A downtown Las Vegas casino debuted two floors of new hotel rooms as part of a multiyear planned build-out of the property.

Circa hotel-casino added 49 hotel rooms to its portfolio, nearly six years after the resort opened with seven floors of its hotel tower shelved for future development.

The new rooms, located on floors 49 and 50, are scheduled to open Sept. 1, according to Circa co-owner and CEO Derek Stevens. The additions will bring a new room product to Circa as the property continues to see strong demand for its existing inventory.

“We just don’t have enough keys down here. That’s the reality,” Stevens said in an interview with the Review-Journal ahead of Tuesday morning’s debut.

Stevens said the additional rooms were part of Circa’s original phased development plan. The company initially opened the resort without the upper hotel floors and later added four floors of standard rooms. That allowed Circa to evaluate how the hotel operated and determine what type of rooms would be most in demand.

“We had a multiphase plan,” Stevens said. “This was always part of the plan.”

He said the company wanted to see “what type of room type would be in most demand at our property” before completing additional floors.

The two new floors feature 49 rooms with top-of-the-line amenities and upgraded finishes. The standard king rooms have new furnishings, while the hallways feature higher-end lighting fixtures and wall paneling.

“These two floors are two unique floors,” Stevens said. “So, we’re calling them our platinum floors.”

The rooms are a mix of several types, Stevens said, and are intended to offer a higher-end product than Circa’s standard rooms. There are upgraded standard king bed rooms (single and double), a studio suite and a one-bedroom suite with the option for a connected second room.

The expansion will introduce a new suite type called the Founders Entourage Suite. Circa plans to offer several of the suites, which feature two bedrooms, two full bathrooms and a half-bath, along with a large living room, wet bar and multiple televisions. The suites include Murphy beds and can accommodate as many as 10 people.

Stevens said the suites are designed for groups, including bachelor and bachelorette parties, large families and reunion celebrations.

“It’s a pretty special hotel room,” he said.

The timing of the expansion comes as Las Vegas continues to debate visitation, hotel pricing and the changing expectations of tourists. Stevens said he has little concern about adding inventory in the current market because of the demand Circa is seeing.

“We’re sold out every weekend, and we’ve been booked every weekend for the last three years,” he said.

Stevens said the limited room supply has even created competition among Circa’s casino hosts.

The new rooms are scheduled to be ready ahead of football season, a particularly important period for a property that has built much of its identity around sports.

“We’re going to be going into what’s going to be a record-setting football contest,” Stevens said. “So that brings in a lot of demand. I expect to have a record-setting football season.”

Stevens also pointed to the broader evolution of Las Vegas, saying the city’s appeal increasingly centers on sports, concerts, conventions and other experiences rather than simply inexpensive hotel rooms and food.

“It’s now a far more organized experiential location,” he said.

He acknowledged that the city’s rising prices have changed the nature of a Las Vegas visit, while arguing that tourists are spending more because the overall consumer has changed as well.

“The reality is that the days of a cheap buffet in a cheap hotel … unfortunately, those are just memories,” Stevens said.

He said Circa’s new rooms are intended to reflect the needs of the new Las Vegas guest.

“I think they really match up with the changing and evolving Las Vegas customers,” Stevens said.

The addition represents another step in Circa’s gradual build-out since its 2020 opening, with Stevens saying the company now believes it has enough information about its guests and hotel operations to finish another portion of the tower.

Circa’s hotel tower now has one unfinished floor. The 15th floor is currently used for overflow during large-scale events or as an indoor event space when needed. There are no immediate plans for the unfinished floor, according to the casino.

Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0378. Follow @AC2Vegas_Danzis on X.