Riverview Hotel to celebrate grand opening with concerts, time capsule

After close to two years of construction, The Riverview by Century Casinos hotel will be opened to the public Thursday, April 4, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m.

“This is different from your typical hotel,” Lyle Randolph, vice president of operations and general manager for Century Casinos in Missouri, said. “… I think the experience we’re trying to create is something unique and something special to Cape Girardeau, especially for downtown.”

Connected to Century Casino Cape Girardeau at 777 N. Main St., The Riverview features 69 rooms across seven floors.

Most of the rooms face the Mississippi River, giving the hotel its name. Randolph said they were specifically designed to give guests an optimal view of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge and any boats along the river.

A hotel has been planned for the casino since it opened in 2012, but only after Century Casinos acquired the location in 2019 did those plans come to fruition. Once the coronavirus pandemic subsided, development began in May 2022. Jackson-based Penzel Construction built the hotel.

“As opposed to it being just a standalone hotel, the casino brings the opportunity for an overall entertainment complex where there’s multiple things to do,” Randolph said.

To celebrate The Riverview’s grand opening, the casino will host various musical and entertainment acts during its first operational weekend, including Grand Ole Opry member Lauren Alaina on Sunday, April 7.

Randolph said the company will also bury a time capsule at the site Sunday to be opened the next time an eclipse passes over Cape Girardeau.

“The next time a solar eclipse will occur in this location, in Cape Girardeau, after April 8, is in the year 2343,” he said.

A watch party for the eclipse will take place at the hotel Monday, April 8.