Penn Entertainment will open a new hotel tower at Hollywood Casino Columbus on June 12, with 203 rooms including 20 luxury suites. The property aims to position itself as Ohio’s premier entertainment destination with the addition.

The tower is part of a broader agreement struck between Penn and Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc (GLPI) back in October 2022. That master lease deal committed GLPI to $350 million in capital improvements across multiple Penn properties—this Columbus hotel, a new M Resort tower in Nevada, and the relocated Hollywood Casino Joliet. In exchange, Penn accepted annual rent increases of 1.5% through 2033.

Fast Timeline, Regional Appeal

Construction wrapped in roughly two years. Initial estimates came in around $100 million. Penn broke ground in autumn 2023, promising the venue would become a “true regional destination” for central Ohio.

The 105,000-square-foot facility includes The Hill Eatery & Lounge, conference rooms for larger groups, outdoor seating areas, and a fitness centre. It’s designed to attract overnight guests who might previously have stayed elsewhere or skipped Columbus altogether.

Jay Snowden, Penn’s CEO and President, called the opening a milestone that establishes Hollywood Columbus as the region’s top entertainment venue. It’s the third major retail development Penn has completed in under a year, following Joliet’s new casino and the M Resort’s second tower.

Jobs and Bookings

The hotel will create approximately 100 positions. Penn has scheduled job fairs for March 27 and April 10 to fill all roles.

Room bookings open April 15 through the casino’s website, ahead of a June 12 grand opening celebration featuring an outdoor festival and concert.

Hollywood Columbus is one of four casinos operating in Ohio, alongside Jack Cleveland, Hard Rock Cincinnati, and Hollywood Toledo. Voters approved the licences through a statewide ballot in November 2009, and Penn secured the Columbus and Toledo properties shortly after.

The addition reflects Penn’s ongoing capital strategy as the company targets cost savings and operational efficiencies throughout 2026. The firm recently posted Q4 2025 results showing discipline on spending while investing selectively in high-return projects like this tower.

For Columbus, the hotel offers something the market lacked: dedicated overnight accommodation at the casino itself. That convenience factor could pull visitors from Cleveland, Cincinnati, and neighbouring states, particularly for weekend entertainment packages. Penn clearly sees value in building out its Ohio footprint. This tower signals real confidence in the state’s gaming market.

What the team thinks

Sheena McAllister says:

While the expansion positions Hollywood Columbus competitively in Ohio’s increasingly crowded gaming market, the real story here is how GLPI’s master lease structure continues to de-risk Penn’s capital deployment. From a regulatory standpoint, these infrastructure investments often signal anticipated license renewals and demonstrate the kind of long-term commitment that regulators like to see when evaluating operator suitability. The timing also suggests Penn is confident about Ohio’s regulatory environment remaining stable enough to justify premium positioning in the Columbus market.