The Cowlitz Tribe has unveiled the official name of its $500 million casino, currently under development in La Center. The 368,000-square-foot casino will be known as Ilani, which in the Cowlitz language means “sing.”
During a press conference on Monday, members of the Cowlitz Tribe, development partner the Mohegan Tribe and key project executives, discussed the name and revealed branding for the new facility.
“As a tribe, we have always believed in the power of singing. So we always sing. We sing to celebrate, we sing to give thanks, and we sing to find our tomanawas; our spirit powers,” said Cowlitz spiritual leader Tanna Engdahl. “We hope the Southwest Washington community and visitors to the area will find their ‘inner Ilani’ upon visiting our beautiful resort.”
“Today we reveal a new identity for this project: a brand identity and visual representation of an experience that will provide an escape from our everyday routine and bring our spirits to life,” added Kara Fox-LaRose, president and general manager of Ilani. “We are introducing a brand image that will give the Cowlitz Tribe, our neighbors, our partners and our community a sense of ownership and pride. We are so excited to further integrate with the Southwest Washington community, get to know the people and discover what makes this region so special.”
In the coming months, as construction of the facility continues, casino officials said they’ll be looking for restaurant, entertainment and other vendor partners. The hiring process will also begin for key executives as well as service, gaming and maintenance staff.
Ilani is located off of the I-5 La Center exit. It is scheduled to open in the spring of 2017 with 2,500 slot machines, 75 table games, a high-limit gaming room, VIP lounge and event space with seating for up to 2,500 guests.
