START IN INDIAN COUNTRY:We have more than 15 years ofexperience in Indian Country. Evenbefore I created DreamCatcherHotels, my colleagues and I hadlong served tribes in this industry.I was the co-founder of HnedakBobo Group, which has a lengthylegacy of designing and buildingworld-class gaming and hospitality

properties throughout Indian Country. I fully believe I wouldn’t have gotten DreamCatcher Hotels

successfully off the ground if it weren’t for the enthusiasm and support we received from our tribal friends and associates. We see so much opportunity to continue to support Indian Country.

FIRST TRIBAL PROJECT: DreamCatcher helped theCoushatta Tribe of Louisiana develop Seven Clans Hotel in2012, as part of Coushatta Casino Resort. Seven Clans is aseven-story, 401-room addition to Louisiana’s largest NativeAmerican casino. The hotel is the largest expansion of the resortsince 2001. The tribe and casino management were attractedto DreamCatcher because of our business model. We were ableto build them four-star rooms at a cost that was below your typical three-star hotel. At the time, there were people whothought we couldn’t provide that quality of hotel at that price.But we did it and this project is really what helped launchDreamCatcher to the success we are today.

MOST MEMORABLE PROJECT: Whenever I’m asked about my favorite project, I tend to agree with what FrankLloyd Wright used to say, “my next one.” Really, every Native American project we’ve been involved with presents its ownunique set of opportunities and challenges. Once the tribecatches on to our unique approach and once they understandthat we can deliver a hotel that exceeds the quality theythought they could afford, they really get enthralled andcan’t wait to take the message to their customers. But one ofmy most memorable experiences to date would have to be theopportunity to work with Priscilla Presley designing thesuites for the new 450-room Guesthouse at Graceland hotelin Memphis, Tennessee. It was truly a once in a lifetimeexperience and one I’ll never forget.

CRITICAL ASPECTS: There is no more critical part of thisentire design and development process than being 100-percentcertain that you are starting a project off on the right foot.You do that by having a very detailed description of the project,often referred to as a program. All of the spaces needed fora successful hotel are put in writing and analyzed in terms oftheir cost so that a detailed budget can be developed. This isessential. This is why we do what we do. If you don’t start theproject off on the right foot, it creates potential problems and headaches later. We are known for our ability to set thebudget for a hotel at the very early stages and that forecastcost is what we guarantee when the construction bids comeback. When we take that type of risk, I can assure you we willbe monitoring that project very closely.

BALANCING DESIGN WITH ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS:It’s our whole business model! This is why I created Dream-Catcher Hotels. We found a way to control the cost to makeit affordable. I don’t think anyone else in the industry is doingthis. It all starts with the room in our opinion. The room iswhere the rubber meets the road. It’s the lasting memoryguests take with them when they leave your property. That’snot to say that the architecture is not important. We certainlybelieve that the design should fit the character of the campuswhere the hotel is located. But they are going to spend hoursin the room and that will have a much stronger impact on theiroverall experience. Because we have our branded hotel – we havedesign standards for the rooms – from the shower, to the bedding, to the TV, even the alarm clock. We know the costof the hotel before the architect even starts, which puts theowner at ease and helps the architect create a design that iswithin the budget. We closely manage the development processoverseeing design, construction, purchasing and installation,so the owner doesn’t have to. We work for them throughoutthe entire process, which saves them time and money. Every-thing for us comes down to our three beliefs: delivering thehighest value to the hotel guests; providing the lowest development cost per key to the owner; and consistently challenging the norms of the industry. If we meet the owner’sbudget but do not get great reviews from the hotel guests onsites like Travelocity, Tripadvisor, Yelp and so on, then we didn’t achieve success. One without the other is not success.

TRENDS: A trend that is positive today is that there is moremoney out there for development. Lenders are willing to lend.But the bad news is that they scrutinize how every project ismanaged and budgeted, more than they’ve ever done before.Delivering more bang for less buck is how innovative compa-nies must think today. The simple fact of it is today, owners needto convince lenders that they have a way to control cost andthat is what DreamCatcher does.

