New Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa Premieres in Michigan City; $130 Million Expansion Features 22-Story Hotel Tower, Restaurants,  Spa and Convention Center

The expansion's centerpiece is the SPA BLU TOWER, a 22-story, 302-room upscale hotel tower. Other new amenities include spa blu, a 10,000-square-foot spa, full service salon and fitness center; two Las Vegas-inspired restaurants, "It's Vegas Baby!" and "The Game"; and the 20,000-square-foot Stardust Event Center for entertainment, meetings and special events.

"With this expansion, Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa becomes the premier entertainment destination in the region," says Keith Smith, President and CEO, Boyd Gaming. "Visitors to Las Vegas or Atlantic City have long enjoyed a host of amenities under one roof.  For the first time, we're bringing that successful model to this region, and we think it will be attractive to customers throughout the upper Midwest."

The "New Blue," as it's dubbed, has brought more than 200 additional jobs to the area, says Ted Bogich, Blue Chip Vice President and General Manager. "The community has been a great partner, and we're proud to bring more jobs and more investment dollars to Michigan City and LaPorte County."

The hotel tower and convention center, designed by award-winning architect Lucien Lagrange of Chicago-based Lucien Lagrange Architects, combine Las-Vegas style glamour with a nautical nod to the project's lakeside location.

The new look starts with a dramatic porte cochere. The 300-foot concourse is highlighted by a 132-foot-long feature wall of 5/8-inch hand-made tiles in brilliant colors of iridescent and metallic handmade glass, complemented by natural stone from Indianapolis.

The expansion's focal point is SPA BLU TOWER. One of the tallest structures in Northwest Indiana, the tower evokes nearby Lake Michigan with a curtain wall of aluminum and varying shades of blue vision glass. The lighthouse effect is reinforced by LED-light banding on every other floor.  The 302 upscale guest rooms, which include 272 rooms and 30 suites, feature floor-to-ceiling windows and rich millwork in bold contemporary styling with soft cream and white organic textures and finishes. Among the amenities are headboard-embedded reading lights, pillowtop mattresses, bright-white signature bedding, flat-screen TVs, AV connectivity panels and high-speed Internet access.

Two new restaurants were added to the three existing restaurants and all-night coffee station. At the area's newest, liveliest hot spot, It's Vegas Baby!,  At The Game, which seats 116, it's every sport on tap, with a delicious game-day menu and an unrivaled array of sports viewing options and energetic servers in sports-themed uniforms. Entrees range from $10-$15. The Game is open seven days a week; Sunday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. guests can enjoy live entertainment, American classic cuisine and a specialty drink selection that includes Las Vegas favorites. Entrees range from $10-$26. The restaurant, which seats 152, is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday from 5 pm to 10 pm.; starting at 10 pm, the restaurant converts to a nightclub, with live entertainment running until 3 am.

At the new 10,000-square-foot spa blu – the first casino-based spa in the greater Chicago area -- guests can enliven their spirits with health and beauty treatments customized for rejuvenation and relaxation.  Among the nine treatment rooms are two rooms for facials, a wet treatment room, four single massage rooms and treatment rooms for couples. A full-service salon for men and women offers hair, manicure, pedicure and makeup services with a private makeover room that is used for wedding parties and other groups. Before and after the services, guests can relax in individual men's and women's lounges with steam rooms, experiential showers and whirlpools highlighted with water walls.  The fitness room at spa blu includes 10 weight training stations, as well as treadmills, bikes and elliptical machines. Massage and body treatment prices start at $55. spa blu is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fitness center is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

A highlight of the two-year Blue Chip expansion project is the 20,000-square-foot Stardust Event Center. The multi-function facility can accommodate business events, such as meetings, conventions and trade shows, as well as stage productions, concerts, boat and vehicle exhibitions, weddings and other special events. The centerpiece of the Stardust Event Center is a 15,000-square-foot main ballroom capable of seating up to 1,300 people for live performances.  For maximum flexibility, the ballroom can be split into six breakout rooms, which, along with four other meeting rooms at the center, range in size from 850 to 2,750 square feet.

About Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa

Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa, a Boyd Gaming property, is the premier entertainment destination in Northwest Indiana. Located an hour's drive east of Chicago in Michigan City, Indiana, Blue Chip features a 65,000-square-foot single-level casino, two hotel towers with a total of 486 upscale rooms; six restaurants,  a spa, full-service salon and fitness center,  a coffee bar, two gift shops and the 20,000-square-foot Stardust Event Center.