This Native American operation has distinguished itself from the competition with its fresh, forward-thinking approach. Retail Digital finds out more
Written By Ulrika G. Gerth & Produced by Jordan Fowler
The Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel turns the rules of conventional gaming design on its head. Gone are the dark and smokey rooms, low ceilings, and the feeling of getting lost in the twilight of day and night.
Opened in the summer of 2008, only five miles from the white beaches of Lake Michigan, the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel in Williamsburg, MI, greets customers with a shower of natural light, 50-foot sloping ceilings in white, and an air filtration system that is so effective it leaves the ejected air cleaner than when it came in. The largest skylight, which spans the entire facility, stretches longer than a football field and reduces energy consumption on the floor by 50 percent.
“We’re significantly different than our competition,” says Jim McWilliams, CEO of the Grand Traverse Resport & Casinos. “There are two Native American casinos nearby and we wanted to do something environmentally and physically different. That’s one way we stand out.”
The other is location. The Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel is, along with Leelanau Sands Casino & Lodge in Peshawbestown, owned and operated by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians. Both are within a half hour drive from Traverse City, a tourism Mecca located right on the water and named the third ”Best Fishing Town in America” by Field & Stream.
With the opening of Leelanau Sands Casino in 1984, then called Super Bingo Palace, the Grand Traverse Band became one of the first tribes in the United States to run a casino. The number of casinos have since mushroomed in Michigan, a state where Native American gaming, now a $30 billion a year industry, began in the garage of a father of five in need of some extra cash.
GOING GREEN
In such a competitive market, the Grand Traverse Band propelled the business to the forefront with a decision to demolish the 11-year-old Turtle Creek Casino in 2007 and replace it with a brand new facility and hotel. The construction also boosted the local economy as 80 percent of the $115 million project was spent in the state of Michigan.
“If we could get it locally, we did,” says Marketing Director Shawn Carlson. “With all three auto [manufacturers] being so impacted by the economy, we felt it was important to keep money locally and hire locally. It’s very significant, some people wouldn’t go to that extent to make sure that happens.”
While many area casinos have opted for the up-north lodge style, the tribe broke with “old casino rules,” says Carlson, going green and modern.
“The tribe is very conscientous of taking care of the earth as opposed to being wasteful and just doing things because that’s the way they’ve always been done,” Carlson explains. “They really think outside the box.”
RISES FROM THE EARTH
The facility appears to rise up from its sloping site. “Turtle Creek brown” metal panels, and brushed and polished stainless steel reflect the sky and surrounding landscape. The feel of each season is captured by two massive waterwalls and a glass and steeel porte cochere where the LED lighting slowly displays colors of cool blues, spring greens, warm reds and harvest yellow. All pavement from the former roads and parking lots were reused to create the new look while 80 percent of the old casino will be recycled or reused.
Two large pools with cobblestone bottoms frame the entryway plaza alongside 12 Champion Norway Maple trees, another perfect example of the tribe’s devotion to nature, Carlson points out.
“We’re reintroducing a genetically superior tree into the environment,” he says. “Most companies don’t spend that type of money and go through that type of thought process.”
The green focus continues inside the 360,000-square-foot, barrier-free casino and hotel. Vents, small enough to prevent ladies heels from getting stuck, move the air from the 54,000-square-foot gaming floor to the ceiling where it is purified and discharged. The 1,300 slot machines with their ticket-in-ticket-out (TITO) design cut electricity use in half and LED lights throughout the facility add to the savings.
HIGH-TECH FEATURES
A combined 32 videoscreens on two 20-foot Towers of Power come alive with displays of fireworks and cash raining down when someone hits the jackpot.
“The slot machines actually talk to the audio and the audio and slot machines talk to the lighthing and it’s all coordinated through our Players Club system,” Carlson explains. “If you’re a member of a club, we’ve got the ability to celebrate with lights and an audio package, which is something very few are doing. It’s taking the casino enviroment to a completely different leve.”
“And basically provides a different experience than they can get anywhere else,” McWilliams adds. “A lot of tribes will start out with just a casino, but to be successful, most need to have a hotel. We were ready.”
The Leelanau Sands Casino has also continuously expanded since its inception. A 1,000-seat showroom was built in 1999, again emphasizing the importance of drawing patrons with a range of attractions the competition does not provide, McWilliams says.
ADDED AMENITY
In 2003, the tribe further embraced that philosophy with the acquisition of the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, a 900-acre property along Lake Michigan. It features, for example, 54 holes of championship golf, 600 rooms, suites and condominiums, more than 80,000sf of meeting space, and an indoor water playground. Run as a separate company, it has provided an added amenity to the casino business.
As another casino just opened in Battle Creek and another is slated to premiere in Grand Rapids, McWilliams said the tribe aims to diversify its portfolio as the field of gaming is saturated.
“The gaming market in Michigan has matured,” McWilliams says. “We’ll still be competitive. However, the company will be somewhat different in the future in terms of having all eggs in one basket. The tribe will have some more businesses that are not in the gaming market.”
FACTS at a Glance:
Company Name: Grand Traverse Resort & Casinos
CEO: Jim McWilliams
Operations: Owned and operated by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa Chippewa Indians, the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel and the Leelanau Sands Casino & Lodge attract millions of gaming patrons annually. The Grand Traverse Resort & Spa is one of the Midwest’s premiere resort and conference destinations.
Established: 1984
Employees: 900
Revenue: $135 million
www.casino2win.com