The Graton Resort and Casino, owned by California’s Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria near Rohnert Park plans to open its 5 million casino hotel November 15, and has begun accepting reservations.
Joe Hasson, vice president and general manager, told the Press-Democrat: “We took the first one about a month ago.”
The hotel will have 200 rooms, a spa, fitness center and 20,000 square foot events center.
The $800 million casino, which is operated for the tribe by Station Casinos, opened in 2013. During those years without a hotel, the tribe partnered with nearby hotels to offer stay packages for its guests.
With the hotel, the tribe will need to add 300 to its workforce. Sonoma County has a low unemployment rate, so the casino may be challenged to fill those jobs. The casino is already the second largest employer in the county, after Kaiser. It is the largest Indian casino to serve California’s Bay Area, and one of the five largest in the Golden State.
The hotel was designed by the Friedmutter Group of Las Vegas, with rooms that average 500 SF, but as large as 2,600 SF.
In a separate but related development the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria has contributed $200,000 to support a sales tax hike that would benefit Sonoma County.
Greg Sarris, the tribe’s chairman, told the Board of Supervisors that the contribution melded with the tribe’s “values of environmental protection and restoration” and its connections to the land managed by county parks.
The ten-year half-cent sales tax is intended to raise about $10 million annually for Sonoma County Regional Parks to help develop new parks, to educate the public about parks and improve existing parks.
The tribe’s tribal state gaming compact also commits the tribe to contributing $25 million annually to parks.
