By By MaryClaire Foster
The sound of construction could be heard in the background Friday at Wind Creek Casino and Hotel, as employees worked fervently to add the finishing details to the hotel.
A day before the Wind Creek Hotel’s official grand opening, Poarch Creek Industries executives unveiled their plans for two new additions to the facility already in construction.
The Spa at Wind Creek and The Cooking Studio at Wind Creek are slated to open in July of this year, expanding on to the many amenities already available at the casino and hotel, truly making it a resort, as Tribal chairman Buford Rolin recognized it as such.
While the official grand opening of the hotel was not until Saturday, guests began arriving on Monday and the hotel was booked to the 236-room capacity for the first weekend, according to PCI vice president of marketing Brent Pinkston.
Pinkston said that occupancy rates were high for the next coming weeks as well and only a few rooms were left for the high traffic Valentine’s Day weekend.
Besides the 236 rooms in the main building, the hotel offers four luxury villas, named for local foliage: azalea, magnolia, cypress and laurel.
Like the rest of the facility, the villas were designed with a subtle nature theme according to Las Vegas based designer Sean Tanner of Cagley and Tanner.
Tanner, who has worked on casinos such as the Bellagio and Flamingo in Las Vegas, has been working on Wind Creek for two years.
The high luxury is apparent in the four and five diamond quality amenities it offers. AAA evaluates the diamond rating and Pinkston said Wind Creek is expected to be evaluated in the next few months and is also expecting a four diamond rating, equaling high luxury hotels throughout the nation.
Luxury is certainly also a theme of the services that will be available in the spa and cooking studio.
Guests to the spa will be able to soak in cabernet sauvignon baths, be cloaked in chocolate scented body wraps or be massaged with vanilla butter along with a large variety of other options. It also features men’s and women’s steam, sauna, whirlpool and relaxation lounges.
PCI Gaming President Jay Dorris acknowledged food as an integral part of both resort and Southern culture and what he sees as a perfect reason to offer the cooking studio. “We’re in the South, we know it’s about food,” he said.
The cooking studio is a pairing with Sub-Zero/Wolf, a top manufacturer of high-end kitchen equipment, and will offer rotating classes beginning in July 2009.
The cooking studio offers “watch and learn” auditorium style classes along with “hands on” courses featuring personal guidance from a culinary professional. Wind Creek corporate executive chef Stafford DeCambra will head the school.
Dorris also announced that Tribal member Arthur Mothershed will begin serving as property manager on Monday and went on to say that PCI is pleased with how well the casino and hotel has been performing so far.
Wind Creek will also offer an outdoor amphitheater with a 2,000 person seating capacity at the edge of a huge pond, which will be located where the Creek Entertainment Center formerly stood. The cooking studio and spa will be located on an island in the middle the pond, surrounded by sidewalks and patio areas. A large infinity pool will also be located outside the casino for hotel guests to enjoy.