Renovations Underway at French Lick Resort

(photo courtesy French Lick Resort)

French Lick Resort has kicked off a series of projects it says will help boost business at the Orange County destination. The projects involve a $5 million investment and include renovations to the resort’s Exhibition Hall and former Billiard and Bowling Pavilion. A spokesperson for the resort says the work will eventually lead to up to 100 jobs.

The resort says the 30,000-square-foot Exhibition Hall will be located in the building that previously served as the Valley Links Golf and Activities Center, which doubled as an indoor facility for golf, tennis and other sports. The refurbished building will have space for 200 exhibits, as well as electricity access in the floors and an updated exterior.

"We’d love to have the opportunity for a group to host their event annually at the resort, and with that said, we try to find something new, whether it’s a new event location or a new recreational activity,” said Adina Cloud, director of sales at the resort. “As our group business continued to increase, and after looking at what groups were requesting and what we were missing, the renovation of the Exhibition Hall was our next step to be able to accommodate the size of the groups we now have coming to French Lick Resort.”

The former Billiard and Bowling Pavilion, the resort says, will be restored to its "original grandeur" as part of the effort. The building, which opened on Christmas Day 1917, was last used in the late 1960s. When the renovation is complete, the building will serve as a multi-functional facility that can be used for weddings, dinners, banquets and other special meetings.

French Lick Resort says the updated Exhibition Hall will be available for rent under its new configuration later this year. Construction on the former Billiard and Bowling Pavilion is slated to begin this year and the facility is expected to reopen in 2019.

Two restaurants at the resort, 1875: The Steakhouse and Hagen’s Club House Restaurant, will also under go expansions in 2018 to increase capacity. French Lick Resort adds plans are in the works to add more guest rooms in the future.