'It's finally here': Casino's hotel opens in Terre Haute

May 15—The Terre Haute Casino Resort now lives up to its entire name with the Wednesday opening of the hotel adjacent to the gaming floor.

"It's finally here," said Mike Rich, CEO and general manager. "When people come in and see the hotel lobby and see the rooms themselves, they are going to be excited — probably as nice a room product as you're going to find in the entire state.

"We're really excited about the final pieces that we're opening today," he added.

Hotel manager Seleste Miller, a Terre Haute native, offered the media a tour of hotel amenities Wednesday morning, before patrons began checking in at 4 p.m. She has worked in the hotel industry for 21 years — opening, closing and rebranding hotels from San Francisco to Georgia.

This job, however, brought her back to Terre Haute for the first time in 30 years. "This kind of fell in my lap," said Miller, whose father works in the casino.

Of the 122 rooms, 25% of those are suites. The rest are divided between Standard King and Double Queen rooms, which vary in price between $169-$349 a night, depending on availability and what other business is being conducted in Terre Haute.

The suites, which feature a living room area, begin at $299 a night. All rooms feature art and photos of historic Terre Haute.

Miller said the hotel is about 85% booked through September, a greater percentage than anticipated. It's the first luxury hotel in Terre Haute, Miller said.

She took reporters to the Altitude Bar on the 10th floor, which stretches the length of the hotel, with two-thirds of it enclosed and one third outdoors. It was open for a VIP party Wednesday from 5-7 p.m., and then opened to guests at 8 p.m. A fireworks show began at 9 p.m.

The Altitude Bar will be open Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 5-11 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m.-1 a.m. It offers snacks starting in the $10 range up to $57 for a charcuterie board with four meats and cheeses. The outdoor patio features fire pits and a glimpse of downtown Terre Haute.

"It's designed to be a more modern look and feel," Rich said of the Altitude Bar. "It'll help attract a younger customer, someone who might not want to come here to gamble but to participate in other ways."

The lobby features Queen's Beans Coffee Shop, open 7-11 a.m., and the Hotel Lobby Bar, open 4-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

At Wednesday's opening, complimentary champagne and hors d'oeuvres were served to guests in the lobby.

Some of those who checked in Wednesday didn't come from too far away, though one patron presented an ID from Montana.

Dallas May had a Nike backpack, a polka-dotted bag and a couple of shirts on hangers — no need to pack elaborately, since he lives in Terre Haute.

"We didn't come far," he said drolly. He and his wife Catherine's 41st anniversary was Tuesday, and "we thought this would be a neat thing."

They had made reservations at Rockwood, and after that, May said, "We plan on gambling our life away."

Manuel and Denise Mercado of Avon were there to celebrate their 44th anniversary, which was May 10.

They had booked a room with a king-sized bed, which Denise called "beautiful. I'm really happy with the room."

"We've stayed in better," Manuel countered, mentioning Las Vegas. "A lot of the other [casinos] we've been to, there's a lot more competition to draw the customers in. You could use some more incentive to come here."

The couple had not fared well in the casino, with Denise calling their luck "terrible. I've always won a thousand or more up in northwest Indiana."

She also had an issue with the slot machines' light shows.

"The machines are newer, but they go off like you've won a million dollars, and you've won $14," said Denise.

Matthew Niece and Whitley Winn of Brazil had booked one of the suites. "Just being the opening day, I kind of wanted to go all out," Niece said. He said he had seen "a lot of elegance."

They had previously visited the casino a few times, with Niece characterizing their fortunes as "up and down, as it goes."

Brad Mobley of Bloomington said his standard king room was "first class. Very Las Vegas-style, top of the line." He was among guests who marveled over the rooms' "beautiful" bathrooms with marble floors.

Rooms meeting Americans with Disabilities Act standards have lights that flash and beds that vibrate when a smoke alarm is triggered or another hazard is detected.

A space between the casino and hotel for special events such as weddings will open in late summer, and is already accepting bookings. A pool, located on the ground floor, will open in July.

Like the casino, the hotel only caters to those age 21 and older.

David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.