The Cordish Cos. of Baltimore, Md., is building a new hotel for its Maryland Live Casino.
The hotel is being built for $200 million, and will become the largest building in Anne Arudel County. The 350,000-square-foot property is expected to be finished by the end of 2017.
Rob Norton, president of Cordish Global Gaming Group, said Maryland Live will add nearly 400 new employees to its existing 3,000 when the hotel, event center and restaurants are open for business. The hotel will have 310 guestrooms, a 1,500-seat event center, multiple restaurants, a 24-hour cafe and a day spa.
"We've been talking to our customers for quite a while about the amenities they would like to have, and a hotel is always at the top of the list," Norton said in a statement. "If they are locals, they are looking for the staycation; if they are driving from two hours away, they are looking for a place to stay for a night and have a couple of days of fun."
The hotel at Maryland Live is following a new development at the hands of MGM Resorts International, which is opening its own $1.3-billion casino resort later this year. While the MGM is positioned to draw from nearby Washington D.C., as well as international travelers, Maryland Live has weathered previous casino openings in the past. Analysts predicted the casino would suffer a 20-percent loss of revenue when the Horsehoe Casino opened in 2014, but Maryland Live retained its share of the state's casino gambling revenue.
The hotel is also entering an area of high competition, but casino officials say they don't expect to compete with surrounding hotels as they focus on the "existing casino base."