Wildwood Casino breaks ground for new hotel in Cripple Creek

Local city leaders and developers gathered outside Wildwood Casino today to break ground for the new Wildwood Hotel.

Bruce Brown, the mayor of Cripple Creek, said the move starts a series of plans to construct more hotels and accommodate for people visiting the old mining city.

“I think this is a really good thing for our community,” Brown said. “We really need this and I think it’s a great way to kick off the summer.”

Joseph Canfora, the owner of Wildwood Casino, said he hopes this project will boost the city’s revenue and popularity among tourists.

“We can create two-night, three-day stays where they can land in the Colorado Springs airport and enjoy all the amenities, and then come up to Cripple Creek and enjoy the museums, the trains, the fishing, hunting, and obviously, the casinos,” Canfora said.

When KRDO first reported on the casino’s announcement of the new hotel, locals said they were concerned that the city’s expansion of tourist attractions would ruin the historic atmosphere.

But Mark Campbell, the city administrator for Cripple Creek, said the new constructions would revitalize the city and allow for more people to learn about the city’s history.

“It’s a positive improvement,” Campbell said. “It’s good to put these into the vacant properties. In some instances, they may be incorporating old buildings as well and bringing them back to life.”

The Wildwood Hotel will be adjacent to the Wildwood Casino and is expected to open next year late summer. The new hotel will have 104 rooms available and allow customers easy access to the casino through a heated coach gate joining the two buildings.