WILLIAMSBURG, MICH.—The all new, 360,000-square-foot Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel near Traverse City, Mich., that opened June 17, 2008, is a modern architectural structure. It was designed to appeal to the senses as it evokes the natural environs with facilities and service that bring casino gaming in Northern Michigan to an entirely new level of convenience and comfort.
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians, who own and operate the new casino and hotel, financed $80 million to construct the unique facility. The tribe made a deliberate decision to create a striking modern design with many organic and eco-friendly elements. The building appears to rise from the earth with a green roof, a rarity in casino design. The exterior features metal panels painted “Turtle Creek brown,” plus brushed and polished stainless steel panels that reflect the sky and surrounding landscape.
The exterior of the casino entrance features a plaza framed by two large reflecting pools with streambed-like cobblestone bottoms. The plaza is graced by 12 Champion Norway Maple trees and plantings that recall the forests and fields of Northern Michigan. Two massive water walls and a glass and steel porte cochere are illuminated with LED lighting that captures and contrasts seasonal qualities of the year. The outdoor and indoor lighting presents those changing qualities with cool blues, spring greens, warm reds, and harvest yellows that slowly shift to present a constantly engaging experience.
Entering the barrier-free casino, one is struck by a bright, open and airy feel. The 50-foot-high sloping ceilings are white, as are the walls. A massive central 30-foot-tall multi-colored water wall framed by two escalators leads your eyes to upper floors where the Mid-Level Bar, Level 3 Lounge, Coffee Spoon, ballroom, Native American cultural display, and the 137-room hotel are located. A state-of-the-art air handling system brings fresh air into the complex through vents in the floor with air exiting through the ceiling, keeping the atmosphere always-fresh throughout the entire facility.
Fresh air is complemented by natural light. A massive skylight, over a football field in length, bisects the entire structure from north to south, visually uniting the casino and hotel and allowing natural light to penetrate from ceiling to floor, a unique feature for any casino. The natural light reduces the energy used for lighting on the floor by nearly 50 percent. All of the electrical lights are LEDs, reducing energy consumption. Recessed LED lights behind massive horizontal panels and in the ceiling reflect the changing colors of the seasons.
Go to the Grand Traverse Resort & Casino.
