The Cahuilla Band of Indians near rural Anza, in Riverside County, Southern California, are building the new $35.2 million Cahuilla Casino Hotel that is looking at a planned opening in spring 2020.
It will replace the existing Cahuilla Casino next door, which operates in a tent-like structure that first opened 23 years ago. It offers dining, a bar and slot machines.
The new casino will bring gaming to another level for the tribe. It will have 14,000 square feet of gaming floor, with 353 slots and four gaming tables. For the first time the casino will have a hotel, four stories with 58 rooms, an outdoor event space and restaurant.
The number of employees is expected to jump from 120 to 170.
This is all relatively modest compared to some of the rival casinos in Southern California, such as Pechanga, the largest casino resort on the West Coast, or Harrah’s Southern California Resort.
But Daniel Salgado, tribal chairman of the Cahuilla Band, says they aren’t trying to beat those big gaming tribes, but rather working to help themselves. He likes to say, “This is more of a marathon for us and not a sprint.”
The tribe has considered expanding before, but the first time, near the turn of the millennium, they were too ambitious. “I think it was a large dream that maybe was unrealistic, especially at the time,” Salgado said. “It was a massive project that we wanted to do.”
The tribe has advanced with solid, baby steps. Three years ago it built the Mountain Sky Travel Center convenience store and gas station. It “provided a boost for the community,” and served the tribe and surrounding area well during the Cranston Fire in Summer 2018. It had the only generator in the area and stayed open 24/7.
The current project is more realistic in scope then the first one and focuses on needs rather than bells and whistles. So the tribe is not building a conference center or a swimming pool. But their hotel will hopefully attract tourists taking Highway 371 as an alternate route to Interstate 10, where they may stop to drop a quarter or spend the night.
A sports bar will be located near the gaming floor with six 60-inch televisions. Nearby tables will offer poker and Ultimate Texas Hold’em. There will be 12 high-limit slots on the other side of the gaming floor.
The new Ribbonwood Grill will replace the Roadrunner Bar & Grill, but will have its own dedicated space, where it will serve burgers, salads and “pub food.”
The event space on the first floor of the hotel can be rented for private events and weddings with a view of Cahuilla Mountain.
