The Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, one of the largest entertainment, gaming, shopping and dining destinations in Pennsylvania, recently announced plans to add a seven story, 238-room hotel and convention center. Immediately following the announcement was a groundbreaking ceremony in which representatives replaced the traditional shovel in the ground with the unconventional approach of using a jackhammer to officially kick off construction.
“Since we first opened we knew that a hotel and convention center would greatly enhance our operation and make a more complete destination. The timing just had to be right,” said Bobby Soper, president and CEO of Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
The project, which is being coined Project Sunlight, is anticipated to create nearly 350 construction jobs over the course of the 15 months it will take to complete. In addition, roughly 270 permanent positions will be added to Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs increasing its total number of employees to nearly 2,000. This will make it one of the larger employers in the region.
“We are excited to announce that we are moving forward with this ambitious project, and we are even more thrilled about what this means to the local economy from a job creation and tourism perspective,” said Soper.
As part of Project Sunlight, the 238-room hotel will include a combination of standard guest rooms and suites, and feature rooms with exclusive views of the race track and indoor pool. A new porte-cochere, or secondary entrance, is also being added for additional guest convenience.
The new convention center will be roughly 20,000 square feet and be available for a number of special events, meetings and concerts. With divisible space, the convention center will be able to accommodate a number of different sized groups up to 800 for seated banquets. As a concert venue, the space can hold up 1,500 seats.
Project Sunlight is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2013.
