New Mystic Lake Center designed after Minnesota nature scenes

Prior Lake American

As promised, Mystic Lake Casino Hotel’s hotel and event center expansion opened in time for the new year.

“If you look at this building, it really is a work of art,” Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s Gaming Enterprise President and CEO Angela Heikes said.

Mystic Lake Casino Hotel staff held a grand opening Thursday to show off the expansion complete with the spaces decked out to show off the space’s abilities. For instance, the Waconia Ballroom showed off the technology equipped in the room and the Isanti Ballroom was decorated for a wedding to show the type of events that can be held at the center. Various seafood and bread was served.

Residents from around the area showed up to the party, including city staff members from Shakopee and Prior Lake.

Construction began on the expansion, titled the Mystic Lake Center, in 2016. Native American building crews were employed to work on the expansion.

“We’re so proud of this place because it was built with Native American labor,” PCL Construction Services Vice President Mike Headrick said.

On the hotel side, 180 rooms were added, including 18 suites, bringing the total number of rooms to 766 at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel.

“It’s been important for us to grow with the needs of our guests,” Heikes said.

The hotel tower is nine stories tall and each room features a view of the Meadows at Mystic Lake golf course.

Click and drag the slider back and forth to see Mystic Lake Center in September when it was still under construction and in January, when it opened.

The new 70,000-square-foot center will be used for meetings and events like conferences, weddings and more. It has three large ballrooms which can be split into smaller areas, meeting rooms and an executive conference room with views of the golf course and meadows.

“We created a place that was reflective of the community,” Heikes said. “It’s about a story and a place and that is very meaningful to us.”

The meeting and convention areas feature technological hookups that can be controlled by an iPad, including a projector that’s not even on the open market yet.

Much of the design for the expansion was inspired by natural scenes found in Minnesota, such as flowing rivers, frozen lakes or prairie grasslands. The chandeliers feature blue acrylic to mimic water droplets. Ceiling panel designs were modeled after a river.

“It really speaks to the thoughtfulness of nature and mother Earth throughout the entire space,” Mystic Lake Casino Hotel Group Sales Manager Holland Tudor said. “It gives you a sense you’re really in a resort as opposed to a convention center.”

The expansion also works to connect those inside with the outdoors. The larger spaces feature SageGlass, a technological glass that when electrified, can filter sunlight in specific ways without blinds or shades. This allows for more efficient heating and cooling of the space and opens the space to the meadows outside.

“With views of Earth and sky — that was the vision for this project,” Worth Group Architects and Designers Chief Design Officer Bryan Hamlin said. “Today, we are surrounded by design that is totally inspired by nature.”

An additional 120 permanent jobs were added as a result of the expansion.