The partners that collaborated on the development of the Ilani Casino and resort announced during a press conference the formation of an investment group for expanding the facility to include a 14-story, 300-room hotel. The casino’s hotel will accommodate additional space for gaming.

As the development company, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe announced the casino will receive exterior and interior updates, as well as the opening of two new restaurants. The hotel project comes on the heels of the completion of a 2,500-seat meeting and entertainment center that competes with similar dual-purpose facilities located in greater Portland, Oregon and southern Washington.

President and general manager of the Ilani property, Kara Fox-LaRose, said in a statement, “Our business has grown incrementally since opening just over three years ago, and our new parking garage, expanded gaming space, and additional restaurants provide increased opportunities to ensure the sustainability of our business and will continue to contribute to the economic vitality of our tribe and the area.”

After the hotel opens, along with the new restaurants and additional gaming space, the Ilani property will exceed 400,000 square feet. The gaming space alone covers more than 100,000 square feet, with 17 table games and 2,500 slot machines.

“On the heels of combatting many challenges this year, we are thrilled to announce the expansion and growth of Ilani, bringing a wealth of new amenities and entertainment options for future guests,” said Mario Kontomerkos, CEO and president of Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, which is a business division of the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut.

The Cowlitz Tribe partnered with Connecticut-based Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment to manage the Ilani property. Economic issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic delayed groundbreaking on the hotel phase of the construction project. Friedmutter Group out of Las Vegas, Nevada designed the hotel expansion project, with Portland-based Howard S. Wright providing construction management services. Howard S. Wright is a division of Balfour Beatty, which is headquartered in London, England.

As an independent contractor, Conco Companies provides shotcrete, concrete formwork, concrete pumping, concrete trucking, and concrete reinforcement services. Our ability to work safely and efficiently on large-scale projects helped Conco Companies receive the contract for the concrete phase of the construction project. Conco Companies has developed a reputation for rapidly adapting to the changes made for fast-paced projects such as the Ilani Casino Hotel. We started on the project in July 2021, with an expected completion date to be sometime during April of 2022.

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