California, particularly Southern California, is undergoing a bit of renaissance for casino construction and expansion.

One of the regions more ambitious projects was officially completed late last month, as the Valley View Casino and Hotel revealed a major $50 million renovation.

This was the most recent and last development of eight major San Diego casino initiatives undertaken since 2014, and it definitely stands out as one of the grandest.

The project took a whopping 18 months to complete as 43,000 square feet was added to the casino resort premises. Of the facility’s preexisting 100,000 square feet, 65,000 square feet on the gaming floor was renovated as well.

According to the Press Enterprise , the plans called for the addition of “two new restaurants, a new players club, a promotional area for gifts and slot tournaments, six additional restrooms and two new guest entrance” as well as substantial “additional casino space.”

This adds to the existing 108 rooms in an eight-story hotel tower and scenic pool with a stunning view of the Palomar Mountains.

The two restaurants will extend popular dining options to visitors. Patties and Pints, as the name might suggest, offers eight different types of gourmet burgers as well as a full bar, while The Café offers specialty breakfast, lunch and brunch features but closes at 2 p.m. in the afternoon.

In total, 25,000 square feet was added to the casino floor, while 250 new slot machines and 11 new table games were brought in.

Williams, Howard Excited for New Experiences for Guests

Director of hotel operations and player development Ian Williams believed the renovations positioned the hotel “for the higher end – a little more upscale, a little younger.” He also believes it will help them compete with “any casino in Las Vegas and any casino in San Diego.”

The Casino Center venue already hosts a variety of high profile events including major UFC and other fighting matches as well as preseason games featuring the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.

Now the casino will have an even greater chance to wow and win over guests and stay competitive in the growing, revitalized SoCal gambling scene.

Bruce Howard, general manager of the hotel and casino, said that he’s excited for old and new guests to check out the changes.

”We would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to all of our guests and to our 950 team members for being so patient and supportive with us during these past 18 months of construction.”

“I know obviously $50 million is an enormous amount of money, but really in the scale of expanding casinos, many casinos even locally have $200 million, $300 million (expansions), but we didn’t think we needed any more than really what guests asked for.”

The expansion fell into line with several recent undertakings by competing casinos. The Pechanga Resort and Casino completed a $285 million project that added 568 rooms and a new restaurant.

Additionally, The Soboba Casino Resort opened earlier this year to much fanfare due to its modern charm with an eye to the past.