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Construction to begin on Harrah's hotel, conference center

By Lisa Majors-Duff
Groundbreaking at the Harrah's Hotel

Herald photo by Lisa Majors-Duff

Breaking ground at the site of the new $63 million hotel and conference center at the Harrah's Cherokee Casino are, from left, Tim Wilmott, eastern division president for Harrah's Entertainment; Dan McCoy, chairman of the Cherokee Tribal Council; Jerry Egelus, casino general manager; and Leon Jones, principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Construction on the 250-room, 15-story hotel is set to begin immediately, with completion slated for 14 months.

Construction on the 250-room luxury hotel will begin immediately, with completion slated in 14 months. The addition is expected to make the casino complex a destination, attracting even more visitors from major markets such as Atlanta.

The new 15-floor hotel tower will offer 252 rooms, including eight suites on the top floor. The hotel tower will be located on U.S. Highway 19, beside Soco Creek. An enclosed "sky" bridge over the creek will connect the casino to the hotel.

The addition will also contain 30,000 square feet of conference center meeting space, an indoor pool, spa and workout room, and two new eateries - a 24-hour casual dining restaurant and a Club Cappuccino coffee bar. A four-level parking deck with 700 spaces will be built adjacent to the hotel.

In his remarks, Chief Jones focused primarily on how the casino has changed lives on the Cherokee Indian Reservation.

Artist's rendering of the lobby in the new luxury hotel

This artist's rendering of the lobby in the new luxury hotel adjacent to the Harrah's Cherokee Casino illustrates how traditional Cherokee art will be used to portray a sense of Native American culture. The 15-story hotel will face Soco Creek and will take advantage of the area's natural beauty and mountain setting, said casino General Manager Jerry Egelus.

"The impact of the casino on the Cherokee people is immeasurable," Jones said. "I just can't put a dollar figure on it, and not just in jobs here, but the thousand or so other jobs in the surrounding communities that have resulted from the casino. It has changed the lives of many people."

Chief Jones said the other way the casino has changed lives is through added programs and community services, such as a new dialysis center, a new youth center, scholarship program, renovation of the tribe's Ceremonial Grounds and expanded facilities for senior citizens.

"This casino is about our enrolled members," said Dan McCoy, chairman of the Cherokee Tribal Council. "It has given us money for things we've needed for a long time... things we were not able to have in the past, we will have in the future."

Tim Wilmott, eastern division president for Harrah's Entertainment, predicted that the destination appeal of the new hotel, the first physical addition to the casino since it opened in 1997, will attract visitors from markets outside the surrounding area. Visitation from Atlanta is already up 75 percent through September, compared to the previous year, and that two-thirds of casino guests come from outside North Carolina, he said.

"The overnight market here is the fastest growing market segment, and we plan to see that growth continue," Wilmott said.

When completed next fall, the hotel on the Cherokee Indian Reservation will be the tallest building west of Asheville in North Carolina. Helium balloons tethered to the height of 15 stories illustrated this fact to guests attending the groundbreaking ceremony.

The $92 million Harrah's Cherokee Casino, which opened in November 1997, is a 175,000-square-foot facility with 60,000 square feet of Class III gaming space.

The casino contains approximately 2,500 video games.

With more than 3 million visits annually, Harrah's Cherokee Casino, which is owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and managed by Harrah's Entertainment, is the largest tourism business in the state.

In addition to gaming options, the casino maintains three restaurants, a 20,000-square-foot multipurpose entertainment center with 1,500 concert seats and a 6,200-square-foot child care and arcade area.

The casino employs approximately 1,500 with payroll and benefits totalling $33.4 million in 1999.

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