Interior MOTIVES
by Paul Doocey
November 16, 2012
When the Four
Winds Casino Resort in New Buffalo, Mich., first opened its doors in 2007, the
Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians-owned property’s primary claim to fame was
its 130,000-square-foot casino—the largest and only land-based gaming facility
within a 150-mile patch of Southwest Michigan, according to company literature
at the time.
Fast forward five years, and the emphasis at Four
Winds New Buffalo has definitely strayed from its formerly casino-centric
approach. Indeed, the property is in the midst of a multi-phase expansion which
seems to be extremely weighted toward the non-gaming end of the casino resort
business. This past year has seen the opening of a 250-room hotel tower; the
Silver Creek Event Center, which is a 1,500 seat, multi-use facility that hosts
concerts, meetings, special events, conferences, and banquets; and, most
recently, the Hard Rock Cafe Four Winds, a two-level restaurant/nightclub with
seating for over 275 people and a performance stage.
“Whether you
enjoy quality, classic American food or love being surrounded by one-of-a-kind
memorabilia from your favorite artist, the Hard Rock Cafe Four Winds will
provide a restaurant and entertainment experience unparalleled in Southwest
Michigan,” said Matt Harkness, general manager for Four Winds Casinos at the
restaurant’s opening last July.
The key takeaway from Harkness’s statement is that
Four Winds New Buffalo was looking to become the “unparalleled” entertainment
venue of the region; a wish a growing number of tribal gaming properties fully
understand, and likely equally desire. Not so long ago, tribal resort
operators—much like their commercial brethren—could rely on the casino alone to
generate year-over-year revenue growth, as a financially secure middle class
motored to the nearest casino multiple times a month to spin the slots or wager
at the tables. But the recession and seemingly glacial economic recovery
combined with increased gaming competition has derailed the casino revenue
train at a number of locations, leaving operators in something of a quandary—should
they wait for the economy to rebound, which in turn will hopefully bring people
back to the casinos, or should they be bold and add non-gaming amenities to
attract more people and grow revenue organically?
Increasingly, gaming tribes are choosing the latter
option, which is providing something of a challenge for the designers and
architects that take these visions and business strategies and turn them into
brick-and-mortar reality, often under tight timelines and budgets.
“In
an increasingly competitive gaming environment, our clients in Indian gaming
have needed to up the ante and provide non-gaming amenities, such as hotels,
that are on-par with the commercial gaming industry in terms of quality and
attention to the guest experience,” said Greg Hnedak, a partner with
DreamCatcher Hotels, which recently completed the 401-room Seven Clans Hotel at
Coushatta Casino Resort, Kinder, La. “Good design and quality products don’t
have to be expensive. It’s all about doing more with less—and not sacrificing
aesthetics or standards of quality as you do it.”
THE WISH LIST
DreamCatcher handled all the design and development aspects of the Seven Clans Hotel, essentially turning over a finished product to the Coushatta tribe.
“We see adding a hotel or expanding your existing room count as one of the biggest trends in Indian Country,” Hnedak said. “Everyone has recognized the multiplier effect on a loyal customer when you give them an overnight stay. It’s your gift to your best players for their allegiance to your property.”
According to architects, some of the other items on the design/development wish list for expansion-minded tribal casinos are:
• Entertainment elements—Hotel rooms may entice overnight stays and additional business for the resort, but amusements such as themed restaurants, nightclubs, arenas, theatres, water parks, etc., not only provide new revenue sources but can attract younger clientele and impart market distinction in otherwise competitive gaming regions.
• Repurposing space—In more economically sound times, a gaming resort could afford to have swaths of empty/unused space simply to improve sight lines and design aesthetics, or to have in reserve for special events and potential casino expansions. Now it’s essentially all areas of the facility have the ability to generate revenue, and these formerly empty spaces are being transformed into restaurants, retail, meeting areas and other businesses that have the potential to turn a profit.
• Renovation/redesign of existing assets—In increasingly competitive casino marketplaces with a lack of new development opportunities, it’s vital tribal resorts maintain brand integrity by refreshing facilities as often as possible.
“Operator reinvestment in existing design has been delayed because of the recent economic doldrums,” said John Culligan, principal, Cuningham Group Architecture, during a session on casino design at last month’s Global Gaming Expo. “As financing eases, operators big and small should rush to refresh their properties. Casinos need to maintain brand strength; it’s the best way to expand business in new and existing markets.”
