Courtesy Grand Casino and Resort
Grand Casino and Resort
Shawnee, Okla.
A 14-story hotel is under construction adjacent to the Grand Casino and Resort (formerly FireLake Grand), 20 miles east of Oklahoma City.
Expected to open next spring, the 262-suite property’s Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced design echoes the look of the casino.
Meeting space is limited to two boardrooms; each can accommodate 30 people.
The hotel also will have two full-service restaurants.
“One of the restaurants, currently a Brazilian restaurant, will have six private rooms that can be used for meetings or private meals,” said Jeff Erwin, director of hotel operations. “Also, the casino’s former event center, which seated 1,400 people, will be repurposed.”
That could mean more meeting space — or more casino space. Stay tuned.
“We’ve already had a surprising number of inquiries [from meeting planners],” said Erwin. “This is the largest facility in the area.”
405-964-7777
www.firelakegrand.com
Margaritaville
Shreveport, La.
Flip-flops and flowered shirts might become meeting attire at a $200 million riverboat casino complex to open next summer in Bossier City, across the Red River from Shreveport.
Margaritaville will be the third casino resort developed by singer Jimmy Buffett and other partners. The complex will be the sister cities’ sixth casino and the first opened in more than a decade.
There will be no wasting away in this Margaritaville, next to the shopping and dining development Louisiana Boardwalk.
The 396-room hotel will have a 900-seat entertainment venue, a 30,000-square-foot gaming floor, a spa and fitness center, an outdoor pool deck and four dining options, including the 400-seat Margaritaville Restaurant.
A first-floor event center will accommodate up to 1,000; in addition, there will be two 700-square-foot meeting spaces that can be used separately or together.
“The second floor of the event center will also offer a balcony VIP room with bar and food access that can be used in conjunction with the meeting space or the event center,” said William Trotter II, chairman of Margaritaville Resort Casino, Bossier City.
A presidential suite for up to 100 people will be available for private parties.
“A second-floor landscaped pool area with a thatched-roof bar overlooking the Red River will provide a good spot for outdoor receptions,” said Trotter.
“If additional meeting space is needed, Phoenix University is nearby in the Louisiana Boardwalk,” said Kim Brice, vice president of convention marketing for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.
Classes are at night, so space is available during the day. The Shreveport Convention Center is also across the river.
“We are confident that Margaritaville will add a whole new dimension to the area because Jimmy Buffett has quite a following,” said Brice.
The Bossier City location will be the largest of the Margaritaville-themed casinos. The other two are in Las Vegas and Biloxi, Miss.
info@margaritavillebossiercity.com
www.margaritaville.com
Seven Clans Hotel
Kinder, La.
Coushatta Casino Resort, five miles north of Kinder in southwestern Louisiana, opened its 401-room Seven Clans Hotel in July.
The 100 percent nonsmoking property, with sleek furnishings, spa-style showers and an outdoor swimming pool complex with a lazy river, is connected to the gaming floor at the main casino entrance.
Guests can choose from nine dining options and listen to live music Wednesday through Saturday.
The new hotel is nearly twice the size of the existing 208-room Coushatta Grand Hotel, which is also connected to the casino and is where the resort’s meeting space is located. Four meeting rooms and an executive boardroom are available.
“Each meeting room can accommodate from 60 to 70 people seated,” said Phil Ziegler, director of marketing. “Also, the veranda at the golf course can seat 200.”
A pavilion that is often used for concerts can double as a trade-show floor, a convention hall for up to 4,500 seated or a show ring for equine events.
The casino opened in 1995 and started adding entertainment, a golf course and clubhouse with meeting rooms, lodging and other amenities.
“While we have primarily focused on being a gaming resort, we did recently hire a sales manager who will be looking to bring in more groups,” said Ziegler.
800-584-7263
www.coushattacasinoresort.com
