Gun Lake Casino planning $300M hotel resort expansion

Holland Sentinel
 
Gun Lake Casino planning $300M hotel resort expansion
Wild Casino

WAYLAND TWP. — Gun Lake Casino has revealed a $300 million plan to transform its property near Wayland into a hotel resort reports WOOD-TV 8.

The expansion is expected to include a 250-key, four-diamond hotel with suites, rooms, a restaurant and a full-service spa.

The casino also plans to create its own version of a year-round island oasis with a pool enclosed in a glass dome, hot tub, private cabanas and a “nightlife entertainment space” with live music, DJs and dancing.

Gun Lake Casino President and Chief Operating Officer Sal Semola says the project is the largest in the casino’s 10-year history and will support the surrounding community by providing more jobs.

Nearby cities and townships also benefit from Gun Lake Casino’s growth through revenue sharing, which has totaled $35 million over the casino’s decade in business, according to the Gun Lake Tribe.

The casino has generated $2.8 billion for Michigan’s economy since it opened on Feb. 10, 2011, according to a report released by the tribe in February. In that report, the group said it’s invested $415 million in the casino while directly paying $502 million in wages.

Gun Lake Casino is in the midst of a $100 million expansion, which will add two restaurants and space for an additional 450 slot machines, 12 new table games and a larger nonsmoking area.

Gun Lake Casino is already home to more than 2,200 slot machines, 47 table games, a café, buffet, bars, lounges, live entertainment stage and a sports betting area that opened earlier this year.

The amenities announced Monday will take shape on approximately 250,000-square-feet of property between the current casino and US-131.

The Gun Lake Tribe expects to begin the newly announced expansion as soon as its current construction project wraps up, which is expected late this summer.