Viejas Casino today officially opened the Willows Hotel & Spa, an adults-only, all-suites luxury property that tribal officials consider more than just an expansion.
At an invitation-only ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the new hotel, Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians tribal chairman Robert Welch, Jr., prepared a crowd of about 350 guests about to tour Willows to be wowed.
“We aimed to create a distinction between us and everyone else,” Welsh said, citing Willows design, deluxe materials and “exceptional craftsmanship.”
“So, you better put your sunglasses on, because the future of Viejas has never been brighter.”
Judging by the reaction to people on the tour of the 159-room, five-story hotel, the chairman’s words were not hyperbole.
“Wow, I love it!” one woman proclaimed upon entering the sumptuously appointed, 1,838-square-foot Villa Suite.
“This is beautiful,” said another. And on it went, as visitors — many of them high rollers — made their way through the sprawling complex of bedrooms, living rooms, kitchen, bathrooms, fireplaces and patios that connected the Villa to the 700-square-foot Escape Suite and 600-square-foot Signature Suite.
The grand opening party began with bites at the new Locale Kitchen & Lounge, a contemporary, farm-centric restaurant, and included a tour of the posh, yet refined, Willows Spa and then more tastings at the stylish Ginger Noodle Bar. The evening concluded with a party at the Willows private saltwater pool and fireworks.
Viejas’ new hotel tower is the third to be built at the casino since 2011. The exclusive offerings of Willows — which include customized check-in and check-out times, a pillow menu, Alexa personal digital assistants in every room — elevates the level of hospitality at California’s only Forbes 4-Star and AAA 4-Diamond casino hotel.
Gambling — which fuels the development — hasn’t been neglected, though, with regular expansions of the casino. More than 300 slot machines and 12,000 square feet were also just added to the gaming floor.
The opening brings the number of San Diego-area casinos undergoing an expansion from six to five — out of 10. Up next: Barona Resort & Casino will soon unveil a 30,000-square-foot addition to its casino floor and on March 3, Pechanga Resort & Casino will hold its grand opening of a mega $300 million hotel, pool and spa development project.
Suites at the Willows Hotel & Spa start at $279.99 and they’ll be primarily offered as comped perks to the casino’s VIP players, said Ricky Borja, its vice president of hotel operations.