THE FUTURE: The future is very exciting. We continue tohave success and are as committed as ever to supporting IndianCountry. Whenever I travel to NIGA or visit with tribes I keephearing, “Greg, we need a hotel and we like what we’ve heardabout DreamCatcher.” I think that’s due to the spreadingrecognition that luxury hotel development at an affordable priceis within reach. We have several projects on the horizon. Andwhile we never thought too much about interest from thecorporate hotel industry when we started, we are extremelyhappy to have broken ground on the 450-room Guesthouse atGraceland hotel. The value that we bring is helping to ensurethe success of that project. We’ve also been in talks with a well-known museum about a hotel, so the word is getting out.Going forward, we will continue to refine our product. Not aday goes by that we’re not talking about ways to improve ourbrand standards. It is that attention to detail that sets us apart.When asked what the future has in store though, we are in theresearch phase of looking at a new building prototype. We’veheard from several people throughout Indian Country that there

36 Indian Gaming August 2015

DREAMCATCHER HOTELSGreg Hnedak, CEO

August 2015 Indian Gaming 37

is a need for unique and innovative housing for tribal elders.We all want the best quality of life as we get older and I believethere is a great opportunity to come in and really make a dif-ference. We are looking at a way to create four-star housingthat can capitalize on all of the amenities of the hotel and casinoto provide a truly one-of-a-kind living experience for theseelders, with entertainment, food, housekeeping, whatever they

need. As we continue to do research into what we can providefor this sector of the community, we are looking to partner witha tribe on a beta site to get this off of the ground. There is alot of innovation and success in this company’s future and inIndian Country’s future. We remain humbled by the opportu-nities we’ve had so far in Indian Country and we are excitedfor what the future holds.

Seven Clans Hotel at Coushatta Casino Resort - Kinder, LA

Angel of the Winds Hotel – Arlington, WA

DREAMCATCHER H

OTELS

START IN INDIAN COUNTRY:RSP has been collaborating withtribal communities for 10 years.RSP also has staff members thathave been associate members ofNIGA for over 15 years and haveexperience with over 34 tribal entities.

FIRST TRIBAL PROJECT: IsletaPueblo Fun Zone in 2005. The existing structure was a pre-engineered, clear span metal building of approximately35,000 sq. ft. The entire building interior was gutted andreconfigured to 24 lanes of bowling, an arcade area, laser tag,billiards, food and liquor venues, and a series of communitymeeting/party rooms.

MOST MEMORABLE PROJECT: We have an eight yearlong strategic relationship with the Prairie Island Indian Community at Treasure Island Resort and Casino. We haverecently finished a new high-end steakhouse and are in the construction phase of a new buffet and waterpark that have set a new contemporary design direction for their entire facility.

We completed an 88,000 sq. ft. 5-story hotel expansion forthe Ak-Chin Community that consists of 152 rooms, a newentry lobby and double the amount of available rooms for thehotel. The architectural concept for the hotel expansion wasinspired by the landscape of the Sonoran Desert as well as theagricultural and art traditions of the Ak-Chin community.

RSP worked with the Gila River Indian Community todesign a new 134-room 6-story hotel branded Sheraton FourPoints that was completed in 2014. The 75,00 sq. ft. hotel wassite adapted to include a bar & restaurant, grab and go pantry,indoor meeting space, fitness center and outdoor pool and sundeck. The development provided new amenities and opportu-nities to compliment the golf course and created multiplevenues for booking indoor and outdoor events, generatingadditional revenue, new jobs and acted as a catalyst for additional redevelopment of the surrounding area.

Just completed is an RSP designed Vegas-style casino – a flagship entertainment destination – in the middle of Washington State. Located 200 + miles northeast of Seattle,the new casino features a 56,000 sq. ft. gaming floor with 500electronic machines, a variety of restaurants, a nightclub, andan 80-room hotel with meeting space, an indoor pool and a spa.Opened in summer 2015, with Womer & Associates as the executive architect, the project is a vibrant, contemporaryresort for the Confederated Tribes of Colville.

CRITICAL ASPECTS: Working with Native communitiesbegins by understanding the importance of sovereignty. Theeconomic developments undertaken by the Nation, whileimportant individually, are all a means to increase the economic,political, spiritual and ecological independence of the commu-

nity and its people. To be entrusted with the design of suchimportant work is a task we take to heart.

BALANCING DESIGN WITH ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS:Often the projects we work on with our tribal partners are someof the biggest investments they will ever make. We thereforetake great care to put dollars where they will see the greatestROI. This begins with smart master planning that thinksahead to future expansions and related opportunities. It includesknowing back of house, parking and delivery so that they getan efficient structure that does not waste money on spaces theirguests will not see. Ultimately it emphasizes a material richness and experience that guests will come to appreciate,where they will touch and feel materials and be engaged aneweach time they visit.