• Commercial appeal with cultural respect—When it comes to actually creating design for new or expanding tribal resorts, architects are asked to walk a very fine line—to make the additions or renovations as appealing to as many people as possible while at the same time maintaining and respecting tribal motifs and cultural history.
“We want our guests to have a strong emotional connection to our property when they visit Four Winds,” said Matt Wesaw, chairman of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. “The design [our architects] provided [was] the framework for that to occur, creating a unique sense of place with great attention to the details that are important to both our Tribe and our customer base. We are confident the one-of-a-kind music, entertainment, food and hotel offerings we’ve created with this expansion will keep our players coming back for more.”
THE RIGHT WAY
The architects for the Four Winds Casino Resort New
Buffalo expansion were Memphis, Tenn.-based Hnedak Bobo Group (HBG), who, along
with contractors Christman and Kraus Anderson, were tasked by the tribe with
meeting most of the above goals.
“We worked closely with the Four Winds Casino
operational leadership and the Pokagon Band stakeholders to design and
construct an impressive building expansion program comprised of a high-quality
hotel and the event center and a Hard Rock entertainment venue,” said Rick
Gardner, AIA, principal/senior partner with HBG. “The synergy between these
three amenities was intentional to draw popular international headline acts and
brand recognition, create new market demand and appeal to the strong existing
customer base.”
The tribe’s desire to expand its customer base was
exemplified by its acceptance of Hard Rock and the willingness to let it be a
major design element within the resort.
“The Hard Rock brand has significant ‘staying
power’ and complements the property’s efforts to reach out to a larger and
broader demographic,” said Nathan Peak, AIA, HBG senior associate/shareholder.
That said, Peak was also aware of the tribe’s
desire to have the casino design reflect some of the icons of its cultural
heritage, and the HBG team incorporated them wherever possible.
“The event center was named for a nearby creek
culturally significant to Pokagon tribal life, the Silver Creek,” Peak said.
“Special attention was given to creating unique details that reference a range
of significant Tribal motifs and symbolism, displayed in custom-designed lighting
fixtures and ceiling and wall ornamentation detail.”
Hnedak faced many of these same challenges working
with the Coushatta tribe on the Seven Clans Hotel, exacerbated by the need for
the project to be delivered on time and on budget.
“DreamCatcher provided top-to-bottom, turnkey
services from architecture and construction, to the selection and installation
of in-room products, furniture and fixtures,” Hnedak said. “The all-in project
cost, including design, construction, FF&E and OS&E was $100,000 per
key. The project is the embodiment of
our beliefs. At Coushatta, we successfully delivered the highest perceived
value to the hotel guest and provided the lowest development cost per key to
the owner.”
Conrad Granito, GM, Coushatta Casino Resort agrees.
“DreamCatcher basically handed us a set of keys to a finished hotel,” he said.
“The package includes all the best branded products in the industry at a price
that we honestly couldn’t believe. DreamCatcher not only met their guaranteed
price, but they exceeded our expectations with the finished product.”
SIDEBAR: The PENTA Building Group completes construction of Indian Head Casino
The interior architecture at Indian Head derived from the tribal fishing platforms, including the ceiling design with a recessed center showcasing beautiful planked woods and decorative light fixtures.
The project features an 18,000 square-foot gaming area with eight blackjack tables and 500 slot machines, a restaurant with seating for 120 people, a snack bar and gift shop. The casino floor includes a light feature that spans the entire casino floor and can be programmed to look similar to a flowing river. The lobby materials include stone veneers, warm woods and tile flooring. The main casino facade is divided into three sections symbolizing the three tribes of the Warm Springs Confederacy. Each section contains a slightly different canopy supported by three angled steel elements positioned and adjacent to large-scale rippled blue walls of sculpted foam.
To pay tribute to the tribes’ culture, they chose to incorporate two significant landmarks into the casino’s design: Celilo Falls, a former tribal fishing area on the Columbia River and the Indian Head rock formation located on the reservation. This concept was carried throughout the design and construction of the entire project.
Indian Head Casino was recently awarded Engineering News-Record ‘s (ENR) Northwest 2012 Best Project Award for Best Sports/Entertainment Project.
Paul Doocey
is editor of Casino Journal magazine. He can be reached at dooceyp@bnpmedia.com.
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