By Benjamin Spillman
The Desert Sun
October 7th, 2000
CABAZON INDIAN RESERVATION -- The Cabazon Band of Mission Indians on Friday announced plans to build a $200 million
hotel, resort and golf-course destination on the tribe’s 1,700-acre reservation near Indio.
The first phase of Fantasy Springs Resort adjacent to the tribe’s existing casino is expected to open in November
2002 with construction to begin in late April, the tribe announced.
Tribal leaders said the expansion will diversify the tribe’s income beyond gaming and ultimately increase the number
of tribal employees from about 850 to 2,000 people.
“This is not the end of the road as far as the Cabazons go,” said Tribal Chairman John James. “This is just the
tip of the iceberg.”
Duff Wenz, the tribe’s chief operating officer, said when complete, the project will “more than double” Fantasy
Springs’ annual revenue, thought to be around $50 million.
“This is going to offer the diversification (the tribe has) been looking for a long time,” Wenz said. “There isn’t
anything in Palm Springs that can do what we can do.”
The first phase will include a 324-room hotel consisting of two seven-story towers at a cost of about $60 million.
It will also feature a $15 million golf course and a $7.2 million, 4,200-seat event arena to host boxing matches,
concerts and conventions.
The complex also will include a second conference center, a six-level parking garage costing around $11 million,
a $4.1 million, 35,000-square-foot swimming and recreation area and $10 million of infrastructure improvements.
The second phase, scheduled to be complete by fall 2004, will include: a tribal administration and cultural center
with a museum and offices, a nearly 250,000-square-foot expansion to the new hotel that will add 504 more rooms,
a $15 million family theme park and a 150-unit time-share condominium complex around the golf course.
The second phase also will include a shopping center, six restaurants, a convenience store and gas station, another
parking garage and an additional swimming pool.
The tribe said it hopes to attract tourists from around the United States and from what it anticipates to be an
expanding Mexican market.
“We think there will be a lot more traffic coming from Mexico,” Wenz said. “They have to make a choice; we hope
to offer a better option.”
The tribe, with less than 50 members, also celebrated the recent opening of the $25 million expansion to Fantasy
Springs Casino.
The Cabazon Band is not the only valley tribe to begin reaping benefits from the financial security afforded when
California voters solidified the right to offer Las Vegas-style gaming on reservations.
“This is really the product of a couple years worth of work,” said Mark Nichols, chief executive officer for the
tribe. “The band and the tribe have dreamt of a resort destination ... for over 20 years.”
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in March unveiled a $270 million plan to build a casino and hotel in
Rancho Mirage and to renovate the Spa Hotel and Casino in downtown Palm Springs.
The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians recently announced a partnership with casino magnate Donald Trump
to build a $60 million expansion to Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella.
The Coachella-based Augustine Band of Cahuilla Mission Indians has a proposal to build a casino, golf course resort
destination on its reservation, and the Torres-Martinez Band of Desert Cahuilla Indians is seeking legislation
that would allow it to buy land in Coachella for a casino.
Said Wenz, “The casino remains a good business.”
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