PINE BLUFF, Ark. — It's a sight that many people have been waiting to see for a very long time— the construction of the new hotel and event center at the Saracen Casino Resort.
"We had a number of hurdles pop up in the way and I was committed that we would simply let the construction speak for itself and as you've seen, the construction does speak for itself," said Carlton Saffa, Chief Market Officer for Saracen.
Saffa explained how phase one was the casino and now years later, they're finally moving on to phase two of the building process.
"Construction costs have never been higher, the cost of yards of concrete, the cost of a piece of sheetrock, they've never been higher. Also, you've seen enormous changes in the banking environment in terms of interest rates. I think everything has finally settled to a place that we're ready to roll and again, the proof is in the pudding," he added.
He also explained how like every business, they've experienced their fair share of challenges but the ultimate goal is completion and to offer a place where people from all over can come.
"I tell people that whether you gamble or not Saracen is useful. It's useful because we employ about 800 folks right now. 70%, of which live in Jefferson County, we pay tens of millions of dollars in gaming taxes, which go to the city in the county, but also go to the state. So anywhere in Arkansas, there's tremendous benefit from the gaming taxes that we are paying," Saffa described.
He said that the total investment from the Quapaw Nation in Pine Bluff will be about $550,000,000.
"About $50 million worth of construction is already in process and we've got about another 170 million to go so Saracen two years from now will be 600,000 square feet under [one] roof," Saffa said.
They plan to bring big headliners to the event center and also plan to serve great food. The hotel will allow convenience and somewhere for their guests to stay without having to travel far.
"The event center is a room about the size of the Wally Allen Ballroom. So we'll be able to seat 1000 for dinner, or 1600 for a concert. Then the next step, which is coming right on the heels of the event center is the hotel will be a 13-story tower with 320 hotel rooms [and] about half of them will be suites," he added.