The construction works for a 200-room hotel next to Hollywood Casino Columbus have been scheduled to commence in fall.The plans for a hotel on the Columbus West Side will reportedly meet long time expectations to have an integrated resort in the state of Ohio. Although there are four major casinos in the state, the Hollywood Casino Columbus will be the first to include the on-site hotel.
Long Time Expected Development:
Penn Entertainment, the operator and developer of Hollywood Casino, reportedly proposed such a development already in 2012 when the casino was launched. With the works on the construction of the integrated resort in Columbus now set to start in fall 2023, the developer proves its commitment to the idea to meet the expectations of many Ohio’s gambling enthusiasts.
Proven Concept:
Hotels integrated with casinos represent a concept widely accepted across the gambling stakeholders. However, the proven concept was lacking in Ohio with the casinos, such as Jack Casino in Cleveland and the Hard Rock Casino in Cincinnati, partnering with neighboring downtown hotels. The resort in Columbus will therefore be the first of its kind and will represent a partnership of the hotel and Hollywood Casino, one of the Ohio’s four main casinos.
At the moment, the Hollywood Casino reportedly partners with the Hilliard Holiday Inn which is more than 5 miles away. There are only a few hospitality facilities in the West Broad Street that are adjacent to the casino, such as the Red Roof Inn Hotel and 40 Motel.
Socially Responsible Partners:
As the Columbus Dispatch reports, the Penn representatives and the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council are to sign ” a community benefit agreement” to help break the ground at the earliest opportunity. Dorsey Hager, the executive of the Council, reportedly said: “Having helped build the Hollywood Casino back in 2009, it is a pleasure to once again partner with the team at Penn Entertainment and Hollywood Casino on this expansion project.”
Hotel Features:
The seven-story hotel will reportedly be operated by Penn. It will spread over 150,000 square foot next to the existing casino facility to include 200 rooms and suites, a restaurant and conference space, as well as fitness center and the outdoor terrace. As reported, the hotel will be connected to the casino via a walkway.
New Business to the State:
Vice president and general manager of Hollywood Casino, Rick Skinner, reportedly expects that the hotel will generate around 100 jobs. He said: “We are excited to bring new amenities in addition to a fabulous place for our players to stay. This will allow us to provide a full conference and banquet package for our sales team to offer existing clients but also attract new business to central Ohio and the West Side with our conference and meeting space abilities.”
The Ohio’s first integrated resort expects to start the construction works in fall 2023.