The $120 million facility will look similar to the existing Sky Hotel on the property, with its imposing, angular glass facades.
Mohegan Sun is to add a second hotel, years after canceling plans for a larger expansion as the recession hit.
Times might still be hard in the casino business, but Mohegan Sun says last year it had to turn away half a million potential room nights at its Uncasville property, because it didn’t have enough hotel capacity. Now it hopes it can set that right by building a seven story, 400 room facility that it will call the Earth Hotel.
CEO of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority Mitchell Etess said it should appeal to a variety of customers. "This hotel is going to allow us to take care of more people at certain times who want to participate in gaming activities," he told WNPR. "More people at more times who wish to recreate in other ways, whether play golf or go to some of the sights around here, and it’s going to really help us accommodate some conventions that frankly right now, we just don’t take because we can’t give up enough rooms to the convention department."
The $120 million facility will look similar to the existing Sky Hotel on the property, with its imposing, angular glass facades. The hotel will be financed through the sale of bonds. The investment in Connecticut comes as the Mohegans face tough new casino competition across the Northeast.
Etess said he’s taking a two-pronged approach. “We’re going to be preparing for more competition by bolstering Mohegan Sun, and looking for outside revenue sources in other jurisdictions, to offset any revenues that we will lose,” he said.
The Earth Hotel expects to break ground this spring, and is scheduled to open next year.
