Fort Sill Apache open first hotel among area tribes

LAWTON, Okla. – Fort Sill Apache fire dancers ushered in the opening events last week for the tribe’s new $27 million hotel addition, calling forth both protection and prosperity for the venture.

The hotel is the first one among the eight local tribes gaming ventures and officials hope that it will set a new bar on area Indian gaming.  Tribal chairman, Jeff Haozous, said expectations for the hotel will be fulfilled.

“This is a long-term investment, so it goes past short-term fluctuations in the economy,” he said. “We made these decisions regardless of the overall economic climate.”

Guests turned out for the new hotel’s opening on Aug. 23 and more came back for an official grand opening and VIP party on Aug. 25 where the tribe introduced local and state officials along with tribal members to the new property. Opening ceremonies included a red carpet, showgirls and limousines. The event also featured the giveaway of a new car.

With 132 rooms, the newly named Apache Casino Hotel (formerly Fort Sill Apache Casino) has a restaurant, pool, bar and conference space on the 10-acre site.  It also features a coffee bar, spa and gym in the 100,000-sq. ft facility, all visible on a new $450,000 digital sign in front of the hotel.  The hotel is projected to increase the Apaches’ casino gross revenue by up to 20 percent, officials said.

While the hotel is expected to exceed expectations, tribal officials are already considering improvements to the site. The tribe rescaled a casino snack bar on its gaming-eligible property to put in more machines.

The hotel, sponsored by tribal bonds through Obama’s 2010 economic stimulus act, was a combination of several factors besides financial backing, said tribal vice chairman, Lori Gooday Ware. Ware said their formula included a longtime trusted tribal attorney, Robert Prince, and a business committee that worked well together.

“Sure we argued it out as we went along, we did things that we didn’t necessarily want to do,” she said. “But we stuck to it anyways because we wanted a new hotel.”

The multi-million dollar facility has evolved rapidly since it opened electronic gaming machines in 1999.  It recently opened under a sprung structure that is the core of its current gaming operation.

The hotel is expected to draw both regular customers and new clients from Lawton and Texas, officials said. Much of the tribe’s hotel progress has come by partnering with local civic groups, working closely with Lawton officials and keeping an eye to the end result, Haozous said.

“They knew about our internal tribal stability, that helped a lot,” Haozous said. “I think it also helped to create 120 jobs.”

Lawton city council, Jay Burk, said the hotel would boost tourism for Lawton as a stand-alone venture.

“It proves we (Lawton) have a diversity of people who can boost our economy,” he said.  “That part of this is on school land, it will mean sales taxes on the property that will help Lawton.”

The hotel sits on land excluded from trust status, which allows local and state sales to be levied.

In the meantime, the tribe continues work on re-opening a gaming site in Deming, New Mexico. The tribe opened a facility in 2009 that was closed by state authorities in 2010. The tribe maintains the New Mexico land is eligible for gaming since it is in the tribe’s original jurisdiction. It faced forced removal to the Fort Sill/Lawton area in the 1880s after Chiricahua Apaches were held captive by the federal government.

But the new hotel’s opening has a special significance because upcoming centennial of their captive release approaches in 2013, tribal officials noted.

“I think our ancestors will be proud of our new hotel,” Ware said. “We’ve come through a lot and we didn’t give up.  I think (former chief and FSA elder) Mildred Cleghorn would be very proud of us.”