Free Wheeling

Bicycle Hotel & Casino • Lee & Sakahara Architects

The Bicycle Club card room has long been a fixture in the Southern California card room market. Founded by the legendary George Hardie Sr., the club quickly grew to become the second-largest card room in California.
   
The facility passed through several owners in the 1990s (including the U.S. government), and it wasn’t until the arrival of Hashem Minaiy after 14 years at the Commerce Club that the Bicycle Club came alive. Minaiy is the managing general partner of the “Bike,” as it is affectionately known in the poker world, and he had a dream to transform the club into a true hotel and casino. That dream is about to come true.
   
The Bicycle Hotel & Casino, a seven-story, 117,907-square-foot boutique luxury hotel addition to the Bicycle Casino, will debut in December. Built by commercial luxury general contractor R.D. Olson Construction with architecture by Lee & Sakahara Architects and interior design by Hager Design International, Inc., the hotel will open with 99 rooms and suites, innovative dining concepts such as the Bike Brewery, and resort amenities including a full spa and elevated outdoor pool deck with private cabanas.
   
The Bicycle Hotel & Casino brings unprecedented sophistication and style to the Los Angeles hospitality/gaming sector and caters to the full spectrum of card-cutting enthusiasts, national and international guests and premier poker tours.
   
Located just 15 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, the Bicycle Hotel and Casino offers 185 gaming tables, but so much more. After spending time at the tables, guests can relax in deluxe guestrooms, designed to be tranquil retreats. Plush king- and queen-size beds are complemented by California-inspired furnishings and lavish bath amenities by L’Occitane En Provence.
   
Premium accommodations include 29 luxury suites ranging from the Classic Suite (648 square feet) to the signature Bike Suite (904 square feet), the extravagantly curated Governor’s Suite (1,359 square feet), and a Presidential Suite (2,007 square feet), fashioned to host and impress with its two bedrooms, formal living room and Jacuzzi tub.
   
Blending with the hotel’s modern appeal, the Bike Brewery hotel restaurant will pioneer a craft beer scene in Bell Gardens with 28 taps highlighted by the Bike Brew—a blonde ale by Golden Road Brewery exclusive to the Bicycle Hotel & Casino. Other food options include the Coffee House, a 24-hour snack bar and in-room dining.

Operator: Investment group led by Managing General Partner Hashem Minaiy
Architects: Lee & Sakahara Architects
General Contractor: R.D. Olson Construction
Investment: $50 million