany’s opening and early days of operation,” said Hitchcock, who has been General Manager since 2016. “That excitement has stopped building in the two decades since.”
The property’s success over the past two decades comes down to the unmatched quality guests find at Seneca Allegany, Nephew said, from the games and themes on the gaming floor and the comfort of hotel rooms to the restaurants and the fantastic amenities.
“There is a reason people travel far distances from other states to visit Seneca Allegany,” he said. “I think our people are the key to the world-class experience we offer. The quality of our service matches the quality of our world-class property. That makes the guest experience.”
Hitchcock agreed, saying their team members are “the Seneca difference” that helps the resort stand out in guests’ minds and keeps them coming back. In fact, 20 years later, there are still 78 team members who have been there since day one.
“That type of longevity is really impressive, especially in the gaming and hospitality industry,” she said. “Our team members care, and it shows. When you’re here, we want you to always feel like you’re surrounded by friends.”
A bird’s eye view of the Seneca Allegany property taken in 2015.
THE OPENING of Seneca Allegany Casino in 2004 was a monumental and meaningful accomplishment for the Seneca Nation, said Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr., who was serving his first term as President in 2004. Even though they had opened the Seneca Niagara property in Niagara Falls in 2002, he said building and opening Seneca Allegany was a completely different experience.
“Both casinos, and eventually Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in Buffalo, were important for the future of the Seneca Nation, but this was something that was right here, on our Allegany Territory,” he said. “It created a different connection for our people.”
All three casinos are important enterprises for the Nation and the Seneca people, Armstrong said, calling Seneca Allegany a great partner with the Nation over the past 20 years in several areas.
“For one thing, the casinos provide important employment opportunities and career paths in gaming and hospitality for our people,” he said. “Seeing Seneca professionals grow and develop into leading managerial roles at our facilities sets an encouraging example. Our people can see that there are rewarding opportunities available to them and that, with hard work and dedication, they can play an important role in an enterprise that is very important to the future of our Nation.”
Having the casino on the Allegany Territory also allows the Nation to host important events for the people in a wonderful venue, Armstrong said, including events for Elders and the recent Ohi:yo’ Art Market. But the casinos are also important community assets, he added.
“Think about the thousands of people our casinos employ and the tremendous economic impact they have on the region,” he said. “Our investments in our properties over the past two decades have been transformational for the Seneca Nation and for all of Western New York.”
Four years after its first hotel tower was complete, the Seneca Gaming Corporation announced plans to construct a second tower at the Seneca Allegany Resort and Casino. Construction is shown underway in 2012.
COMPARED TO the casino’s opening in 2004, Seneca Allegany is almost a completely different property today. When guests first visited, there wasn’t a hotel, there weren’t multiple restaurants and there wasn’t a live entertainment venue.
“With the support of our Board of Directors and the Seneca Nation, we have been continually reinvesting and making Seneca Allegany one of the leading entertainment and resort destinations in the northeast,” Nephew said.
In 2007, the first hotel tower opened with 212 rooms, spa and salon amenities along with multiple new restaurants and the expanded gaming floor, Nephew explained. In 2008, the original casino space was converted into the Seneca Allegany Event Center, which welcomes some of the biggest acts in entertainment on a regular schedule.
Seneca Allegany added the second hotel tower in 2012, bringing the total room count to 413. The Sports Lounge opened in late 2019, Nephew said, and a new restaurant, Toscana Grill, came online last year.
“Our gaming floor is always being updated with the latest games, themes and technologies to make sure our guests have the best possible experience waiting for them on each visit,” he added.
Nephew said Seneca Allegany is an important part of the community, which itself is important to them since the property is located on the Nation’s Allegany Territory. First and foremost, he said, Seneca Allegany is a major economic engine.
“We have approximately 800 employees earning millions of dollars in annual wages and benefits. We’re one of the largest employers in Cattaraugus County,” he said. “Our hotel is one of the largest in all of Western New York. We are regularly bringing people to Salamanca and the Southern Tier and giving them reasons to stay and explore the area, and to visit us again.”
But the importance goes beyond just economics, Nephew said. When thinking about events like the annual July 4 fireworks and Christmas tree lighting, as well as weddings, birthdays and other occasions, Seneca Allegany is the setting and the backdrop for important moments and celebrations for people across the community.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic had all of us in its grip, Seneca Allegany was proud to host several vaccination clinics in close collaboration with the Seneca Nation and the Cattaraugus County Health Department,” Nephew said. “This is our community.”
A racer launches into the air on a jump near the Seneca Allegany Casino and Hotel in Salamanca last weekend as part of the AMSOIL Championship Snocross Series visit to the area in 2014.
MEANWHILE, the success of casino operations has allowed the Nation to invest in its people and territories like no other time, Armstrong said. He said their business enterprises generate essential funding for critical services and programs for the Seneca people, like healthcare, education, infrastructure, housing, public safety and Elders services.
“For many years, our people did not have access to the quality of services that other communities take for granted,” he said. “Thanks to our gaming enterprise and other businesses, we have been able to make important investments and to take important strides toward closing those significant socio-economic gaps.”
Armstrong said the casinos’ success has helped the Nation create new housing opportunities on territory, upgraded important community facilities and built new ones, such as purchasing the former Seneca Elementary School and creating the Seneca Arts & Learning Center. He said they are improving roads and bridges, creating new training and education programs and preserving and reviving the use of the Seneca language, including teaching it to our youngest generations, so that it can once again thrive.
“Our gaming enterprise is helping us transform every facet of life for our people,” he said. “We have proven over the past 20 years that the success of our gaming business supports the success and growth of the entire community.”
From the thousands of people who work at their properties and the skilled tradespeople who built their facilities to the thousands of vendors and suppliers who depend on their business, Armstrong said Seneca casinos are an important linchpin in the local and regional economy.
“We want to continue writing that success story for our people and our neighbors for decades to come,” he added. “The past 20 years have been phenomenal. We hope the next 20 are even better.”
Ringo Starr gestures to the crowd while singing in an outdoor concert at Seneca Allegany Casino in Salamanca in 2016.
FOR SENECA Gaming Corporation, Nephew said they always look at ways to continue to elevate the standards for quality, energy, excitement and entertainment for their guests. Some great events planned to celebrate the 20th anniversary include special outdoor shows Taylor Shines on Friday and Big & Rich with Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy and DJ Sinister on Saturday.
Nephew said their goal is always to provide the best experience their guests can find anywhere. He said it’s a never-ending pursuit because they always look for ways to do things better and to elevate every aspect of operations.
“Twenty years goes by fast,” he said. “In many ways, we feel like we’re just getting started, so, as great as our first 20 years have been, we’re even more excited about the next 20.”
(Contact managing editor Kellen Quigley at kquigleysp@gmail.com)
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