Alabama’s Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which closed last month on the purchase of Pennsylvania’s Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, has officially renamed the casino-hotel Wind Creek Bethlehem. In a nod to the original owner and builder, the Sands’ event center has been renamed Sands Bethlehem Event Center.
Wind Creek Hospitality, the hotel/entertainment branch of the Poarch Creek tribe, bought the property from Las Vegas Sands Corp. for $1.3 billion, in the largest acquisition in the tribe’s history. Wind Creek is investing another $340 million to upgrade and expand the property, including construction of a 300-room hotel tower, a 300,000-square-foot adventure and water park at the existing No. 2 Machine Shop Bethlehem Steel Site and a 400-to-450-room hotel adjacent to the adventure park.
