LOS ANGELES—R.D. Olson Construction has completed construction of the $45 million Bicycle Hotel and Casino in Bell Gardens. The 117,000-square-foot hotel was built for the users of the adjacent casino, as well as the surrounding community. While the official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in mid-November with Governor Jerry Brown, the property officially opens to the public today.

"The vision initially was to create an environment for the existing community and the outreach community as well as the guests of the casino and hotel to appreciate and to experience," Bill Wilhelm, president of R.D. Olson Construction, tells GlobeSt.com. "Part of that vision consists of restaurant amenities, the sports bar-type amenities, like the brewery setup, as well as a venue for event planning. If you are at the casino, you have a place to go to sleep or to get a good meal, and if you are in the community at large, it provides an opportunity to experience Bell Gardens. At the same time, we wanted to add a little bit of Las Vegas flare to the property."

The property has 99 guestrooms and 29 luxury suites, and was designed for the "local community, gaming community and the Asian community." The property has a wide range of amenities from a sky bar and pool to Asian-inspired restaurants and a bakery to a brewery with exclusive brews. "We have tailored a little bit of Bell Gardens and what the greater L.A. area has to offer, but we have also tailored it to the users and to what the users would be comfortable having," he says. "At the same time, we have that kind of casino experience that you really don't find in California."

According to Wilhelm, the Casino was the major driver for the development of the property; however, they recognized the multiple alternative drivers in the area and tailored the design of the property accordingly. "The real driver here is the casino facility that is driving the need for the hospitality element," he says. "Once they understood that was the main kick off, we recognized the other drivers that would also support it."