(SAN DIEGO) January 22, 2009 – Recognizing Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino’s achievements in environmental stewardship and community contributions, the California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) has awarded Barona with two Lodging Property Achievement Awards. Barona received the Good Earthkeeping award for the second year in a row, as well as the Community Service award for a large property. The awards were presented at the CH&LA’s annual 2008 Stars of the Industry Awards dinner in Anaheim, Calif.
“Winning these awards is a real testament to our amazing staff and demonstrates the commitment of the Barona Band of Mission Indians and Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino to two very important causes – the environment and the community,” said Rick Salinas, general manager of Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino. “We are honored to be recognized by the California Hotel and Lodging Association, as we continue the traditions of protecting and cultivating Barona’s beautiful landscape and surrounding valley and giving back to the San Diego community.”
The Good Earthkeeping Award recognizes lodging properties that have developed a culture toward integrating environmental management practices that improve daily operations while maintaining quality service and meeting guest expectations. The program must demonstrate success in one or more of the following areas: energy conservation, solid waste reduction, effluents and emissions, water conservation, purchasing and business issues.
Some of Barona’s award-winning features for this award include its commuter programs, use of natural light throughout the hotel and office spaces and green cleaning efforts. Barona also has a state-of-the-art water conservation program and on-site water treatment facility, which saves and reuses nearly every drop of water run-off at the hotel and Barona Creek Golf Club.
The CH&LA Good Earthkeeping Award adds to a long list of prestigious awards that Barona has received for its environmental programs, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s 2007 National Clean Water Act Recognition Awards, the San Diego Earthworks Earth Award and two SANDAG Diamond Awards. Barona Creek Golf Club has also received an Audubon International Bronze Signature Sanctuary Certification, as well as the Environmental Leaders in Golf Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and Golf Digest.
The Community Service Award from the CH&LA recognizes hotels and resorts that are responsive to the local community by helping local or national service organizations, charities and community groups to benefit the area. Barona has always placed great importance on positively impacting the community and through the years, has donated millions of dollars to charitable organizations in the San Diego region and has also contributed countless hours of services and volunteer support. In 2008, Barona was a major sponsor of several high profile community events including Balboa Parks December Nights, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots, Epilepsy Foundation’s Gingerbread City and Foundation for Women.
As a winner of the CH&LA Good Earthkeeping and Community Service Awards, Barona’s nomination will automatically be entered in the national Stars of the Industry Awards competition, presented at the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Summer Summit in Chicago on June 24, 2009.
Ranked “Highest in Satisfaction in the Southern California Indian Gaming Experience” in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Southern California Indian Gaming Casino Satisfaction Study, Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino blends the best of San Diego’s most elegant resorts with the gaming excitement of Las Vegas. Barona is San Diego’s leading destination resort featuring 400 luxury guest rooms and suites, nine award-winning dining options, the AmBience Day Spa, a full-service events center and the 18-hole championship Barona Creek Golf Club, rated the 3rd best resort course in California by Golfweek magazine. For current progressive amounts and Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino reservations and information, visit barona.com, or call toll free 888-7-BARONA (722-7662).
Barona Valley Ranch Resort & Casino received the highest numerical score among casinos with a minimum of 2,000 slot machines in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Southern California Indian Gaming Casino Satisfaction StudySM. Study based on 1,766 responses from gaming players who visited an Indian casino in Southern California between December 2007 and June 2008. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in May-June 2008. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.
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