BLYN — Plans to hold a soft opening for 7 Cedars Casino’s new hotel are on hold until early August.
The scheduled opening for the approximate $40 million, 100-room hotel was set for this spring but has been postponed because of COVID-19 precautions and weather, casino CEO Jerry Allen said.
“Fortunately we’re pretty close to getting back to schedule because of delays with snow this year and the virus disruption,” he said.
“Fundamentally, we want to be done by the end of June or the first week of July.”
He said reservations will go online to 7 Cedars’ website, www.7cedars.com, close to July 7, with the hotel’s first occupants tentatively slated for the first week of August.
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s casino closed in mid-March following state guidelines for gatherings to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Allen said tribal officials are monitoring state and county guidelines and will follow recommendations from county health departments.
Allen said he’s hopeful to reopen the casino sometime in June, and he doesn’t anticipate swaying from the health department’s advice.
He said there are about 60 staffers working in the casino when it’s open, and staffing is “down considerably” since the closure.
Along with the hotel rooms, the construction’s first phase includes conference spaces for up to 220 seats, a coffee shop and a 5-acre parking lot.
Allen said that, despite the delays, he’s happy with how construction is going.
“The work going on is a compliment to Swinerton [a San Francisco, Calif.-based construction company with offices in Bellevue],” he said.
The project’s Phase 2 would include adding more rooms, conference space and less-visible parking space after a few years of operating with Phase 1, Allen previously said.
Possibilities for a pool and spa are also included in long-term plans.
Travel
In previous interviews, Allen said the tribe’s marketing plan includes focusing on travelers from the Puget Sound area and Interstate 5 corridor.
He said he’s hopeful that travel to the North Olympic Peninsula will pick back up as Clallam County goes deeper into Gov. Inslee’s four-phase program for COVID-19 gathering guidelines.
The tribe continues to look into travel regulations between Canada and the United States with Canada’s government continuing to restrict non-essential travel into the country.
Allen said travelers stop in Blyn from the Seattle area and California before going to Canada via the Coho ferry.
For future updates on 7 Cedars Casino and the hotel project, visit www.7cedars.com/covid19.
