Coushatta Casino Resort Ups the Ante: Unveils New $150M Luxury Hotel Expansion
The $150 million luxury hotel with 204 guest rooms and suites, the Coushatta Casino Resort's largest expansion project in years, is set to begin construction next week.
The Coushatta Tribe owns and runs the Coushatta Casino Resort, Louisiana's biggest casino.
Since its 1995 opening, Coushatta Casino has added approximately 2,000 slot machines, 55 table games with live dealers, a sportsbook, off-track betting, and a bingo area. Eight restaurants, 20,000 square feet of conference space, an outdoor pool complex, an 18-hole championship golf course, and a concert hall that can accommodate more than 4,000 people are just a few of the resort's facilities.
The tribe's opulent hotel will begin construction on Wednesday, March 20. With 204 occupants, the tribal casino resort will have more than 1,000 hotel rooms overall. Bobby Thornton, the marketing director of the casino, stated that suites will make up almost half of the new rooms. The name of the hotel is still pending.
The property is located near Kinder, which is roughly 40 miles northeast of Lake Charles. Golden Nugget, L'Auberge, and Horseshoe are the three commercial casinos in the area.
Resort Improvement
The 204-room luxury hotel will be situated near the casino floor, rising to a height of eight floors. Next year, the Tribe plans to renovate the current casino and eateries after the hotel is finished and operational. There are plans to add more restaurant spaces.
"As construction commences, we are excited about all the new venues and upgrades that we will be able to offer our guests, starting with this new hotel,” said Coushatta Tribal Chairman Jonathan Cernek. “Our goal is to offer our players an elevated gaming experience, and that includes top-quality lodgings and high-end dining options.”
It is anticipated that the hotel will add 150–200 new full-time jobs.
There are just three tribes in Louisiana with federal recognition, including the Coushatta Tribe. There are two more tribal casinos in the state: Jena Choctaw Pines Casino near Dry Prong and Cyprus Bayou Casino Hotel in Charenton. Both provide table games and slots in the vein of Las Vegas.
Not deterred by Texas
Texas legislators are still being lobbied by Las Vegas Sands to allow commercial casino resorts. Even though those attempts haven't been successful yet, a number of notable people have contributed their powerful voices to the spread of gaming, including Dallas billionaire Mark Cuban and former governor Rick Perry (R).
Texas and Houston are major suppliers to the three commercial Lake Charles casinos and the Coushatta Casino Resort. Investments in adjacent Louisiana are not deterred by the prospect of Texas becoming a casino state.
After a $150 million investment by the Coushatta Tribe to enhance its tribal casino, Caesars Entertainment reopened Horseshoe, formerly known as Isle of Capri, in December 2022. That comes after an almost $113 million renovation.
The Cordish Companies, based in Cordish, Maryland, is investing $270 million to turn the former Diamond Jacks facility in Bossier City into a land-based casino resort. The property is located approximately 150 air miles north of Lake Charles. Live! When Casino & Hotel Louisiana opens in 2025, it will increase competition in the gambling industry in Louisiana.
During the state's fiscal year of 2023, the 15 riverboat and land-based casinos in Louisiana earned $2.028 billion in income from slots and tables. That was a slight 0.4% reduction from 2022, or nearly flat.
