TULALIP Vice-president of the Tulalip Resort Casino, Brett Magnan said the new 370-room hotel attached to the Tulalip Casino will be ready for its scheduled opening this summer.
Last week, Magnan presented members of the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce a brief update on the progress of the roughly $130 million project.
But if a full-scale opening is still a few months away, local officials and residents more immediately can look forward to the covering of the bright, orange weather stripping that has coated the 12-story building for several months.
Close observers may have noticed workers putting silver-gray siding in place up the sides of the hotel in the last week or so.
Magnan also said the Tribes have hired about four or five of the estimated 400 new employees needed to operate the hotel.
Weve a little ways to go on that, he said.
According to information provided by the Tulalip Tribes, construction on the hotel began in August 2006. Casino Marketing Coordinator Mytyl Hernandez said at that point, Tribal officials thought they might have the hotel ready by early this year. The date was pushed back to the coming summer shortly after construction began.
In comments made prior to the chamber meeting, Magnan talked a lot about the amenities of the new hotel. The building will feature more than $1 million in local tribal art. Much of that art will be situated in numerous specialty suites.
Magnan also talked about a 14,000-square-foot day spa, titled T-Spa and an indoor swimming pool with a terrace, waterfall and foliage. Officials hope the indoor pool will prove perfect for weddings and similar events.
The hotel also will offer some 30,000-square-feet of meeting space. The space can be changed in size to accommodate groups of any number.
Magnan further said the new hotel will feature two restaurants, including the Cedars Cafe offering a 24-hour menu and room service. Plans also call for a seafood-themed restaurant, Black Fish.
With the opening of the hotel, Magnan said, Tulalip Resort Casino will become the largest and most distinctive meeting, gaming, entertainment and shopping destination in Washington.
According to information provided by the Tribes, some improvements also are being aimed at the casino itself. Early plans called for adding some 56 new high-limit slot machines, with another 106 lower-stake machines also in the works.
Plans additionally call for six new gaming tables.
Overall, the hotel and casino should feature roughly 14,700-square-feet of banquet space and 5,700-square-feet of gaming areas, with 2,800-square-feet of high-stakes gambling available.