Published 11/9/2007

Tulalip Resort Hotel a 4-star experience

by Beckye Randall

The Tulalip Resort Hotel is still mostly a shell, but just a few yards away from the structure a full-scale mockup of a hotel room is serving as a design canvas.

Troy Longwith, the hotel’s director of sales, calls the building a “chemistry set.” Designers have been busy mixing furnishings, art and amenities to get the perfect blend.

The building, which looks like a nondescript portable classroom from the outside, opens to a hotel corridor that looks and feels authentic. The ambient lighting glows inside frosted sconces, illuminating the carpeting designed to represent a Native American stylized riverbed. The rich colors and bold design elements make a memorable impression.

Opening the guest room, visitors are greeted by an elegant hallway table, its graceful curved front providing a comfortable transition. Passing the generous closet facing a full-length framed mirror, the spacious guest room opens to view.

At 500 square feet, the hotel’s standard guest rooms are larger than those found at most luxury hotels, and accommodate either one king bed or two queens. The bed invites guests to relax, with luxurious linens, soft duvets and plentiful pillows. The hotel furnishings include a curved bench at the foot of the bed that’s been designed at the perfect height for in-room dining.

The elegant bathroom, with a glass-paneled sliding door that’s a piece of art in itself, features a granite-topped vanity with double sinks and stylish fixtures plus a separate dressing table for comfortable primping. Each room is designed with a glass-enclosed walk-in shower with three shower heads and a private water closet.

It’s the little things that mean the difference between an average tourist hotel and a luxury resort, and the Tulalip hotel staff has paid attention to the details.

Instead of a coffeemaker, the rooms will be equipped with an espresso maker with premeasured coffee “pods” for convenience. Rather than leaving a tag on the door for housekeeping, a discreet pad just inside the door can be set to accept guests – it turns on the doorbell function – or to indicate a Do Not Disturb setting. Crown molding graces the high ceilings and gives each space an elegant feeling.

The artwork throughout the hotel will reflect the Native American theme, and most of the pieces, including massive totem poles that will stand sentry in the hotel lobby, are being created by Tulalip artists.

The popular Cedars Café, currently inside the casino, will move to the hotel as a 24-hour dining option. Options for replacing the restaurant are being considered by casino management. The hotel main floor will also feature the lively Impulse Lounge for cocktails, as well as the more sedate Gallery Lounge for coffee and conversation.

The hotel is on schedule to open during the summer of 2008. The exact opening date will be determined as early as January.

Several hiring events will be held by the tribes to recruit staff for the hotel’s operations. Up to 400 new jobs are expected to be created.

While individual guests will be welcomed, Longwith’s staff is marketing the hotel as a destination for corporate retreats and conventions. “With the conference center, casino, restaurants, ampitheatre, and shopping, plus the spa and pool on-site, there is no other hotel like it in Washington,” he said.

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