The hotel, located on a 50-acre (20 ha) site, contains 432 rooms and has a 95,898-square-foot (8,909.2 m2) casino, as well as a movie theater, bowling alley and convention space.

[2] The project would be built on 50 acres at the northwest corner of Rampart Boulevard and Alta Drive, with construction expected to begin in early 1999.

[2] In February 1999, the project's name was changed to Suncoast, due to a copyright issue with the Sundance Film Festival.

[8] An opening date of September 1, 2000, was initially targeted,[9][10] but was pushed back 11 days due to construction delays and building inspections, thus postponing employee training.

[15] Johnny Johnson, Gaughan's college friend at the University of San Francisco, attended the grand opening ceremony and booked the first room in the hotel.

[19][20] The casino consisted of 78,000 sq ft (7,200 m2),[9] with 48 table games, including blackjack, craps, Mini-Baccarat, pai gow poker, and roulette.

[20] The casino also included a large race and sportsbook; and a 600-seat bingo hall, which was expected to appeal to local residents.

[22] The Suncoast also included a customer child-care facility with a $100,000 jungle gym, and 25,000 sq ft (2,300 m2) in convention space.

[29] In the Suncoast parking lot in August 2005, a robber shot a couple in their 60s, injuring a man and killing his wife before fleeing the area.

[42][43] One night shortly before Trump's visit, the Suncoast was locked down for more than two hours while police investigated a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot that ultimately was deemed safe.

[45][46][47] When the Suncoast opened in 2000, it planned to attract customers primarily through its various restaurants,[19] which included the St. Tropez buffet[48] and an oyster bar.

[19][49] Primo's included seating for 140 people, and provided views of the city through tall windows that were visible by all customers.

[49] The resort also featured Via Veneto, an Italian restaurant designed around a large mural made of Tiffany-style stained glass.

The mural, which included a character bearing an intentional resemblance to Gaughan, had initially been created for the Barbary Coast Hotel and Casino's opening in 1979.

Señor Miguel's, a Mexican restaurant at the Suncoast that was named after Gaughan,[19] received a "B−" rating from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The restaurant, named after the Suncoast's address, included star-shaped lights that were salvaged from the demolished Stardust Resort and Casino.