"When it opened in November 1997, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino contained less than 90,000 square feet of gaming space, three restaurants and no hotel.

Zip forward 14 years and, behold, the blossoming of a Las Vegas-style resort, one of the largest in the Southeast.

Three hotel towers, including the just-opened Creek Tower, beckon with more than 1,000 guest rooms and 107 suites.

The casino floor will soon reach 195,000 square feet, allowing for an increase of slot and video poker machines from 3,400 to 4,700.

The dining scene is also getting an overhaul. Along with a soon-to-come revamp of that time-honored casino staple – the buffet – is the addition of a food court, Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Brio Tuscan Grille. And in January, Harrah’s Cherokee held a ribbon cutting for a restaurant bearing the name familiar to any Southerner – Paula Deen’s Kitchen.

Add to those embellishments two new (free) parking decks and a motor coach facility.

And, in about a year, guests seeking an escape from the sensory assault in the gaming areas will be able to hunker down in Mandara Spa, the Bali-based feel-good emporium with locations already at two Harrah’s Las Vegas properties – Paris Hotel and Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino."

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Harrah's Cherokee Casino blossoms into Vegas-style resort (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 2/23)