Nov. 14–PLAINS TWP. — Construction crews and new employees at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs completed finishing touches Wednesday at the new $50 million hotel and adjacent convention center.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. today to open the seven-story, 238-room hotel and 20,000-square-foot convention center.
The hotel will open to guests Friday night, said Mike Bean, president and general manager of Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. Bobby Soper, the former president who became president of Mohegan Sun in Connecticut last year, will return for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Bean said. Officials from the Mohegan Tribal Council also will attend. An employee rally will be held after the ceremony.
The hotel includes 126 king and 92 double queen standard rooms as well as 20 suites. Rooms include 40-inch-flat-screen televisions, in-room iPad directories, free Wi-Fi, room service and artwork by local artists.
The convention center will cater to business travelers for special events and meetings and will be a place for concerts and more. With dividable space, it can accommodate a number of different sized groups up to 800 for seated banquets. The space can even be converted into a concert venue with up to 1,500 seats.
“We’re going to be adding entertainment on a larger scale than we have in the past,” Bean said. “In the past, we’ve done some outdoor seasonal entertainment. Now, we’re going to be able to do year-round entertainment.”
The hotel also will include a fitness center, indoor heated swimming pool, Spa Sapphire and a bistro serving breakfast and light fare, which all will open in 30 to 90 days, Bean said.
Mohegan Sun filled 250 jobs for the hotel and convention center, bringing the total employment at the casino to 2,000. The hotel and convention center are part of an expansion called “Project Sunlight” and include designs of elements symbolic of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Bean said guests have been asking for a hotel since the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority opened the casino at a harness racing truck on Route 315 seven years ago. Then, it only had about 1,200 slot machines. Today, the casino has grown to include more than 2,300 slot machines, 84 table games, 14 bars and restaurants as well as the hotel and convention center.
He expects the hotel and other amenities will help make Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs a tourist destination for people from outside the area.
Hotel reservations can be made online at mohegansunpocono.com or by calling 1-888-WIN-IN-PA.
dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115
