PAIUTES ON THE RISE

On Friday, August 16, the Bishop Paiute Tribe held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Wanaaha Hotel project. 

According to Tribal Chairman Steven Orihuela, the hotel project has long been “on the burner,” and had been originally scheduled to coincide with the casino expansion project before getting temporarily sidelined by the Pandemic. 

Orihuela touts the project as providing both economic development for the tribe and economic/professional opportunity for its members. 

The 78-room property is anticipated to employ between 30 to 50 people, and will also allow for promotional opportunity to management roles. 

Orihuela is well aware of the labor issues plaguing many Eastern Sierra businesses, but he is confident the new hotel will attract talent. 

“We plan on offering an attractive package with good benefits. We’ll be very competitive [in the hospitality space].”

The property is going to be similar to Creekside in terms of 

service and amenities – on the higher end for Bishop. The property will have the capacity to host conferences. It will also feature a pool and fitness center and will include several luxury suites on the top floor. 

In conjunction with the hotel project, the tribe is renovating the former casino space into a music/entertainment venue.