Michigan tribe to add 23-story hotel to casino

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A 23-story hotel is set for construction at a casino owned by a Michigan tribe.

Michigan-based Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians will build a 23-story hotel at its Four Winds South Bend Casino that opened during January 2018 in South Bend, Ind., according to a news release from the tribe.

The decision to build the hotel is a result of thriving business at the casino since it opened, The Associated Press reports.

With 317 rooms, it will be one of the largest hotels in the South Bend area, according to The AP. Officials expect construction to start before the end of this year and take about two years to complete.

The hotel will also include a spa, convention area, meeting space, a ballroom, lounge, bar and grille, an outdoor roof-top swimming pool, and terraces, according to the release.

“From the design, use of materials and the finish work, Four Winds South Bend will offer a premium resort-style feel and amenities you’ll find at top resorts in the country,” Frank Freedman, COO of Four Winds Casinos, said in a statement.

The casino has 140,000 square feet of gaming space with 1,400 games, plus four restaurants, a players’ lounge, a coffee shop, three bars, a retail outlet and about 4,500 parking spaces, which was all part of the first phase of development.

“The expansion will bring to life a variety of exciting features and amenities we envisioned during our original planning process,” Matthew Wesaw, tribal council chairman and president of the Pokagon Gaming Authority, said in a statement.

The tribe is also working toward an agreement with Indiana state government to add live table games – like blackjack, roulette and craps – and sports betting to the casino.

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The hotel will be built whether or not the casino is allowed to add to its gaming options, Freedman said, according to The AP.

The casino, 3000 Prairie Ave., is on 166 acres of tribal trust land.

The tribe owns three Michigan casinos that already offer table games.

Four Winds South Bend is the second largest of the Four Winds resort group behind the flagship location, Four Winds New Buffalo, which has a 130,000-square-foot gaming floor, more than 3,000 slot machines, a 1,500-seat multiple-use events center, five restaurants, a Hard Rock Cafe and a 415-room hotel. Its facilities encompass a total of about 600,000 square feet. Opened in 2007, it is the oldest gaming facility owned the Pokagon Band. The tribe opened Four Winds Hartford in 2011 and Four Winds Dowagiac in 2013.

Read more https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/09/michigan-tribe-to-add-23-story-hotel-to-casino.html