Cowlitz casino named ilani Resort

LA CENTER — The new casino located next to La Center, but technically in Ridgefield, is still knee deep in construction, but the project is starting to come to life.

Last week a number of the project managers unveiled the official name, logo and colors as well as provided new details about how the casino will look and feel.

The official name, ilani Resort, is the new title to the previously referred to Cowlitz Casino Project. 

“Ilani means sing in the Cowlitz language,” said Cowlitz Tribe spiritual leader Tanna Engdahl. “As a tribe, we have always believed in the power of singing. We hope the southwest Washington community and visitors to the area will find their ‘inner ilani’ upon visiting our beautiful resort.”

Blue and gold will serve as the primary colors in the logo and designs.

“I see the blue representing the various watersheds around our area, and the gold as a sunset falling behind our mountains,” Engdahl said.

More than a decade ago the Cowlitz Tribe formed a partnership with the Mohegan Tribe to turn the vision into a reality. Now the $500 million resort is set to open in late spring of 2017.

In total, the facility will be about 368,000 square feet. In addition to the gaming products, the casino will also house 15 different entertainment establishments. None of the companies could be named at this time, but the managers said it will be a variety of bars, fancy and casual restaurants, as well as retail shopping.

“Even if you’re not interested in gaming you can still enjoy other amenities at the resort,” said Project General Manager Kara Fox-LaRose. “We’re not targeting just gamers.”

Within the building the restaurants will be located on the sides, allowing for outdoor seating and a great view of the mountains.

At the center of it all will be the center bar, elevated a few feet off the floor and full of furniture. Directly surrounding the bar will be the gaming center.

Other spaces to take up the outside layer besides the 15 vendors are going to be an entertainment lounge, VIP lounge and a huge multipurpose room.

The entertainment lounge is expected to hold 350 people around a main stage.

“We want to have weekly live entertainment such as music in that space,” Fox-LaRose said. “We don’t know which days of the week that will be yet.”

Much larger is the multipurpose room, which will be able to hold up to 2,500 people in theatre seating. Banquets, concerts and whatever else are what Fox-LaRose plans to use it for.

“We want to have regular nationally recognized events in there, like concerts,” Fox-LaRose said.

To please all their future visitors, the managers said they are working on making the casino as smoke-free as possible, but haven’t determined exactly where it will and won’t be allowed.

Also, to make getting to and from the site as smoothly as possible, roundabouts and wide lanes are being constructed from the Interstate 5 exit to the entrance. At the door visitors will have the opportunity to valet their car, or can park themselves in a parking lot nearby.

Construction on the entire property began in September 2015 and 150 construction workers are currently employed. When it opens the resort will bring more than 1,000 new jobs to southwest Washington.

According to founder Dave Barnett, 90 percent of those jobs will be pulled from the local market.

Later this summer the organization will start the hiring process for key executives, as well as service, gaming and maintenance staff. Job fairs will be available on dates yet to be determined, but interested applicants can keep an eye out on both ilani’s website, www.ilaniresort.com, and social media.

“Whether you’re interested in hospitality, back of house, human resources, IT, facilities, or marketing, a lot of great things are happening,” Fox-LaRose said.

Ilani Resort sits on a 156-acre piece of Cowlitz Tribe land right next to the I-5 freeway off of exit 16.