EC Harris, the multidisciplinary consultant, has been selected to project manage a £460m scheme to build the first Caesar's Palace gambling resort in Europe.

The 12 ha luxury holiday resort, for US gambling giant Harrah's Entertainment, will be built in the new community of El Reino in Ciudad Real, a Spanish city about 120 miles south of Madrid.

A 4650 m² casino will form the centrepiece of the resort, which will also feature an 850-room hotel, a 3000-seat Colosseum theatre, a conference centre, a 2800 m² spa and a number of restaurants and bars.

EC Harris is understood to have beaten a range of other UK-based consultants to the role including Davis Langdon, Faithful & Gould, Gardiner & Theobald and McBains Cooper. US consultant Jacobs Babtie is also understood to have bid.

A source close to the bidding process described the role as a "high-level project manager" and added: "Harrah's is a great believer in the UK industry so it's no surprise most of the shortlist was British."

It’s no surprise the shortlist was mostly British

Project source

The Caesar's Palace resort forms part of a large redevelopment of the El Reino de Don Quijote area of Ciudad Real, which will include hotels, golf courses, retail and residential units.

Harrah's Entertainment, which is based in Las Vegas, is also planning a luxury casino resort in Nova Gorica, Slovenia, as part of its European expansion drive.

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