The tribal council of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan recently voted 11-0 to approve a .5 million renovation at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Chief Executive Officer Ray Brenny, a member of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians who joined the operation in October 2016, said, “When I was hired nine months ago, I promised to provide a superior focus on improvement. Among the top priorities was to connect with I-5 Design Company, to do an assessment and to present some design ideas that would improve our guests’ experience.”
Work will begin on the seven-phase project this fall and be completed in spring 2018. Among the plans, the non-smoking area will be relocated and the existing section will be transformed into a new nightclub, and a new sports bar will be located near the casino floor. Visitors will be greeted by a new “grand entry” with 12-foot pivoting doors. Other additions will include a wing-shaped center bar, VIP seating area, performance stage, multiple TVs, 59 bar-to slot machines and dramatic new lighting effects.
The Cyber Quest and Kid’s Quest areas as well as the poker room will be redesigned and the existing sub shop will be re-branded. The existing entertainment hall will be fitted with programmable high-tech lighting, improved acoustics and multimedia panels that change on-stage scenes.
The Soaring Eagle opened in 1998 and was most recently renovated in 2011.
The tribe also recently held a groundbreaking ceremony to begin construction on a new 5-story, 148-room hotel at its Saganing Eagles Landing Casino in Standish. Expected to be completed in early 2019, the project also will create space for 400 additional slot machines.
In Watersmeet, the Northern Waters Casino Resort, formerly the Lac Vieux Desert Resort and Casino celebrated its 21st anniversary with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil renovations begun in January at its hotel rooms and on the casino floor. A sports bar and supper club will be completed in the next 18 months.
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Tribal Chairman James Williams said, “A lot of good things going on for the whole community, not just the adults, but for the kids to participate as well.”
Also in the Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s $36 million expansion is under way at the Ojibwa Casino Marquette in Chocolay Township facility. Expected to be completed in December 2018, the project with double the size of the casino floor, add two signature restaurants, build a 76-room hotel and add a 1,200 square foot arena. KBIC’s Ojibwa Casino Baraga is undergoing $5 million in infrastructure updates, including new heating and cooling units and new active smoke eaters, scheduled for completion in March 2018.
