Photos courtesy French Lick Resort

From Local Sources

FRENCH LICK — French Lick Resort’s two newest attractions officially opened on Friday.

The Valley Tower — a 71-room hotel — and the Valley Bar are located adjacent to the resort’s Event Center and French Lick Casino, and are part of a $17 million addition geared toward providing resort guests more variety and options during their stay.

In the six-story Valley Tower, guestrooms feature connecting room options for a new level of flexibility. The hotel includes 12 suites configurable in one-, two- and three-bedroom combinations. ADA-accessible rooms and pet-friendly rooms are also available. Adorned with modern decor, Valley Tower rooms provide a new look and a complementary option to guestrooms at the resort’s historic French Lick and West Baden Springs hotels.

The additional rooms supplement the existing 686 guestrooms at French Lick Resort’s two historic hotels — 443 at French Lick Springs Hotel and 243 at West Baden Springs Hotel — and bring the resort’s overall capacity to 757 rooms.

Valley Bar, located just off the Valley Tower lobby, is the resort’s only 21-and-over eating establishment with a menu featuring light fare, including appetizers, sliders, wings and hearty soups. From the drink menu, guests can choose from nearly 20 regional craft beers, along with domestic brews, signature and traditional cocktails, and a selection of wines. Rustic decor and plenty of big-screen TVs also make the bar a cozy new spot to meet up with friends during the day and after hours. Two event rooms are also available for larger groups to rent.

Already the largest employer in Orange County with 1,700 associates, French Lick Resort is adding approximately 100 new jobs to expand its workforce for the resort additions.

The sports bar and new guestrooms are the latest major capital investment the resort has made over the past 12 years, following the opening of French Lick Casino in 2006; the adjacent Event Center that underwent a $20 million expansion in 2015; and the nearby Exhibition Hall that recently underwent an extensive renovation.

Construction on the Valley Tower and Valley Bar was contracted to Krempp Construction Inc. of Jasper that was also highly involved in the historic restorations at French Lick and West Baden Springs hotels in the early 2000s.

Within the past year, the resort has also added the new sportsbook and sports viewing area at French Lick Casino, and the refurbished Exhibition Hall.