Poker Room some superior leadership including stellar CEOs and dedicated chairmen .
But things were getting rough when the pandemic hit . A recently hired CEO decided that his dream of taking Foxwoods to the next level wouldn ’ t work if he had to make the sacrifices that the pandemic would demand , so he resigned . The tribe turned to Guyot , who had been with Foxwoods for more than 15 years , to serve as interim CEO .
That ’ s when Guyot began to shine . The interim title was soon removed and he ’ s now been at Foxwoods for more than 22 years .
“ The property from day one was obviously something special ,” he says . “ Nothing like it had ever existed . Since that time we ’ ve now evolved to this fully integrated resort destination . It ’ s been quite a journey . And as you can see , with over 9 million square feet now , we have a little bit of something for everyone , and we ’ re continuing to grow and add new amenities .
“ We have more competition than we ’ ve ever had before , so that ’ s challenging too . But I feel honored to follow all my predecessors who have been in my role . We have a really great team here , and there ’ s been a lot of groundwork already laid over the years . We just try to expand on that and try to look towards the future , and focus on what this next five or 10 years might look like and how we can better compete .”
Food & Beverage Jump
While Foxwoods has always had quality bars and restaurants , Guyot wanted to elevate the product . He wanted to add a celebrity chef or two , especially adjacent to a new casino area that had just opened , the Woodlands casino . He knew where to look .
“ If you start at the top , that brings you to Gordon Ramsay ,” he says . “ And so I reached out to Gordon Ramsay North America , had some good initial conversations , and then brought Norman Abdallah , the CEO , out to the property in 2021 . And they say timing is everything . It is so true . They had just opened the North American branch , and Caesars had a deal with them . It was a one-off deal and they were just starting to consider expanding .
“ I laid out the vision of how this Hell ’ s Kitchen would anchor that section of the property , and really got buy-in from him .”
Ramsay had never been to Foxwoods , Guyot says , and when he arrived he was shocked at how large the property was and how it had four different casinos under one roof , unlike anything he ’ d ever seen before .
“ I committed to Gordon that my goal was to build the best Hell ’ s Kitchen ever ,” he says . “ I think that we accomplished that , with the quality of the food , the consistency , the brand … all those things have been working really well for us .”
Great Cedar Hotel mini suite
But that led to another opportunity in the same vein .
“ Not only were we able to convince Gordon and the team to allow us the license agreement to open Hell ’ s Kitchen , but we also committed to filming two seasons of the show here at Foxwoods , seasons 23 and 24 . Gordon and ITV thought we were the right destination to do it , and it went unbelievably well . It ’ s not only a celebration of Gordon ’ s hit show , but really a celebration of all we have to offer here at Foxwoods .”
With the conclusion of season 23 at Foxwoods , the winner , Kyle Timpson , who is from South Jersey , is in line to become the executive chef at the Foxwoods ’ Hell ’ s Kitchen .
Other F & B outlets opened under Guyot ’ s leadership include the Wahlburgers hamburger joint , a family venture of actor Mark Wahlberg ; Zac Young ’ s Sprinkletown Donuts & Ice Cream ; and Grace By Nia , a bar and restaurant from a legendary regional chef that features live music in an intimate venue .
But Guyot isn ’ t done by any means . He recently announced “ The Bedford by Martha Stewart ” will open later this year .
Designed to transport guests into Martha ’ s 1925 country farmhouse located in Bedford , New York , The Bedford brings her signature blend of elegance , warmth and charm to life . Located within the Grand Pequot Tower ,
www . tribalgovernmentgaming . com 23