If you spend nearly $1 billion to expand your casino to the point where it becomes one of the largest casinos in the universe, you will have the right to achieve every milestone along the way. And that’s exactly what Mohegan Sun Casino did earlier this month when it took the critical step toward completing the first phase of its $925 million Project Horizon expansion.
Before the project’s new 64,000-square-foot Casino of the Wind section installed its last steel beam on Jan. 2, a ceremony was held with the signature of invited guests. The beam was then hoisted in the air carrying the American flag, the flag of the Mohegan Tribe, and the evergreen trees as part of a tradition that began in Scandinavia more than 1,000 years ago as a gesture of goodwill. In addition, Bruce “Two Dogs” Bozum, the president of the Mohegan Tribe, blessed the area and held a ceremony to spread into part of the holy tradition of Mohegan culture.
“This is a proud day for Mohegan because it marked a significant milestone in expanding Project Horizon,” said Mitchell Etes, president and CEO of Mohegan Sun, who co-hosted the event with Bosom. “I want to thank all the men and women who have dedicated so much time and dedication to this project and have made it all possible… 2007 has been a busy and exciting year for Mohegan Sun, and 2008 looks to be even better.”
When the Casino of the Wind opens this fall, it will have 45,000 square feet of new gaming space, including 826 slot machines, 28 table games, and 42 table-themed poker rooms. Mohegan Sun’s original poker room closed in 2003 to make room for more slot machines, but the popularity of gaming has forced the casino to bring it back to Mohegan. In November, the casino introduced 12 automated poker tables.
When the full expansion project is completed in 2010, the Mohegan Sun will feature 365,000 square feet and leapfrog the world’s top five casinos just ahead of Connecticut rival Foxwoods Casino (344,000 square feet). 슬롯머신
Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant will also be open as part of the Casino of the Wind phase. The legendary entertainer will make a permanent stop on a tour of the Mohegan Sun, and now his fans will be able to dine in a multi-level, 16,000-square-foot restaurant decorated with tiki cottages, palm trees, a 30-foot spinning waterhole, and an 8-foot blender. Guests will be able to enjoy dinner, drinks, and live entertainment on a sailboat at an indoor anchorage or under a glowing sky on an outdoor terrace overlooking the Thames River. The 366-seat restaurant will not only be one of the largest dining areas on the Mohegan Line, but will also be the first indoor/outdoor dining room.
The Casino in the Wind will be located adjacent to the existing Casino in the Sky, and will feature a unique Mohegan Sun design that draws inspiration from solar phenomena. The focus of the space is an electronic and animated water wall, which serves as a giant projection screen for programmed video entertainment. The other casino in the current Mohegan Sun is called the Casino of the Earth.
After completing the Casino of the Wind, Mohegan will turn to the next phase of the project, which will be the opening of the Blues House, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2009. The Blues House will also own and operate a 1,500-person music hall, as well as a 300-seat casual dining restaurant and retail store.
Already requiring more than 50,000 employees, 2 million pounds of steel, and 4,500 yards of concrete, the final stage of the project will be the opening of a 1,000-room hotel tower that will include 300 rooms and a 7,500-square-foot House of Blues foundation room under the theme of House of Blues. The structure will also feature a 20,000-square-foot mandala spa.
Work has also begun on a new poker room, a luxury rock and roll lounge, and several new restaurants.
The Los Angeles-based Italian restaurant with partner and actor Robert De Niro to replace Simon’s kitchen bar is already planning a grand opening in February.
The Libre, Cuba, a new poker room site due to open by May, has closed with large architectural walls where hand-painted portraits by musicians such as Bob Marley, John Lennon and Johnny Cash have taken their place.
“We really tried to limit the amount of displacement that we have,” Shalala said, adding that the artwork provides better flow than flat architectural walls. “We are meticulously thinking about the process of how to manage this structure.”
Waisted Space, a live band lounge designed by longtime Las Vegas-born professional motocross star Carrie Hart on behalf of the closed Viva Las Vegas lounge, is also expected to open through May.
The expansion of the restaurant’s Novu is underway, and the redesign of AJ’s steakhouse will begin in March.
The current The Joint venue will run until the end of 2008, and the new facility will open in early 2009, Shalala said.
The old facility will open an additional 35,000 square feet of casino space.
Construction will also begin in March on a new parking lot and two new hotel towers, a 15-story, 550-room hotel tower with a separate 400-suite VIP tower on eight acres behind the hotel.
The Paradise Bay Club interstate apartment complex, located 23 acres behind the Hard Rock Hotel, closed in July and was heavily demolished to make room for a new garage and tower.
For the remaining 14 acres, a joint venture between Hard Rock Hotels and other parties is still underway.
Hard Rock Hotels is owned through a joint venture between New York-based Morgans Hotel and private equity investor DLJ Merchant Banking Partners.
Morgans bought the hotel business in February after buying the property from founder Peter Morton for $770 million.