FORBES
By Andrea Bennett
Few places have as recognizable a style as Palm Springs, California, and even fewer places have revitalized their historic hotels as boldly or built new hotels that honor its own design heritage as beautifully. The best hotels in Palm Springs still feature mid-modern vibrant colors and geometric shapes, but today, you’ll also find a distinctive Desert Modernist style: clean lines, glass walls and natural colors that barely separate you from the sun-soaked environment of the San Joaquin Mountains and Coachella Valley. There have also been revivals of the area’s much older gems: the rare Spanish Revival and Mediterranean buildings of the early 20th century.
In the 1930s, Hollywood stars—bound to the movie studio rule that actors under contract had to stay within two hours of the studio—made Palm Springs their getaway, and its hotels became their social centers. Today, properties like The Ace Hotel, Sparrows Lodge, The Drift and The Colony Palms still remain the cultural hubs of Palm Springs, showcasing the city’s creative heartbeat and abundant natural beauty. If you’re planning a Palm Springs trip this year, we’ve narrowed down the hotels that are best carrying out that legacy based on numerous trips and stays. Below, our selections for the best hotels in Palm Springs in 2024:
Hotel With The Best Pool In Palm Springs: Villa Royale
Who Will Love It: Those seeking Old Hollywood glamour
All-Star Amenities: Fit kits; bicycles; pet amenities, priority access to the on-site restaurant
What Not To Miss: Poolside “Deep Dive” happy hour with tapas, Spanish and Basque wines, sangria and cocktails
One of the first hotels to open in South Palm Springs, in 1947, Villa Royale is a sexy hideaway, with beautifully restored rooms appointed with every amenity under the sun. The property still feels as gracious and as intimate as it did when stars of Hollywood’s golden era sunned themselves around its beloved pool, still a Palm Springs staple all these years later. The 37 Spanish Mission Revival bungalows here reopened in 2018 after a refurbishment, and its owners kept all of its original classic mahogany woodwork, terracotta floors and exposed beam ceilings while adding colorful graphic Portuguese and Spanish tiles and 50 commissioned pieces of artwork channeling the star-studded history of Palm Springs.
Palm Springs devotees with a keen eye for style won’t be surprised to see the artistic influence of new Villa Royale partners Jeff Brock and Richard Crisman, founders and owners of Holiday House and Sparrow Lodge. Del Rey, the hotel’s Spanish and Mediterranean restaurant and bar that extend out to a lovely patio, is where in-the-know locals go for tapas and paella by the glow of a fire. Its newly refreshed menu offers lunch, dinner and poolside dining, and the cocktail program is not to be missed. Think pitchers of sangria with house-made cardamon and citrus syrup by the pool, and a pre-dinner Royale Old Fashioned, with fat-washed whisky, sherry and black walnut bitters.
