Coushatta Casino Resort celebrated progress and growth with a ground breaking ceremony held Wednesday, March 20, to officially kick off the construction on the resort’s newest upgrades and expansion, namely the construction of a new eight-story luxury hotel featuring a total of 204 rooms, including 100 suites. The new hotel will be connected to the casino, just steps away from the casino floor. The expansion will create additional employment opportunities for the surrounding areas and capacity will be increased to over 1,000 rooms for the whole resort.
Tribal Chairman Jonathan Cernek, in a press release, stated, “As construction commences, we are excited about all the new venues and upgrades that we will be able to offer our guests, starting with this new hotel. Our goal is to offer our players an elevated gaming experience, and that includes top-quality lodgings and high-end dining options. The Coushatta Tribe is leading the way in building an unsurpassed resort destination, both in the local market and in the entire region.”
To kick off the ceremony, Mistress of Ceremonies Janie Fisher welcomed everyone to the special event stating, “With the 30th anniversary of the casino on the horizon, it is a momentous day to see the new developments happening in real time. We look forward to these upcoming renovations and being able to offer a brand new experience here at Coushatta.”
Esteemed tribal council woman Loretta Williams then gave a traditional blessing in the native Coushatta language.
Cernek then addressed the gathered crowd saying he was thankful for everybody being there. He said, “Infusing Coushatta culture into the region, business and area is what the customers want and the tribal members want. We have been here to serve the community for the past 30 years and the Coushatta tribe has done a great job in holding our roots and preserving our culture. It is hard to imagine this region without Coushatta. Our next generation is coming up and we want to see them succeed.”
Cernek stated this ground breaking is the culmination of three years of working on the project and would not have been possible without the support of the tribal council and tribal members. He added this is the first major renovation project for the resort since 2015 and they are looking at a full casino renovation.
Cernek shared, “We already have the customer service and people in place with a friendly environment with Southern hospitality. The people that make up this business is why it succeeds. Now we will have the amenities to match.” With this project, Cernek noted more jobs will come to Southwest Louisiana, including 300 extra workers during construction.
With this new hotel addition, Cernek said all of the hotels will be connected and the resort is expected to be one of the premiere casino resorts not just in the area, but in the South and the United States. Not only will more tribal members be employed, but workers from across the surrounding areas. Cernek proclaimed, “We want to see the economy grow and expand more. We want business to grow here in Southwest Louisiana. We firmly believe that Coushatta will continue that trajectory and we will continue to grow and we will impact this region profoundly.” He continued, “Our elders laid the foundation and all of our past councils put the tools in place for us to succeed and we are ready to grow.”
Cernek closed by stating, “Today is a monumental day. Come back here in a couple of years and you will see brand new buildings, exciting features, and the Coushatta culture on display.”
After Cernek addressed the crowd, Coushatta Princess Shai Greymountain and Coushatta Junior Princess Lizzie Williams performed a special moving dance to “The Lord’s Prayer” using sign language. Greymountain and Williams, along with Avery, Areline and Aubrey Fontenot and Heliah Greymountain, then performed two traditional Koasati dances, the swan dance and basket dance. Fancy Dancer Joey Valence also performed a powerful and athletic traditional pow wow dance.
After the dances, Cernek, Williams, Greymountain, Valence, general manager, tribal council members, along with Bill Yates (Yates Construction), Luke Jumper (TBE Group) and Keith Baines (Winniehag Group) broke ground on the project to the delight of the employees and tribal members in attendance. Cernek then cut the cakes on display for everyone to enjoy.