GULFPORT, Miss. -- The Oasis Resort and Spa made its debut at Grand
Casino Gulfport earlier this summer, marking the first in a series
of proposed expansions of Grand Casino hotels on the coast since
the company merged with Hilton Hotels late last year.
The $79 million Florida-style resort adds 594 king and queen
guest rooms plus 43 one, two- and three-bedroom suites to the Grand
Casino Gulfport hotel complex, along with 3,000 square feet of
meeting and convention space.
The existing Grand Casino Gulfport hotel has 400 rooms and 9,000
square feet of meeting space. Room rates at the new resort range
from $79 to $139 per night.
Suites, which include Jacuzzi tubs, microwaves and
refrigerators, start at $200 per night; the Presidential Suite is
priced at $499 per night. Amenities include concierge services plus
Jacuzzi tubs, microwaves and refrigerators in the suites.
One of the hotel's distinguishing features is the
16,000-square-foot Bellissimo Spa and Salon, which offers an array
of spa treatments, a fitness center, saunas and three
whirlpools.
Spa services range in price from $25 for an upper-body massage
to $65 for an aromatherapy massage. Spa packages include the $69
Sampler Package, the $199 Signature Package and the $1,500 Grand
Adventure Spa Package.
The new resort also boasts a three-acre water park, complete
with a "lazy river," pools, a Jacuzzi and a spa.
Three dining experiences are part of the attraction. The Cabana
Bar, located by the Oasis pool, serves turkey wraps, hamburgers and
snack food. The Java Grande, in the Oasis lobby, is a
European-style coffee bar that serves specialty coffees, pastries
and desserts. The Martini Bar, also in the lobby, features several
varieties of martinis and cigars.
The Oasis resort is connected to the 105,000-square-foot Grand
Casino Gulfport by a climate-controlled skyway.
The Gulfport casino is one of Grand's three Mississippi gaming
properties. The others are in Biloxi and Tunica. Construction of a
600-room Grand Casino Biloxi, which tentatively was set to begin in
March, has been pushed back to next year or early 2001, according
to a spokesman for Grand Casino Biloxi.
The Grand Casino Biloxi has two 500-room hotels, and occupancy
has been high, he said. Clients can arrange for free shuttle
service to and from Grand Casino Gulfport and Grand Casino Biloxi
by calling 870-RIDE.
Meanwhile, in Robinsonville, Miss., the Grand Terrace Hotel
& Spa, the third hotel in the Grand Casino Tunica resort
complex, opened this spring.
The 600-room, $72 million facility joins the 188-room Grand
Casino Hotel, which lies adjacent to the casino, and the 578-room
Grand Veranda Hotel. The Grand hotels pay 10% commission to
agents.
Oasis Resort and Spa
Phone: (800) 354-2450