News
Harrah's Breaks Ground On $22 Million Hotel Expansion
By Michael K. Rich, InMaricopa.com
June 8, 2010
More than a hundred Harrah's employees, representatives from the city, and members of the business community gathered at Harrah's Ak-Chin Hotel and Casino on Tuesday morning to mark the groundbreaking of a 152-room expansion to the current hotel.
"This is going to be a fabulous addition," said Geoff Andres, general manager at Harrah's Ak-Chin. The $20 million expansion, slated for completion in July 2011, will open up space at the resort, which is booked to capacity on a nightly basis, according to Andres.
"If anyone in this crowd wanted a room tonight, tomorrow night or even the night after, we could not give it to them right now," Andres said. "We turn down as many people as we say yes to."
The majority of the hotel's traffic comes through the casino's more than 40 million customers registered in its national rewards program, which offers member discounts, kickbacks and other perks to encourage visits to the property.
While this pool of customers draws from those who register at Harrah's 17 locations across the nation, Andres said almost 70 percent of visitors to the Maricopa location are in-state customers who are looking for an escape. "People want to come out, stay overnight and have a good time."
The need for the expansion is a strong indicator of the gaming location's recovery from a slumping economy. Just a couple years ago the casino had a freeze on non-essential positions and was looking for ways to tighten its belt. However, over the past several months, Harrah's activity has drastically increased, and the employer of a little fewer than 700 people has been hiring again.
"Just last week alone we had a training class of more than 30 people, and we are now constantly looking to fill positions," Andres said. The expansion is expected to add an additional 50 to 60 local jobs, but Andres could not predict how many jobs would be created during the construction phase.
Andres said the new rooms will be a little smaller than the resort's existing room size, but will have a higher finish level featuring black granite surfaces, oversized showers, vessel sinks, 50-inch flat screen televisions and other amenities.
"When people choose a room, they will be deciding against a little more space and a balcony or a more stylized room," Andres said.
Of the new rooms, five will be double-sized suites, and 15 will be handicapped accessible; rates will range from $90 to $300 per night, with discounts available for rewards members.
The design of the new hotel starts by cutting into the existing lobby with an elongated glass wall, giving the area a more spacious feel.
"The lobby design blurs the line between indoor and outdoor space," said Jason Plojzaj, an architect with RSP Architects, the Tempe-based firm designing the project. The hotel tower stands five stories tall and consists of 85,000 total square feet, which blend modern design with native elements.
The exterior design includes wrapping terracotta elements used to invoke the Indian community's basket-weaving background; the windows are covered in green screen shades, which look like crop rows to pay homage to the area's agricultural roots.
In addition to the cultural elements, the expansion features a 75-foot-tall illuminated tower, which protrudes from the new structure. "The light tower acts as a beacon and point of contrast to the building's horizontal lines," Plojzaj said.
With the expansion, a redesign of the buffet is being completed, but there will be no more slots, table games or any other additions to the casino, Andres said. "At 1,089, we are at our maximum allowable number of slots under the state compact."
Louis Manuel, chairman of the Ak-Chin Community Council, said the expansion of the hotel was not an attempt to play catch up with other casino resorts that have made significant changes over the past few years, but instead a move to provide stability in the way of life in the community.
"This was the right time, right place and the right thing to do," he said. "This expansion will add to that 'ah' factor people feel when they first see this site."
One sign of its positive affect on the community came during the groundbreaking ceremonies when Ken Alber, vice president of the Penta Building Group, presented a check to Manuel for $40,000.
"This money is designated to help facilitate youth programs and scholarships in the community," Alber said.
Photo caption: Representatives from Ak-Chin Indian Community are (from left)Gabriel Lopez, Anthony Narcia, Sr., William Antone, Leslie Carlyle-Burnett and Louis Manuel, Jr.
Click to see pictures from the groundbreaking
This article originally ran on the InMaricopa website. All images and story content are the copyright of InMaricopa.com.