Demo Begins on Spa Resort Hotel in Palm Springs

Demolition started Wednesday on the 51-year-old Spa Resort hotel in Palm Springs.

The hotel, spa and fitness center owned by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians closed in July, while the hotel’s casino remains open and is undergoing improvements, according to the tribe.

“We are in the planning stages of creating a vision for this key location in downtown Palm Springs. Our next steps include demolition of existing structures, as well as taking the necessary steps to protect and preserve the hot mineral spring,” said tribal Chairman Jeff Grubbe.

Demolition is expected to be finished by next summer. The tribe is aiming to reuse 85 percent of the building’s materials.

According to a statement, the tribe is “investing in its downtown locations and preparing the site, now known as Vision Agua Caliente, to become a major anchor for Palm Springs,” but specific plans haven’t been announced.

The tribe also owns the Agua Caliente casino in Rancho Mirage.

The 229-room Spa hotel opened in 1963 at the site of the hot mineral spring for which the tribe and Palm Springs were named. Tribal officials said in May that they would help about 150 affected employees find positions with other nearby resorts or within the organization.

The tribe’s Palm Springs project’s website is www.visionaguacaliente.com.

–City News Service.