More pools and parking: Pala Casino, Spa and Resort also adds gaming area, casino, bars and restaurants in the first two phases of its $170-million expansion and renovation plan
PALA, Calif., Sept. 7, 2018––Billboards promoting an all-you-can-eat lobster buffet and upcoming entertainers at Pala Casino, Spa and Resort dotted both sides of Interstate 15 in the Temecula Valley during the Labor Day weekend.
Summer may be ending soon, but the start of the season welcomed a larger and renovated Pala Casino, Spa and Resort on Highway 76 in San Diego County, about 13 miles southeast of Temecula.
Outdoor projects completed first
The first phase of construction was completed in May. It included Bomel Construction’s vertical expansion of a multi-level parking structure and an expanded pool/entertainment area. New amenities include: five pools, two large hot tubs, a new poolside bar and restaurant, 14 luxurious cabanas and a variety of lounging spaces with fireplaces.
“Our ability to exponentially expand and refresh Pala Casino, Spa and 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,” said Robert Smith, chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, the facility’s owner and operator.
New casino, gaming areas, restaurant and bar
The second phase was completed at the end of June. It included a new 15,000-square-foot, glass-walled, smoke-free casino; the new Marquis Bar, the centerpiece of a new 10,000-square-foot gaming area; and the expanded Luis Rey’s restaurant and lounge.
Still to come in the $170-million expansion and renovation plan is construction of a 348-room hotel tower and a complete remodeling of the resort’s existing hotel. When construction is completed next year, Pala will feature 853 rooms, including 104 suites and 749 deluxe rooms.
This is the third major expansion in Pala’s 17-year history.
“As in the past, we expect elements of this expansion and upgrade to be unique to our property and to set new resort standards," said Pala CEO Bill Bembenek.
Pala’s expansion and renovation projects will create 400 construction jobs and, once complete, add about 200 jobs to Pala’s current roster of 2,000 employees.
Bomel Construction adds three levels to parking garage
Irvine, Calif.-based Bomel Construction, widely regarded as the dean of parking construction in the West, seamlessly added three levels and 416 stalls to the original 541-stall, four-level garage that it built for Pala 15 years ago. The result is a 957-stall, seven-level parking structure located next to the hotel’s main entrance. The garage accommodates current guests and will provide parking stalls for guests staying in the new hotel tower.
Bomel Construction successfully completed the complex garage expansion amid hundreds of guests moving about the property and multiple construction projects taking place at the same time.
“The parking structure was completely closed except for the first few weeks when we accommodated some parking on the upper levels as we performed soft demo at the bottom level,” said Bomel District Manager Mike Lucio, who served as project executive for the Pala parking structure expansion.
Bomel expanded existing foundation and bearing capacity elements to accommodate the weight of three additional decks and up to an additional 416 vehicles. The project was completed within an eight-month construction schedule to coincide with the opening of the new pools and outdoor entertainment area.
“It was a huge undertaking,” said Bomel Project Manager Adam Perrington, who is overseeing several other projects in San Diego County.
Soft soil conditions required the drilling to bedrock of 243 micro piles ranging from 25 feet to 60 feet in depth during a 13-week period of the construction schedule. About half of the schedule was spent drilling the micro piles and enlarging existing pile caps to support the additional weight.
Bomel also installed large exterior signage and a new lighting system designed to improve energy efficiency and guest safety.
Bomel team praised for its performance
“Everything turned out well; we were finished ahead of schedule,” Lucio said. “The owner’s representative was very pleased and wants us to do the structural concrete work for construction of the new hotel tower.”
In addition to Lucio and Perrington, Bomel’s project team included Danny Mitchell, project engineer; Rob Warner, project superintendent; and Manny Mendoza, project foreman.
Rimas Rudys, project manager for International Parking Design, the architect for the parking structure expansion, appreciated Bomel’s professionalism and attention to detail.
“They’re good. They take their time,” Rudys said of Bomel’s team after the project was completed.
Bomel Construction has been building parking structures and providing concrete contracting services for nearly 50 years for a wide range of developers and property owners, including those in the hotel-casino industry. Bomel’s overall portfolio of projects includes multi-level garages at many of the major gaming venues throughout California and Nevada. Recent projects include the completion of a 3,200-stall design-build parking structure for MGM Resorts International’s T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Two years ago, Bomel completed a 1,425-stall parking garage for the expanded Hollywood Park Casino, the first vertical structure in a massive redevelopment of the former Hollywood Park Racetrack, property that will include a multibillion-dollar football stadium for the Los Angeles Rams and an adjacent retail-entertainment-hospitality complex.
ABOUT PALA CASINO, SPA AND RESORT: The complex includes a Las Vegas-style casino with 2,000 slot machines, 80 table games and 15 poker tables; a 507-room hotel; a 10,000-square-foot, full-service spa and salon that features 14 treatment rooms; a state-of-the-art fitness center; swimming pool with 12 private poolside cabanas, and dual-temperature outdoor whirlpool hot tub. Pala also has 11 restaurants and 40,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. Pala Casino, Spa and Resort is a AAA Four-Diamond Award winner for 12 consecutive years. The Pala RV Resort offers 100 parking sites for RVs and trailers from 55 to 70 feet and full-service amenities. For more information, visit www.palacasino.com.
ABOUT THE PALA BAND OF MISSION INDIANS: The federally recognized tribe’s reservation is located along the Palomar Mountain range, approximately 30 miles northeast of San Diego. The majority of the 900 tribal members live on the 12,000-acre reservation, established for Cupeño and Luiseño Indians.
ABOUT BOMEL CONSTRUCTION: Established in 1970, Irvine, Calif.-based Bomel Construction Co. Inc. is widely regarded as the dean of design-build parking structure construction in the western United States and one of the largest concrete contractors in the United States. It placed 117th on Engineering News-Record’s national ranking of the largest specialty contractors in 2017. In addition to its award-winning parking structure portfolio, Bomel is a one-stop source for all concrete construction needs. The company maintains a highly skilled staff for its in-house structural, architectural and site concrete divisions. Bomel works directly for property owners, developers and general contractors. Its portfolio of work includes a wide range of projects built at large, well-known casino-resorts, shopping malls, office buildings, mass transit centers, airports, universities and community colleges. For more information: Bomel Construction Co. Inc., 96 Corporate Park, Irvine, CA 92606. Phone: 714-921-1660. Web site: www.bomelconstruction.com.
For more information, please contact Paul Napolitano at 626-852-9959 or paul@napolitanocommunications.com.
