NATCHEZ — The grand room of the Country Inn and Suites was packed from wall to wall with supportive citizens attending the grand opening Thursday night.

City officials and residents alike stood and listened to Warren Reuther, New Orleans Hotels consultant, talk about the journey with the hotel — from inception to ribbon cutting.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Reuther said.

He said the hotel and the convention center are the perfect pair and the partnership is what is needed in a town.

“The amount of bookings we’re getting for the convention center and for the hotel are overwhelming,” he said.

He alluded that things would only get better now that the hotel tax has passed.

“You’ve taken a giant step for Natchez in passing the hotel assessment,” Reuther said.

Reuther, along with Tom Bauer, hotel developer also involved in the Country Inn, gave many thanks to Mayor Phillip West, the Natchez board of aldermen and the citizens of Natchez for their support and help in bringing the hotel to fruition.

Before the crowd spilled out onto Broadway Street and into the hot sun to view the cutting of the ribbon, Natchez Enterprises representative Ted Doody gave a few remarks about the Roth Hill Road casino to come.

Doody recognized that this event was also supposed to be a ground breaking for the casino.

“Hopefully this is the step right before it,” he said of the night’s event.

However, he referenced Mother Nature as an impediment.

“We’ve had to stop and take a pause,” Doody said.

The rising river caused casino officials to take a deep intake of air, one that they still are not able to let out as the flooding up North threatens to find its way to the Mississippi.

He said once all is back to normal with the river, the project will be back on track.

“The project is fully entitled and we have a design that’s fully backed,” Doody said. “The project has been fully funded and is ready to go.”

Believe me, we’re going as fast as we can possibly go.”

A presentation showing floor plans and renderings of the casino was not shown due to technical difficulties.

Renderings were available for public viewing.

Also during the ceremony, the hotel was blessed by the Rev. David O’Connor, of St. Mary Basilica.

The grand room is divided up into two separate rooms and both were dedicated that night.

The first room was dedicated as the Rose Room, after the deceased wife of a friend of Reuthers.

The next was dedicated as the Carolynn Room, after West’s wife.