Margaritaville Casino & Resort
Biloxi, Mississippi

ARCHITECT: Kuhlman Design Group
CONTRACTORS: Roy Anderson, Corp., MCC Group
COST: $700 million
ROOMS: 798
MEETING SPACE: 66,000 square feet
RETAIL SPACE: 250,000 square feet
OTHER AMENITIES: Spa, cabanas and a Margaritaville Restaurant

Singer-songwriter and Mississippi native Jimmy Buffett has teamed up with Harrah’s Entertainment to open a destination resort anchored by one of his renowned Margaritaville restaurants.

The $700 million casino is being developed on 46 acres of land that used to house Grand Casino and Casino Magic. Harrah’s is building an additional 420 hotel rooms to Casino Magic’s 378 units, for a total of 798 luxury rooms. The casino will occupy 100,000 square feet, and another 66,000 square feet will be utilized as meeting space. Harrah’s is also partnering with Simon Property Group to turn 250,000 square feet into retail space.

Harrah’s is taking Buffett’s beach aesthetic seriously. The property will feature cabanas situated around a wooden pool deck with lush tropical flora and fauna, for the kind of relaxing backdrop evoked by Buffett’s music.

The Margaritaville development is the latest in a line of casino properties taking up residence on the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In a press release announcing the development of the property, Buffett said it’s important to rebuild and bring spirit back to the coast.

“One of the essential elements of life along the Gulf Coast is the Creole belief that hard work and good fun go hand in hand,” Buffett said. “With that in mind, I say let’s get to work and let’s let the good times roll again.”

The resort will open in spring 2010.