Beyond the Casino Floor: Rethinking the Integrated Resort | By Jeanne Muscolino, NCIDQ, LEED AP
Client & Project Themes | August 25, 2026
Casino resorts are evolving beyond gaming-focused destinations into immersive hospitality experiences that bring together hotels, dining, entertainment, wellness, nightlife and outdoor amenities.
As JCJ’s Jeanne Muscolino, Principal and Hospitality & Gaming Sector Leader, explains, the casino is now just one component of a much broader destination experience. Today’s resorts are competing for the entire guest journey and for guests’ time, not simply their gaming budget.
JCJ’s work at properties including Jamul Casino Resort, Choctaw Casino & Resort Durant and Choctaw Landing Hochatown reflects this evolution, integrating gaming with a diverse mix of hospitality and entertainment experiences. At Jamul, for example, a new hotel tower, rooftop pool, spa, dining and speakeasy create multiple reasons for guests to stay, explore and return.
Looking ahead, Jeanne sees experience, authenticity, flexibility and connection to place as defining the next generation of casino resort design. The most successful properties will give guests the freedom to shape their own experience while creating compelling reasons to stay a little longer and come back again.
Authenticity and a strong sense of place are equally important. At Desert Diamond Casino White Tanks, cultural storytelling and references to the Tohono O’odham Nation’s heritage and Southern Arizona landscape are integrated throughout the design, creating an experience that is distinctly connected to its location and community.
Looking ahead, Jeanne sees experience, authenticity, flexibility and connection to place as defining the next generation of casino resort design. The most successful properties will give guests the freedom to shape their own experience while creating compelling reasons to stay a little longer and come back again.
