I spent the weekend at Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. Harrah’s Cherokee is in Cherokee, NC. It is near the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is just east of Murphy, NC.

The casinos are about one hour apart by car. This is through the scenic Nantahala National Forest. While the two casinos are sister properties, there are numerous differences between them.

Hotel

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One clear difference between Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is the hotel. Harrah’s Cherokee offers three hotel towers. All are taller and larger than the single seven-story hotel building at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. The rooms at Cherokee Valley River are all newer. However, the Creek tower at the original Cherokee property is still modern compared to the Soco and Mountain towers.

The scenery viewable from the hotel towers is also much different between the two properties. The Cherokee resort has development around it. Most rooms do not have picturesque views. However, the two pedestrian bridges cross a beautiful mountain creek. With that said, the scenery around Harrah’s Cherokee is still better than most casinos offer. Some premium rooms have spectacular views.

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River has no development of any kind within view except for parking lots associated with the hotel and casino. The scenery around Murphy, NC doesn’t compete with Cherokee. However, the view from the hotel is better from most rooms.

Dining

Harrahs was first mentioned on PissedConsumer on Feb 09, 2011 and since then this brand received 288 reviews. Harrahs ranks 79 of 635 in Entertainment category. The overall rating of the company is 2.0 and consumers are mostly dissatisfied. Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino: Fun days - See 1,306 traveler reviews, 79 candid photos, and great deals for Murphy, NC, at Tripadvisor.

Harrah’s Cherokee easily wins the dining category. Guests will find Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Brio, two cafes and a food court that consists of Johnny Rockets, Dunkin Donuts, Earl of Sandwich and pizza by the slice.

The only dining at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is in a small food court. This offers Nathan’s Famous, Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips, Papa John’s Pizza, Panda Express and Earl of Sandwich. There are no restaurants at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River that offer sit-down service. I recommend eating at Rib Country a few miles west of the casino in Murphy.

My wife and I dined at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Brio. Ruth’s Chris comped one of our steaks because it was of extremely low quality. It was so tough it couldn’t be cut with a steak knife. The steak they didn’t take off the check was only marginally better. Brio also didn’t compare to ones in other locations.

Amenities

Harrah’s Cherokee wins the amenities comparison. It isn’t even close. Cherokee has a poker room on its second floor. It has a spa and convention center. There’s also a bowling alley and concert venue at Harrah’s Cherokee.

The Harrah’s Cherokee Valley property offers no amenities. The only thing to do there is gamble, unless you consider a fast food court to be an amenity.

Diamond Lounge

Both properties offer a Diamond Lounge. The rules at each are identical. They are open from 3pm to 10pm on weeknights and until midnight on weekends. A small buffet is offered at both that includes a salad bar, deserts and one hot dish.

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Diamond customers may only eat one time per night. The casinos keep track of this by issuing dining tickets.

Seven Stars players have a private seating area and entrance at Harrah’s Cherokee. Neither has dedicated bathrooms, though each have one right outside the entrance.

Gambling

The most obvious difference between the two casinos is the size. Harrah’s Cherokee is substantially larger. It includes more table games than its sister property in Murphy. This does not mean just the number of available tables. Harrah’s Cherokee offers Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Pai Gow Poker, Big Wheel and double deck blackjack that is not available at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River.

The high limit blackjack rules are better in Murphy. Players will find $50 shoe games in Murphy that stand on all 17s. This game requires $100 at Cherokee.

Should You Pick Harrah’s Cherokee or Cherokee Valley River?

There are reasons to visit both properties. If your only goal is to gamble, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River will achieve that. There are enough machines to find action and during the week it is often quite dead. Even the most popular machines should be available.

If your goal is to have a resort experience, Harrah’s Cherokee is the only option. This is especially true if you have children along for the trip. There is nothing for non-gamblers to do at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River.

Cherokee Valley River Casino

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Harrah’s Cherokee Casino

'Harrah’s Cherokee is continually monitoring the situation, and while a reopening date has not yet been established, the company looks forward to welcoming back team members and guests soon,' the release said.

The casino — whose revenues account for the bulk of the tribal budget, as well as for per capita payments issued to tribal members twice per year — had never before shuttered operations in its 23-year history. The closure affects the facilities in both Cherokee and Murphy.

To date, no COVID-19 cases have been confirmed on the Qualla Boundary, and the tribe has been taking extraordinary preemptive steps to prevent its arrival there, especially in light of the fact that the Cherokee Indian Hospital has no ICU beds or ventilators with which to treat patients. During the extended closure period, as during the initial closure, casino employees will continue to receive pay and benefits.

The original closure announcement came on Monday, March 16, three days after President Donald Trump’s March 13 declaration of a national emergency and five days after the World Health Organization’s March 11 declaration of a global pandemic in response to the worldwide proliferation of COVID-19.

Harrah's is not alone. Caesars Entertainment, of which Harrah’s is a part, has temporarily shut down all its properties in North America.

'It has become clear that we must take this extreme action to help contain the virus and protect the safety and well-being of our team members and guests,” said Caesars Entertainment CEO Tony Rodio.

Casinos currently operate in 41 of the 50 states. Only five of those states have seen zero casino closures as a result of the coronavirus, according to the latest update from CDC Gaming Reports as of press time. That organization is unrelated to the Centers for Disease Control.

Harrah's closure is extremely significant, as casino revenues account for the bulk of the tribal budget, as well as for per capita payments issued to tribal members twice per year. The casino does not publicly disclose its profits or revenues, but it’s safe to say that it’s responsible for providing tribal members and tribal government with hundreds of millions of dollars each year. In 2018, the tribe paid out nearly $200 million in per capita checks to tribal members.

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The casino has never closed before, though on its opening night in 1997 operations did pause for two hours. Guests were still allowed on the property at that time, however.

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https://www.caesars.com/corporate/coronavirus-guest-information.