VC hotel owner signs contract with Ramada

Virginia City's first multimillion dollar hotel will open the first week of August with a new name.

Hugh Roy Marshall, president of Silverland USA, said his 68-room Ramada hotel in Virginia City will open in the middle of tourist season. He's dropped the AmeriHost name and signed on with Ramada. It was originally projected to open this month.

"AmeriHost is no longer an entity," he said Monday. "That happened about three and a half weeks ago so we had to change gear to another entity right away."

AmeriHost, a hotel brand most identified with California and the Midwest, and Ramada are subsidiaries of Cendant. Since Marshall is sticking with the same parent company, he will not have to make any design changes to the $6.8 million hotel on E Street.

The hotel must also fit into Virginia City's historical district building standards. Only Ramada was willing to take those specifications, he said.

The three-story hotel is along the route of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad and will overlook the Comstock Park Arena, which is used for the camel races.

Thousands of onlookers come to Virginia City in early September to watch jockeys from around the world race camels, emus and ostriches. It is expected to be one of the hotel's biggest events, given its proximity to the arena.

"Our main season is July, August, September and October," Marshall said. "But there's never been a hotel here so we'll see what happens."

The developer may be taking a gamble on the small Comstock-era mining town that's popular for its family-run bed and breakfast establishments, but tourism officials see this hotel as a harbinger of greater wealth.

"It's going to improve our tourism product immensely," said Susan Sutton, executive director of the Virginia City Convention and Tourism Authority.

"When we have big events like the camel races or the outhouse races or the Fourth of July, our rooms always sell out. Having those additional rooms is going to help us."

Candy Duncan, Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau executive director, said she isn't worried that Carson City will lose room tax revenue to Virginia City.

"I think it'll be very good for Virginia City, but they still don't have enough rooms up there," she said. "It think it's going to be great for Virginia City, and it won't hurt us because we have the bulk of the rooms."

The Ramada hotel in Virginia City

• 68 rooms

• 44,000 square feet

• The lower floor will overlook the Comstock Park Arena, which is used for the camel races

• Will employ about 25 people

• The first floor will include a restaurant, salon, meeting rooms and casino

• The owner's second, larger Virginia City hotel on D Street will be a $15 million Ramada Inn Express. Site work should begin in 2009, the owner said.

• Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.