The resort the Tweed built
Verano Resort started as a roadside motel with 22 rooms and a view of the highway. Nine years later it's 146 rooms, a gaming floor and a dining room locals book without staying over — here's how that happened.
From motel rooms to a full resort
2017: the Marchetti family buys a tired motor inn on Chestnut Drive. The plan was twelve renovated rooms and a decent breakfast. The guests had other ideas.
Every year the place grew a little — a pool deck in 2018, the restaurant in 2019, the west wing and gaming licence in 2021, the spa in 2023. What didn't change: the same family runs it, the same rule applies — build the thing locals would use first, and travellers will follow.
Today the casino floor brings the energy, the rooms bring the quiet, and the dining room brings the neighbours. That balance is the whole idea.
Three rules we actually run on
Honest pricing
The rate on the page is the rate on the bill. No resort fees, no parking charges, no 'amenity levy' discovered at checkout.
Locals first
If the restaurant, spa and events floor don't work for the Tweed, they don't work. Tourists follow a room full of regulars, not the other way round.
Play responsibly
The gaming floor is entertainment, not a business model built on harm. Limits at the cage, self-exclusion in five minutes, hosts trained to spot trouble early.
The people you'll actually meet
A small senior team runs the place — most have been here since the expansion. Names and faces below, because a resort is only ever its people.
Marco Marchetti
General Manager
Second-generation hotelier. Still does a floor walk every morning with the housekeepers.
Sarah Mitchell
Front office manager
Eleven years in hotels. Handles upgrades and odd requests herself — try her.
Danny Nguyen
Executive chef
Ex-Brisbane fine dining. Built the menu around Tweed Coast produce and refused a fryer-heavy shortcut.
Grace Okafor
Casino operations
Runs the gaming floor and the VIP salon. Licensed, meticulous, and the reason the floor feels friendly.
What we've built so far
Starlight Auditorium
400-seat events space, opened 2022 — conferences, expos, award nights.
The West Wing
Gaming floor and VIP salon, opened 2021. Own entrance, own energy.
The Thermal Suite
Sauna, steam and magnesium plunge — part of the 2023 spa expansion.
Sunset Terrace
West-facing ceremony deck, booked solid every spring since 2020.
About the resort
Come see it in person
Photos only go so far — the sunset from the west-facing rooms has to be seen to be believed.
Plan your visit