TRENDS: The future is really exciting. Not only will we beseeing continued renovation and development, we will also seeIndian Country moving into new aspects of gaming and technological interface as their clientele evolves. This willmean creating spaces where guests have the freedom to unlocka gaming experience and integrate it into other more resortfocused amenities of their property. We will also see the expansion of tribal development outside the reservation ascommunities seek to capitalize on money making ventures suchas corporate hotels, data centers, energy, multi-use developmentsand beyond.

THE FUTURE: RSP, with four offices in North America and12 diverse practice studios is ready to grow with Indian Country as it looks for opportunities both on and outsidetribal lands.

38 Indian Gaming August 2015

RSP ArchitectsIan Scott, Senior Associate

Treasure Island Tado Steakhouse - Welch, MN Photo: Brandon Stengel / Farm Kids Studios

August 2015 Indian Gaming 39

12 Tribes Resort Casino - Omak, WA Photos: Peter Malinowski / InSite

RSP A

RCHITECTS

Hotel expansion at Harrah’s Ak-Chin – Maricopa, AZ Photos: Philip Prowse

FIRST TRIBAL PROJECT: Ourfirst work within Indian Countrywas in 2002 with Agua Caliente inPalm Springs doing a ground up$70 million casino for them.

MOST MEMORABLE BUILDPROJECT: The work with AguaCaliente for both the Spa Resort

Casino and the Agua Caliente Casino, their second property,were incredible projects and went very well. Also, ThunderValley was a very memorable project and very exciting. That was another great owner, and great team.

We've also had a long-term standing relationship with Ak-Chin, and done both large projects and also a lot ofsmaller projects for them. We also continue to do work forTalking Stick as well.

CRITICAL ASPECTS: Collaboration with team members,from design, ownership and the contractor – all workingtowards the same goal. The key to any project is having allparties moving in the same direction. An important element on every project is information – if we're going tocontrol budget, schedule and work with the team and giveinput and feedback, it's hard to do that without good infor-mation and without being part of the early design meetings.

For us, it is very important to know what the owners goalsare, what their budget is, when they want to be open, and whatconstraints that puts on the design team. When we have thatinformation, we can do our jobs a lot better and so that's keyfor us. That's why design/build, also, is a growing contractmethod in our industry, and allows all parties to understandeveryone's needs and have all the information heard so wecan all make good decisions.

BALANCING BUILDING WITH ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS:From a quality standpoint, it's just as important for theowner to pick a good, qualified design team and a general contractor or CM. We need to do the same on behalf of theowners – with good subcontractor selection, making sure thatthe sub has done that type of work before, and is capable andunderstands the nuances of working in Indian Country andin the gaming market. A lot of that falls on us to make surewe're getting the right team put in place with regard tovendors and subcontractors.

Also, by involving our team early enough, we can get a headstart on everything from material procurement to prefabri-cation. The best results are when you plan ahead at thebeginning.

TRENDS: Industry wide, I see a focus going from traditionalcontracting methods to a more collaborative design/buildprocess. A lot of the work we're seeing in Indian Country isgoing design/build to create that more collaborative contractmethod – bringing the team together earlier. It also reducessome of the management risks that the owners or the tribes

have because now they're dealing with one entity that housesall those disciplines underneath it. They're really dealing withone contract versus multiple, so I do see in Indian Countrya trend heading towards that more collaborative design/buildapproach, and trying to find ways to reduce waste and be moreefficient.

We did the Comanche Travel Plaza as design/build andalso the Comanche Casino renovation. A big benefit fordesign/build is schedule and budget control. The key is theteam working well together, sharing goals and information.

THE FUTURE: Our goal is to continue to focus on ouremployees and have controlled, well-managed growth, andalso give our employees opportunities. We’ll focus on continuing to grow our presence in Indian Country, alongwith the other markets we work in. We’ll continue to makesure we always have a great culture and work environment.If our employees are happy it's going to translate directly intoour customers being happy. ®

40 Indian Gaming August 2015

PENTA Building GroupJoel Wallis, Senior Vice President

Comanche Red River Casino - Devol, OK

August 2015 Indian Gaming 41

PENTA

BUILDIN

G G

ROUP

Spa Resort Casino - Rancho Mirage, CA

Thunder Valley Casino Resort - Lincoln, CA

Atrium at Talking Stick Resort - Scottsdale, AZ