Spa Resort Hotel Closes

“Priceless, I don’t know. I’m tearing up. The memories, the scenery. We enjoyed it here. I’m gonna miss it,” Gwen Shack said.

Perfect location, tropical atmosphere, mineral water spa services – all wonderful, but that all pales in comparison to the main reason William and Gwen shack love the Spa Resort Hotel.

“Eight years ago we got married here,” William said.

When choosing the perfect place to say ‘I do’, this hotel made perfect sense.

“I’ve been coming here for last 30 years since high school. Lot of good memories,” he said.

After coming here once a month from Yucca Valley, the couple checked out for what may be the final time.

“It was celebratory in some instances. A lot of mixed emotions. We have guests staying her for years,” Kari Stout-Smith from Spa Resort Hotel said.

The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians plan to rejuvenate the hotel around the natural mineral hot springs.

“Its a bittersweet day for us but we are excited about new things on the horizon,” Stout-Smith said.

What those new things are exactly – the tribe won’t say.

“There is a lot of planning taking place, This property is so sacred for the tribe they want to honor that legacy here and make sure they the time to honor that for the city as a whole,” Stout-Smith said.

As far as the 150 employees impacted, “Our team internally has identified over 300 jobs in the hospitality industry across the valley. We also worked with our team members on resume and interview skills. A lot have found jobs within the company or will move on to to other jobs in the valley,” she added.

Demolition should take 18 months – a slow process as to not damage any tribal artifacts here. The Shacks will take their time checking out as well.

“Sad to see it go but looking forward to what we have in store because if it’s anything like the last 30 years have been,. It’ll be a great place to still continue to visit,” William said.