SAN DIEGO - The Viejas Indian band is partnering with three other California tribes and private investors to build a $53 million Marriott hotel three blocks from the state Capitol in Sacramento, it was reported Wednesday.

It's the second such project for the tribal consortium, which is about to open a $43 million Residence Inn by Marriott in Washington, D.C., three blocks from the Capitol, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Viejas - the only San Diego County tribe operating a large scale casino without a hotel - is teaming up with other tribes to diversify and invest gambling revenue in off-reservation ventures, the newspaper reported.

A ground-blessing ceremony is scheduled tomorrow at the project site in downtown Sacramento.

Viejas is building the Sacramento hotel with two of its three tribal partners in the D.C. venture: the San Manuel band of San Bernardino County and the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin.

The Washington hotel project was launched in 2002 and is scheduled to open in March. The Sacramento hotel is scheduled to open in summer 2006.