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Casino gets go-ahead from tribe for expansion plans
By Derek Hodges
Cherokee leaders voted recently to allow tribal gaming officials to enter into $254.5 million in debt for expansions at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel.
The approval came during the Feb. 2 meeting of the Tribal Council.
The gaming and lodging facilities are owned and operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and managed by Harrah’s Entertainment. The Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise directs the operation of the casino.
Many at the casino and TCGE are excited at the prospect of expansion.
“This is very exciting news, because these expansion plans and improvements will help us move the business to the next level of success,” TCGE Chairman Norma Moss said. “The potential for growth at Harrah’s Cherokee – as an employer, contributor to the local economy and a business asset for the Eastern Band – is tremendous.”
The facility currently includes an 88,000-square-foot gaming floor, 574 hotel rooms in two towers, four restaurants and a 1,500-seat showroom/concert hall.
Expansion plans, scheduled to occur in phases over the next six months to four years, call for various renovations and expansions.
Among the most ambitious of the plans are a third hotel tower, a 3,000-seat showroom/concert hall and a spa.
Ray Rose, a Harrah’s Cherokee vice president, said each addition or renovation will create a better experience for the facilities’ visitors.
“This certainly will mean a better gaming and resort experience for our guests,” Rose said.
Though a second hotel tower was recently completed, the third tower is needed because of the high reservation rate of the rooms, Rose said.
“We have a lot of demand. As we grow and expand we will especially need that third hotel tower,” Rose said.
Along with the tower will come a new parking garage to accommodate hotel and casino guests.
The concert hall expansion could be a big draw. Casino officials hope to attract more well-known acts to the relatively small facility with the expansion, Rose said.
“We certainly want to go after more of your A-list acts,” Rose said.
Though casino officials do not yet have a concept of what the proposed spa facility might include, they do look forward to the opportunities it will provide guests, Rose said.
“It’s just a placeholder on our master plan right now. It will be something we need to work on,” Rose said. “It will be a very nice spa, no matter what it looks like.”
Harrah’s owns about 58 acres in Cherokee, Rose said. That should allow for considerable expansion.
In addition, the proposed construction is slated to include:
– Installation of new carpet and paint on the casino floor.
– Renovations to the original Mountain Tower of the hotel.
– Updating and expansion of the Fresh Market Square Buffet.
– Construction of a gaming promotions center.
– Relocation of the casino entrance.
– Renovations to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Tribal Council members were first slated to vote on the loan issue during their Jan. 5 meeting, but Moss withdrew the proposal before they could consider it.
Some community members voiced their opposition to the proposal during that meeting.
“Where’s all that money going to come from when we still have outstanding debt on the casino?” asked tribe member Bill Reed.
While no one offered a firm number as to how much the tribe owes on the existing facility, several Council members confirmed the tribe was still in debt.
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