Pala Casino Resort & Spa in San Diego County, California, last week unveiled plans for a 0 million expansion, including a second hotel tower, with 349 rooms, a pool complex and a renovation of the casino. Work is scheduled to being in October and be done by May 2019.
The project is part of an ongoing estimated $1 billion casino “arms race” in San Diego County, which has the largest concentration of Indian casinos in California, and hence the country.
Pala Band of Mission Indians Tribal Chairman Robert Smith said in a statement “Our ability to exponentially expand and refresh Pala Casino Spa & Resort is a true testament to, not only the growth of Pala, but also to the thriving economy and the continued strength of the gaming industry in California.”
Once the project is completed the resort would have a total of 854 rooms, with the casino expanding from 90,000 square feet to more than 102,000 SF. It would add 500 slot machines, for a total of 2,500 slots and raise the number of gaming tables to 88. This will be the casino’s third expansion since it opened 16 years ago. The pool project will add bars, fire pits, and cabanas.
Pala Casino CEO Bill Bembenek commented, “We are very excited to engage in our third major expansion since our introduction to the Southern California gaming and hospitality market more than 16 years ago. As in the past, we expect elements of this expansion and upgrade to be unique to our property and to set new resort standards.”
He added, “The consumer has changed to some degree, and the demands … necessitate an all-encompassing recreational experience. We’ve come out on the other side of the Great Recession, the economy has healed, and people are looking for ways to spend their recreational dollars.”
Bembenek concluded “This significant expansion project will complement our already luxurious resort offerings while providing our patrons with new world-class amenities.”
Pala’s closest competitor is Pechanga Resort & Casino, which is considered one of the largest casinos on the West Coast with 1,100 rooms, and next closest is Harrah’s Southern California Resort, with 1,086 rooms. Pechanga is in the midst of a $285 million expansion.
