PENN Entertainment to Break Ground on New 140-Room Hotel at Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway
PENN Entertainment is adding rooms to one of its Kansas properties without putting up the construction cost itself. Kansas Entertainment, the joint venture between PENN Entertainment and NASCAR, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on 25 September 2026 for a new boutique hotel next to Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway. The property is expected to open in 2028 with roughly 140 rooms and suites, and it matters because it hands the operator more on-site overnight capacity at a site that is already pulling crowds.
What PENN Entertainment’s New Hotel Actually Involves
The hotel will sit adjacent to Hollywood Casino and connect to the casino’s west entrance. It will be affiliated with the Tribute Portfolio, part of Marriott Bonvoy, giving it a recognised brand umbrella from day one. Financing, development and operation are being handled by two outside partners: Prime Group US, a privately held South Florida real estate firm, is financing and developing the project, while State College, Pennsylvania based Shaner Hotels will operate it. Food and beverage offerings, meeting space and other amenities are still to be announced.
Why the Land-for-Rooms Structure Signals a Disciplined Gaming Operator
Kansas Entertainment’s contribution to the deal is the vacant land, not the capital. That is the part operators will read closely. By supplying ground rather than funding the build, PENN adds room supply and overnight spend at the property while a third party carries the financing and construction risk. Jay Snowden, CEO and President of PENN Entertainment, tied it to strategy directly: “This is an exciting new addition to our operations in Kansas City. Significant developments are in process in the area surrounding our property, and this is another organic growth opportunity that aligns with our disciplined approach to further our competitive position in our markets across the country.”
How Village West Strengthens the Hollywood Casino Bet
The location does a lot of the work here. Hollywood Casino sits on turn two of the Kansas Speedway in the Village West area of Wyandotte County, Kansas, a site that hosts the Hollywood Casino 400 and dozens of major events annually. The surrounding district is filling in: it already includes Children’s Mercy Park, home of Major League Soccer’s Sporting KC, alongside large-scale shopping outlets. Travel centre operator Buc-ee’s is currently developing a property adjacent to the casino, and the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs are expected to open a new stadium in Village West in 2031. Pat Warren, President of Kansas Speedway, called it “an incredible addition to the Village West entertainment district” and pointed to the convenient access guests will have to the casino, speedway and wider area.
The Timing Gap Worth Naming for This Hollywood Casino Project
The caution is straightforward: this is a groundbreaking, not an opening. The hotel is expected to open in 2028, roughly two years out, and one of the anchor draws the release leans on lands later still, with the Chiefs stadium not expected until 2031. Key commercial details, including food and beverage, meeting space and amenities, have not been announced. The demand case rests in part on a pipeline that is still being built.
What Comes Next for This Gaming Operator’s Kansas City Expansion?
The near-term signal is a gaming operator expanding overnight capacity through partnership rather than heavy owned development, positioning to capture race-weekend and event spend as Village West matures. For operators watching, the model is the point: contribute the asset you already hold, let specialist hospitality partners fund and run the rest, and convert footfall into room nights. The real test will be whether the surrounding pipeline lands on schedule, because a 140-room hotel is only as strong as the demand around it.
Source: PENN Entertainment
