Deck The Halls

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Island Resort & Casino and it’s not just because of the snow! Since the end of October, our decorating team has been working around the clock to transform our island paradise into a winter wonderland.
Decorating for the holiday season is nothing new at the Island. Even before the casino’s first expansion in 1999, our decorating team has ensured that the casino was festively adorned with holiday décor to the likes of which would make Santa himself smile. Speaking of Santa Claus…. Those guests who have been with us for awhile may remember that for several holiday seasons, a real-life Santa and Mrs. Claus was stationed at the main entrance of the casino (entrance located outside of Club Four One) and was available for a quick photo op for those guests who wished to share what was on their Christmas wish lists. For the 2009 holiday season (1 year after our second expansion), the Coca-Cola Christmas Caravan made an appearance at the casino complete with Santa himself, a few polar bears and 25,000 twinkle lights!
With the property almost tripling in size since our initial expansion in 1999, the task of decorating the casino has grown as well. What once took only a week or two is now a process that spans out over a few months. Our Decorating team begins assembling the multitude of centerpieces, garland and floral arrangements well before Halloween. Once October is over, the team begins to unpack and decorate the hundreds of feet of garland that can be found all around the property. However, the real work generally begins midway through November when the (1) fifteen-foot and (4) twelve-foot Christmas Trees are assembled and decorated.

This year, we welcomed a new addition to our decorative collection… Santa Claus is back (well…. a pretty detailed replica) and has made himself at home on the ledge of the Sun Tower just above the Coral Reef Grille! With a birds-eye view of the gaming floor, Santa will have a great opportunity to see who is being naughty and who is being nice!
If you have a chance to visit us during the holiday season (we hope you do) we recommend taking a few moments out of your visit to check out our holiday decorations! If you don’t have a great deal of time, you’ll at least want to check out the following:

• The15 foot Christmas Tree in the hotel lobby
• The 12 foot Christmas Tree outside of the Island Showroom
• The 12 foot Christmas Tree located in the Island Convention Center
• Santa Claus located on the ledge above the Coral Reef Grille
• The Spiral Staircase located between the Coral Reef Grille and the Coffee & Custard Shop

If you can’t make it to the Island before the holidays are over, you can check out our “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” board on Pinterest!