TULALIP — The Tulalip Tribes celebrated the official opening of their new Resort Hotel, Aug. 15, by hosting festivities for more than 1,000 invited guests.

The 12-story, $130 million facility, which had a soft opening in June, features 370 guest rooms, including a variety of specialty suites.

“Tonight we come together to share with you a dream we had a long time ago. We had the desire to build something that we didn’t quite know what it would look like, we didn’t know quite what it would represent, but we knew we had to plan for the future,” said Tulalip Tribal Chairman Mel Sheldon Jr. “Tonight is the culmination of those dreams. A lot of hard work and planning went in to it.”

Tulalip Tribal board member Glen Gobin said, “With the opening of this resort hotel, I really think it is going to change the picture of our future. Not just for the Tulalip Tribes, but for Marysville, the Snohomish County area, and for all of Puget Sound as we attract new customers and new visitors. I really believe it is a win-win for each and everyone of us who are here today.”

“This is the epitome of a great partnership and I’m looking forward to the effect that this is going to have financially on the city,” said Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall. “It can’t hurt but help with having conventions in here practically as we move forward every week. It’s only going to be spillover as far as economic development for the city. It’s incredible.”