"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Cherokee Casino Resort Expansion

Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilor Curtis Snell, Principal Chief Chad Smith, Deputy Chief Joe Grayson and Cherokee Nation Enterprises CEO David Stewart stand in front of the final steel support beam to be hoisted to the top of the 19-story hotel tower at Cherokee Casino Resort.

TULSA, Oklahoma – Cherokee Casino Resort has reached a new height, as the uppermost beam in the casino’s 19-story luxury hotel is now in place.

Slated to open in early 2009, the 230,000-square-foot hotel will feature a spa, a fine dining restaurant and more than 200 rooms and suites. The hotel tower is part of a total expansion that will make Cherokee Casino Resort the largest gaming resort destination in Oklahoma, at 412,000 square feet, when completed. The expansion is estimated to create 500 new jobs, increasing Cherokee Casino Resort’s total employee count to more than 2,300 employees.

“The expansion of this property creates many new good-paying, stable jobs for Cherokee citizens and the surrounding area. When I see an expansion project of this magnitude, it is a visible sign that we are one step closer to achieving our vision of self-sufficiency for the Cherokee people, and this is a facility that all Cherokee people can be proud of,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

“Cherokee Casinos have always been the first and best in Oklahoma to provide superior facilities and entertainment, including more amenities, more fun and more excitement than anywhere else,” added David Stewart, CEO of Cherokee Nation Enterprises, which operates Cherokee Casinos. “This expansion will allow us to have more diverse offerings for even more guests.”

Marking a significant construction milestone for the expansion project, the top-most beam was lifted into place by a 450-foot crane recently received from Germany. The crane required 30 semi trucks to transport it to Oklahoma. Operated from a ground-based cab, the crane can lift up to 450 tons and reach up to 600 feet.

Cherokee Nation Enterprises is the retail, gaming, entertainment, hospitality and tourism business of the Cherokee Nation. CNE operates casinos in Tulsa, Claremore, Roland, West Siloam Springs, Fort Gibson, Sallisaw and Tahlequah, as well as two Cherokee convenience stores, a full-service travel plaza, seven retail tobacco shops, two gift shops, two golf courses and three hotels. The company employs more than 3,200 people throughout northeast Oklahoma.