The Cherokee Tribal Council approved a $275 million master plan to expand Harrah’s Valley River Casino & Hotel just off U.S. 19/74 on July 8.
The chief still must ratify the resolution, which Harrah’s Regional Vice President for Marketing Brian Saunooke is confident will happen, according to the Smoky Mountain News. The projects included in the master plan are not named in the resolution and have not been made public. Saunooke did say “key features” will include an additional hotel tower, a new restaurant, a hotel lobby café, a spa and indoor pool, additional gaming space and additional parking.
According to the resolution, the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise selected JCJ Architecture to develop the concept design and provide a cost estimate. To fund the project, the TCGE will obtain a loan not to exceed $275 million.
The approved master plan represents an investment of more than double the $110 million spent to deliver Valley River in September 2015. The casino opened with 50,000 square feet of gaming space, including 1,050 slot machines, 70 table games and a food court-style dining area, plus a seven-story hotel tower with 300 rooms.
In 2018, a $13 million expansion added a 41,000-square-foot Multi-tainment Center featuring bowling, arcade games and a full-service restaurant. It also added 55 gaming units and some bar-top units, such as video poker, to the gaming floor, and as of March began to offer sports betting.