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KINGSTON — Workers are putting finishing touches on The Point Hotel ahead of its opening this month.
Soon the beds will be made, the ladders will be packed up, the art will be hung in the lobby, and the plants and landscaping will be sprouting roots.
The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s hotel opens Nov. 25. When visitors arrive, they’ll find a four-story building with 75,000 square feet of finished space. The hotel, which connects both figuratively and literally with the tribe’s casino, has 85 double and king-size rooms, nine suites, a café that serves sit-down and grab-and-go meals, an outdoor gathering area, a multi-purpose meeting room and an exercise space.
Traditional and tribal-inspired art will be displayed inside and outside the building, most prominently in the four-story traditional “paddles up” structure that greets visitors as they drive into the parking lot.
“This is a sign of respect to our guests who come to visit the hotel,” the tribe’s Executive Director Kelly Sullivan said.
Outside, totem poles designed by Native American artists stand near a courtyard that displays a traditional spindle whorl design. The building’s exterior — designed in a longhouse style — appears wooden, which matches the surrounding forested areas. Inside, a display room will feature S’Klallam artifacts near the hotel’s lobby, other traditional art will be hung throughout the building and pictures from local photographers will hang in each of the rooms.
The hotel’s goal is to be a draw for the casino, according to Noo-Kayet Development Corp. CEO Chris Placentia. That company is the tribal enterprise charged with economic development for the tribe.
“We’re also diversifying the tribal local economy and also the regional economy as well,” he said. “For the Kingston area, tourists, because of lack of hospitality services in the area, didn’t have an opportunity to really stay in the area longer. This will provide more opportunities for those types of tourists to actually stay in this area for longer periods of time.”
Hotel operations, including food and beverage support staff, will employ about 60 people, Placentia said.
The casino also will receive updates to coincide with the hotel opening. In an effort to open up the gaming floor near the hotel entrance, table games will be moved. The casino is adding an additional lounge and a 1,100-square-foot, 60-machine, nonsmoking gaming area, and remodeling the center bar area and an outside bistro patio, according to Leo Culloo, the general manager for the hotel and casino.
Culloo said that work on the gaming floor would be completed by the time the hotel opens and that work on the two food areas would be finished within two months.