One year after breaking ground and 24 years after the Cowlitz Indian Tribe gained federal recognition, the completion of ilani Casino Resort’s 10,000-square-foot event space expansion was celebrated during a ceremony Monday, Feb. 12.
The tribe held a ribbon-cutting for ilani Casino Resort’s Meeting and Entertainment Center. The expansion adds 10,000 square feet to the existing 30,000-square-foot entertainment center, enhancing the venue’s capability to host a variety of conferences, conventions and events. Six-thousand square feet of the expansion is allocated for office and conference spaces, opening a new market for the venue.
The allocated space consists of six dividable breakout rooms, each spanning 1,000 square feet. The rooms are designed to be easily divided into multiple sections to accommodate for the needs of various conferences that will be booked.
Situated across the hall from ilani’s ballroom, the additional space features a high-roof center zone, dividing the breakout room space. The central area serves as a spacious walkway, providing access to ilani’s outdoor terrace. From this vantage point, guests can enjoy a view of the region’s mountains to the east.
ilani President and General Manager Kara Fox-LaRose said the venue’s walls can be removed to open the expanded area for larger events, including dinners and receptions.
“We have technology in every room, so it makes it easier for people to present,” Fox-LaRose said regarding the expanded space. “… Having the space adjacent to the larger ballroom, I think it’s really a great layout.”
Equipped with TV monitors and presentation equipment, the breakout rooms offer space for various presentations and collaborative sessions. The event center’s placement at the heart of ilani makes the space perfect for convention goers and hotel guests, Fox-LaRose said.
“If you’re going to get a bed here and you’d like an outdoor experience, that’s available as well,” Fox-LaRose said. “… The (area) is well contained and easily walkable. Sometimes when you go to conventions you have to walk across the building, and we wanted to make sure that didn’t happen.”
The expansion project began in 2018, Vice President of Project Management Paul Tresnan said. He said LRS, a Portland-based architect company, worked on the design of the additional spaces.
“One of my personal notes on this project was to find a local Oregon-Washington based architect on some of the projects, as opposed to just relying on architecture in Vegas or elsewhere, and with LRS I think we found a good one,” he said.
LRS architect Alex Karel described the team’s process behind the room’s visualization, saying they looked to the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
“Forms and materials throughout the event space, from the physical panels to patterns in the carpet, are informed by these connections back to the rich tribal history of the Cowlitz people,” Karel said.
Angular patterns found in the center were based on the woven texture of the Cowlitz Tribe’s woven baskets, Karel said. The design team included sculptural baffles in the event space, which were based on the Cowlitz River and the surrounding landscape.
The expanded Meeting and Entertainment Center will also be used for future Cowlitz events, Director of Sales and Special Events Rosemary Arruda Cooke said. Cooke said the space already has meetings and events scheduled into 2025.
“We actually just want to welcome and have everybody experience what we have. The (Meeting and Entertainment Center) space behind you is the original ilani longhouse from the tribe. This is going to be the expansion of the ilani Cowlitz Tribe longhouse,” Cooke said. “This is where everyone gathers. This is a community.”
ilani will be continuing expansions with additional amenities for guests. Fox-LaRose said an additional spa and lobby space with a cafe are in the research stages.
“We’ve certainly conducted a lot of market evaluations, as well as monitoring our own business to make sure we didn’t overbuild or underbuild,” Fox-LaRose said. “If we ever get to a place where we would like to expand on other things, every building is built to expand.”
24 years of federal recognition
Held within the newly expanded venue, the opening ceremony was timed to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s federal recognition. The event began with a performance by the Cowlitz Indian Tribal Drum Group, and a blessing from Cowlitz Spiritual Leader Tanna Engdahl.
Engdahl recalled the tribe’s many legal challenges as it worked to open the casino in 2017.
“When we tried to take this land into trust, just like that, we were sued,” Enddahl said. “And then we went through many years of litigation. So for the Cowlitz people, nothing has ever been easy. Everything is a hard fight.”
Cowlitz Indian Tribe Chairwoman Patty Kinswa-Gaiser reflected on the tribe’s progress since federal recognition was granted in February 2000.
“We’ve done a lot in the (past) 24 years,” Kinswa-Gaiser said during a news conference. “We’ve done a lot since the casino opened. We keep expanding and building, and gradually we’re getting our own land back.”
During the celebration, Kinswa-Gaiser expressed the Cowlitz Tribe’s gratitude for the Connecticut-based Mohegan Tribe’s continued support. Salishan-Mohegan, a development company, worked with the Cowlitz Tribe to develop and open ilani. The company currently oversees developments on the reservation. In an interview with The Reflector, Kinswa-Gaiser spoke about the tribe’s involvement.
“We didn’t have the money to do this,” Kinswa-Gaiser said. “Mohegan took a chance on us and they funded us. (We’ve) since paid them back, but we couldn’t have started this without Mohegan.”
Mark Brown, previous chair and current ambassador from the Mohegan Tribal Council, was given a “blanket of knowledge” in appreciation of his continued support. Brown spoke on the success of their historical partnership with the Cowlitz Tribe during the press conference.
“We met a group of people very much like us. They were fighting for their tribe,” Brown said. “And at the same time, their name is ‘the forever people.’ So a combination like that, there was no doubt that they were bound to succeed.”
Kinswa-Gaiser spoke about the tribe’s upcoming developments, including that construction is underway for a new tobacco store. The chairwoman said that the tribe is looking for earmarks for future amenities, including a cultural learning center.
Kinswa-Gaiser provided insights into the tribe’s development plans, stating construction is currently underway for the new tobacco store. She emphasized the tribe’s proactive approach, mentioning their pursuit of earmarks for future amenities, including a cultural learning center.
“The top priority for me is a new police station,” she said. “We need a permanent one, a big one that’s bigger than we (have) now, for the future.”
Kinswa-Gaiser said that ilani’s tax revenue is helpful for community development. The Cowlitz tribe offers $60,000 annual scholarships to members, including payment for housing. Kinswa-Gaiser said the tribe once only offered two $125 scholarships, highlighting the tribe’s growth and success. The Cowlitz Indian Tribe has also supported its Clark County neighbors.
“We bought (Ridgefield) a fire truck. We bought La Center an ambulance and a fire truck,” she said. “They take care of us, and we take care of them … Things have changed. It wasn’t that way when we first came in here, things change.”
In April 2023, the Cowlitz Tribe announced it would not be continuing its agreement with the Mohegan Tribe once a seven-year contract expires in July 2024, and would be self-managing the casino moving forward.
