Feng Shui Brings Harmony to Pechanga Resort and Casino

15 June 2005

CALIFORNIA – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Feng Shui. It's a term that has been used by chic designers and Hollywood celebrities in western culture, especially in southern California. But it has been a part of eastern practices for thousands of years. Just what is feng shui? Literally, it means "wind-water" but equates to the ancient Chinese art of orienting objects and space to promote a healthy flow of chi. Promoting harmony and prosperity in this way with its best guests in mind is exactly what Pechanga Resort & Casino looked to employ when designing and constructing its brand new High Limit Gaming Area. The casino celebrated the opening of its new High Limit area with a private reception for invited guests in late May.

To evoke the utmost flow of chi and the most well balanced and harmonious space for its best players, Pechanga enlisted the help of famed Feng Shui master Bill Kane. Having "shuied" nearly 1,000 homes and businesses with great success, and most recently, the entire gaming floor of the popular Thunder Valley casino in northern California, Kane brought his decades of expertise and study in the field of the Traditional Chinese Schools of Feng Shui: The Form, The Compass and the Flying Stars. Each of these three aspects carries great significance when designing and outlining the flow of a new space. Kane suggests that all areas, large and small, have a distinctive energy that is guidable by rearranging objects (eg. removing an ornament from a cluttered room and adding it to a bare corner of another). To be avoided is clutter, dark corners, gloomy colors, low ceilings, and sharp, pointed objects.

Since Kane and his team of Feng Shui-ers had to work with many immutable items in the High Limit area (the 235 slot machines, 12 table games, private cashier area, VIP lounge area), he had to find a way to educe a harmonious flow with things he knew he could alter. First, they started with the overall motif of the room. He and the Pechanga management went for an earthy, understated, yet elegant feel which is evident by the etched glass pillars at the main entrance of the room, the cascading water feature that adds a soothing aesthetic feature and soundscape qualities, depictions of organic earthly elements such as leaves and the oak tree, plus rich textures such as the velvet wall draperies inside the lounge. Even the bathrooms are some of the simplest, yet still most opulent of any casino, ushering in a Zen-like state. Individual stalls with floor to ceiling doors for complete privacy are found in both the men's and women's restrooms. These doors are made of heavy mahogany wood with double panes of frosted glass and real oak twigs placed in between the two sheets of glass. Each stall also has its own private sink and vanity.

Before the opening of Pechanga's High Limit Area, Feng Shui Master Bill Kane returned from Asia with a host of artifacts to place in the room that are central to many key beliefs in this study. Visitors will see a large Kuan Kung statue, one of the most prominent Chinese gods of wealth. This image is said to promote loyalty and ensure smooth sailing. Fu dogs are often found protecting the entrances to Chinese homes and businesses. Feng Shui experts say the energy from the fu dogs is an extremely powerful, protective synergistic force. The laughing Buddha, perhaps the most recognizable of Asian statues is said to bring wonderful prosperity, wealth and luck. He blesses the area with prosperous energy by taking away unhappiness and transforming into happiness.

The opening of Pechanga Resort & Casino's High Limit Area and Player Lounge comes as the final aspect of the property's $252 million expansion, completed almost entirely in December 2004. With that came the addition of 188,000 square feet housing a new bistro-style restaurant, a five-station food court, a new 54-table poker room, an ultra-modern, state-of-the-art nightclub, an elevated bar-in-the round and additional gaming space with a large smoke-free section. The new High Limit Area and Players' Lounge takes the place of Pechanga's "Fortunes" room, which featured two table games and handful of high wager slot machines. "Our gaming clientele is growing and with that comes players of a higher caliber," said Player Development Manager, John Warkentien. "Now we can offer our best customers the service, privacy and attention they desire."

Pechanga Resort & Casino is located at 45000 Pechanga Parkway, just off the I-15 freeway, in the beautiful Temecula Valley. The resort is California's first resort and casino to be awarded the AAA Four Diamond rating and offers luxurious hotel rooms and suites, non-stop casino action, eight exceptional restaurants, entertainment and health club. Complimentary valet service is available, as well as acres of self-parking.