Gila River Extends Hospitality Deal with Arizona Cardinals

Gila River Hotels & Casinos has extended the agreement with Arizona Cardinals, a franchisee of the National Football League’s (NFL), of playing the role of the team’s official hotel and casino partner. The partnership has been going strong for 15 years.

According to the  deals, Gila River will provide Cardinals-themed contests, custom Cardinals-designed hotel rooms, and other promotions throughout the NFL season at all three properties in the Phoenix area comprising Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte and Vee Quiva.

The Gila River Hotels & Casinos, which are owned by the Gila River Indian Community, will also broadcast Cardinals games each week. The Chandler, Arizona-based company has already been aligned with the neighboring Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball.

“The Arizona Cardinals are proud to be a teammate of Gila River Hotels & Casinos. Together, we are a team that shares a common goal: to truly make a difference in our communities, particularly with youth-focused initiatives,” said the team’s President Michael Bidwill.

Kenneth Manuel, CEO of Gila River Hotels & Casinos, said that many members of the Gila River Indian Community view the Cardinals like family. “Gila River Hotels & Casinos supports its home team annually at their presenting partnership game with more than 300 Gila River Indian Community member fans in attendance, and it has been an honor to present our nation’s colors before each of those games,” he commented.

“Being named the official hotel and casino partner also helps the gaming enterprise tap into a much larger market of sports fans. We’re thrilled that our long-standing partnership is official in the eyes of the NFL. Not only are we merging two synergistic brands, we’re creating more opportunities to give back to the community.”