San Manuel Band breaks ground on $550 million expansion at casino

Thursday, July 26, 2018

San Manuel Casino on YouTube: Yaamava’ - A Ground Breaking Ceremony

CORRECTION:
The tribe's gaming facility is known as the San Manuel Casino, not the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino as an earlier version of this post incorrectly stated.

The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is finally bringing a hotel to its reservation in southern California as part of a $550 million casino expansion.

The tribe broke ground on the big project at the San Manuel Casino on Wednesday. The ceremony was called Yaamava', a word in the Serrano language that signifies new beginnings.

"We couldn't be more humbled and proud to start this new project, one that embodies the new growth and revitalization of Yaamava', meaning spring, a season that brings new life and boundless potential," Chairwoman Lynn Valbuena said in a press release. "This time of renewal is an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the words of our ancestors to 'never forget who we are or where we came from,'"

Lynn Valbuena, chairwoman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, speaks at the Yaamava groundbreaking ceremony at the tribe's gaming facility in Highland, California, on July 25, 2018. Photo courtesy San Manuel Band

Artist's renderings of the new hotel tower at the San Manuel Casino, owned and operated by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians in Highland, California. Images: San Manuel Band

Leaders of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians break ground on a $550 million expansion of the tribe's gaming facility in Highland, California, on July 25, 2018. Photo courtesy San Manuel Band

The hotel tower will rise 14-15 stories and offer about 450 rooms, The Riverside Press-Enterprise reported. The expansion also features a larger gaming floor, a 3,000-seat performance venue, more meeting and event space, a spa, additional restaurants and retail shops and a 2,200-vehicle parking structure.

The parking garage is due to be complete by the end of 2019, The Press-Enterprise reported. The performance space is expected to open in 2012, the paper said.

A completion date for the hotel has not been determined. The tower will also include the spa, restaurants and other amenities.

“We are grateful that our guests have made San Manuel Casino a top entertainment destination in the region, and our team looks forward to providing a world-class experience as we continue to grow,” general manager Loren Gill said.

San Manuel Casino on YouTube: Where Will The Expansion Be?

Read More on the Story:
San Manuel Casino’s $550 million expansion is underway and here’s what it includes (The Riverside Press-Enterprise July 25, 2018)
California’s San Manuel Casino gets major expansion underway (SBC Americas July 25, 2018)
San Manuel Casino expansion heats up already hot SoCal market (The San Diego Union-Tribune July 25, 2018)

Related Stories:
Bureau of Indian Affairs allows nine gaming compacts to take effect (January 22, 2018)
San Manuel Band finally adds hotel to casino as part of major expansion project (November 8, 2017)