Operator News
Uruguay- Tender conditions for new casino in Carmelo approved
By James - 26 February 2024
The specifications and the call for tender for the Carmelo Hotel Casino have been approved. The terms and conditions for the tender of the hotel, which is owned by the State, were developed by a commission composed of the Ministries of Tourism and Economy, the Office of Planning and Budget, the National Ports Administration, and the Departmental Government.
Currently, the property is in a dilapidated state. The specifications require that a project be submitted which includes a hotel with a convention hall for 500 people, an events and entertainment hall, a restaurant offering international and local cuisine, a heated swimming pool, over 100 rooms, a 200-meter dock for small boats, and the tender also grants a license to operate a private casino.
Through his X (formerly Twitter) account, Mario Colman, deputy for Colonia, declared: “We have just been informed by the Presidency of the Republic that the specifications and the call for tender for the Carmelo Hotel Casino have been approved,” and added that this is “very good news for Carmelo.”
Located in the Uruguayan city of Carmelo the term of the Hotel Casino Carmelo casino license ended on June 30 and it closed in July 2020. In August 2021 Remo Monzeglio Vice Minister of Tourism said that the hotel and casino would be reopened after a tender and it could be up and running over the next two years. The new owners would renovate the state owned property into a five star hotel in return for the license to operate a casino on the premises.
In October last year President Luis Lacalle Pou came out in support of the project. Lacalle Pou offered a detailed explanation of the steps that the state has followed for several years to reach the bidding process saying that “now is the time for private players.” He pointed out that the Uruguayan government had completed preparations for the tender and that the response would depend on the interest of the market.
The news comes after the mayor of the Maldonado department, Enrique Antía, and developer Giuseppe Cipriani toured the works of the future San Rafael hotel and casino on Brava Beach in Punta del Este.
Both the municipal chief and the investor said that they were optimistic regarding the progress of the building works, reaffirming that the opening date for the hotel and casino remains set for November 2025.
