A grand opening celebration recently was held at the newly expanded Saganing Eagles Landing Casino and Hotel in Standish, Michigan, owned by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.
Tribal Council Chief Ronnie Ekdahl said, “We are so excited to complete the final stages of the expansion and construction that started in early 2017. This ribbon-cutting event will mark the end-point of a long period of major improvements and thus, we want the public to come out and celebrate with us.”
The multimillion-dollar expansion includes a new non-smoking five-story hotel with 148 guest rooms including eight suites with kitchenettes and separate sitting areas, plus a pool, fitness center and hospitality suite.
New dining options include the 195-seat, full-service Landing restaurant and the Creekside Lounge, featuring an all-day menu, draft beers and specialty cocktails. A new gift shop opened and the casino added 300 slots for a total of more than 1,200.
The facility features tribal designs and artifacts, such as drums, black ash baskets, moccasins, a fancy dance shawl and jingle dress. “We tried to pull in some of the native components into the interior, the design, the displays,” said General Manager Bob VanWert, who added that the expansion created more than 160 new jobs.
Ground was broken for the project in June 2017. At the time, Chief Frank Cloutier said, “This expansion further solidifies our presence in our aboriginal territory and shows our commitment to the community and economic growth for the region.”
The tribe also owns the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, which completed a $26.5 million renovation and expansion last year.
