GLOBAL GAMING BUSINESS PODCAST: Michael Facenda, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Agua Caliente Cathedral City

This week, the GGB Podcast sits down with Michael Facenda, the senior vice president and general manager of the Agua Caliente casino in Cathedral City, California, on the opening of the new property in the middle of the pandemic and how it has been performing since.

Agua Caliente now has three casinos in the Palm Springs area. The newest one in Cathedral City opened in March smack in the middle of the pandemic. Gaming veteran Michael Facenda is the general manager of the property and explains how the operations got up and running. He talks about how his employees were motivated to give the guests the best experience possible and how they handle the procedures and the enhanced cleaning and sanitizing efforts. But he’s most excited about how the property should perform once the pandemic winds down and he can use the entertainment and meeting areas of the property to its full benefit. He spoke with GGB Publisher Roger Gros from his office in Cathedral City in March.


GGB Podcast sponsored by IGT.com

Articles by Author: Roger Gros

Roger Gros is publisher of Global Gaming Business, the industry’s leading gaming trade publication, and all its related publications. Prior to joining Global Gaming Business, Gros was president of Inlet Communications, an independent consulting firm. He was vice president of Casino Journal Publishing Group from 1984-2000, and held virtually every editorial title during his tenure. Gros was editor of Casino Journal, the National Gaming Summary and the Atlantic City Insider, and was the founding editor of Casino Player magazine. He was a co-founder of the American Gaming Summit and the Southern Gaming Summit conferences and trade shows.
Roger Gros is the author of the best-selling book, "How to Win at Casino Gambling" (Carlton Books, 1995), now in its fourth edition. Gros was named “Businessman of the Year” for 1998 by the Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Gaming Association in 2012 as part of the annual AGA Communications Awards.