January 12, 2024

Construction begins on hotel part of $400M Snoqualmie Casino expansion

Rendering via Snoqualmie Casino [enlarge]

The hotel, on the left, is part of a larger expansion that also includes a new convention center and parking structure.

The Snoqualmie Tribe is underway on a $400 million multi-phase expansion project at its Snoqualmie Casino complex at 37500 S.E. North Bend Way.

The complex, which opened in 2008, debuted with a 185,000-square-foot two-story casino building and a six-level parking structure. At full build out, the expansion will add a 10-story hotel, destination spa, 2,000-seat entertainment and convention center, 11,000 square feet of additional gaming floor space, a new parking structure, 500-stall valet garage, and two or three new restaurant spaces.

Aside from the hotel and parking, those elements will be housed in a new four-level podium building. The hotel will be located atop a portion of that structure. The expansion is located in back of the existing casino.

Henderson, Nevada-based Bergman Walls & Associates is the project architect. Skanska is the general contractor. That duo was also the architect and builder for the original casino.

Construction began on the expansion in July 2022. The initial phase comprised various site improvements, a new valet entrance, associated buildings, and parking facilities.

The project team is currently building the hotel portion, which will have 210 guestrooms and suites with easy access to the existing casino gaming floor that has over 1,700 slot machines, 55 table games, and a 10-table poker room.

Photo by Cary Kopczynski & Co. via Instagram [enlarge]

Structural engineer CKC says the project is “progressing rapidly” and recently shared this construction photo of the podium building and hotel tower taking shape.

According to Cary Kopczynski & Co. (CKC), the expansion project's structural engineer, things are progressing rapidly, and the hotel structure recently reached level one. The four-level podium building beneath is also now partially erected up to its roof.

CKC has designed the hotel's structural frame with cast-in-place concrete with post-tensioned slabs and two shear wall cores utilizing a column-hung forming system for slab construction. The low-rise podium structure is designed using composite steel framing with buckling restrained frames for resisting wind and seismic loading. The structural design also includes 150-foot-long span trusses that will result in column-free space in a forthcoming ballroom within the new convention and entertainment center portion.

The hotel's architecture is inspired by the Snoqualmie Tribe's culture and will have a slant roof that represents the original longhouses of the tribe's ancestors. Tribal artwork will also be placed throughout the resort.

The tribe says the expansion is tracking to be completed and open to the public in 2025.

The project team also includes Macdonald-Miller, which is providing mechanical and plumbing services; and project management and cost consulting firm Cumming Group.