Work Starts on Resort in Indian Wells

Grand Champions Resorts, an international hotel development consortium based in Century City, has begun work in Indian Wells on the first in a series of resorts planned throughout the world.

Expected to open in the winter of 1986, the $100-million Indian Wells resort will have 340 hotel suites, including the Villas with butler service and 1,000 square feet of living space in each and the Penthouses with rooftop views and whirlpool baths. Corbin, Yamafuji & Partners Inc. of Irvine is directing architectural design and master planning for the resorts.

An exercise room and 22 pools and spas will be interspersed throughout the resort, and there will be two 18-hole golf courses. Plans also call for a 3,500-seat tennis stadium and 12 other courts--hard, grass and clay courts.

Professional tennis instructors, under the direction of Charles Pasarell, will provide personalized tennis clinics and lessons. Pasarell is president and founder of Grand Champions Resorts. He is also a former No. 1-ranked tennis professional and five-time U. S. Davis Cup player.

The Grand Champions Resorts is a concept that evolved from the Grand Champions Tennis Tour, a series of tournaments for players aged 35 and over and featuring such masters of the game as Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and Pancho Gonzalez.

With a series of resorts, Pasarell plans to bring together hotel luxury, the relaxed atmosphere of a sporting club and desirable locations. Other resorts are planned in Maui, Aspen, the Algarve on the coast of Portugal and a private island in the British Virgin Islands. Albert DeVaul, chief executive officer, oversees creative developments, property acquisition and corporate planning.