Palm Springs Travel Guide
Coachella Hotels / Music Festival Hotels / Palm Springs Hotels / Kiwi Collection / → All Tags
Yes, It's Time to Book Your Hotel Room for Coachella
Are these people so happy they have a hotel room to return to once the concert ends?
While the festival passes for the 2012 Coachella Music Festival don't go on sale until Friday, there is no doubt that if you want to attend, then you better start making your travel plans now.
Jaunted reports that flights to Palm Springs are still open and still, for the most part, doable averaging about high $300s for cross-country flights (the Virgin America flight from JFK to PSP at $709.20 excluded.) But after you've got your flight down, you need to start looking for a place to sleep. Unless you're cool with camping it or AirBnB-ing it. Which we are not.
This year, Coachella has decided to split the festival up into two weekends--April 13-15 and April 20-22 which means your chances of actually getting a ticket and a hotel room are a lot better. Jaunted has already noted that the first weekend of the festival is the more expensive one when it comes to airline prices. Does the same hold true for hotel rooms? Let's see.
HotelChatter 2011 Awards / Hotel Hell / Hotel Bathrooms / → All Tags
Worst Hotel Hell of 2011: Poop in the Sink in Palm Springs
It's what you've been waiting all year for--The 2011 HotelChatter Awards! We'll be bringing you the best and worst of the year all day today and part of tomorrow. Agree or disagree with our picks? Air your thoughts in comments below.
We've seen a lot of nasty stuff in our years of covering hotel stays but the sewage explosion that happened in a guest bathroom of the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs was by far one of the worst accounts we've heard, this year at least.
What was supposed to be a relaxing getaway turned into a shitty weekend, literally. Our afflicted hotel maven writes:
Saturday morn we ventured to downtown, which was the next street over. After a mere two hours of window shopping, we headed back to our room to get ready for the pool. However, as we entered our room, it smelled like a fart - you know the kind like rotten eggs that lingers? I though maybe my boyfriend forgot to flush and he was blaming me!
I took a peek in our bathroom and HOLY SHIT - LITERALLY. Our sink had diarrhea--a sewage explosion. It went off in our sink and showered our bathroom with, well, shit and other foulness.
Hotel Breakfasts / Palm Springs Hotels / Le Parker Meridien Hotels / Starwood / Hotel Restaurants / → All Tags
What is The Parker Palm Springs' 'Waz-Za?'
It's called the "Waz-Za?" and we're assuming that's because of the jealousy of other diners when this $20 Belgian waffle is deliver to you. Like a "what's that?" The menu description says only "fruit inside, fruit outside—crackly brulee top," but the magic isn't in listing off ingredients; it's in seeing the blueberries and bananas right there, glistening under the hot desert sun.
The Waz-Za is something we recently tried at the emphatic suggestion of a good friend and Palm Springs veteran. Our waitress nodded approvingly at our choice, so we knew we'd done well.
Normally we wouldn't shell out $20 for a glorified fruit waffle, but this is Norma's at The Parker Palm Springs, where regular buttermilk pancakes are $18 and a Lobster Frittata can be ordered with 1oz of Sevruga Caviar for $100, or 10oz for $1,000. In other words, this hotel restaurant isn't your average diner breakfast. But alas, there is a way to get that Waz-Za without worrying at all about the cost...
Hotel Hype / Palm Springs Hotels / JDV Hotels / Sydell Group / Hotel News / → All Tags
The Saguaro Heads to Another Desert Locale, Palm Springs
The Saguaro Hotel in Scottsdale hasn't even been open for more than a month but it's already doing well enough to expand to Palm Springs. The LA Times reports that the Saguaro will take over the old Holiday Inn at Sunrise Way and East Palm Canyon Drive.
We've got word that the Saguaro Palm Springs will be very similar to the Scottsdale property featuring a complete redesign done by Stamberg Aferiat using vibrant colors inspired by the indigenous flowers of the region. And we presume there will also be a great F&B scene and a mucho affordable price point.
All this fun stuff means that the Ace Hotel Palm Springs, the reigning fun boutique spot in town, will have some fierce competition. (Not that it really matters though because the Sydell Group which owns the Ace is also opening the Saguaro PS.)
Palm Springs Hotels / Hotel Music / Hotel Openings / Hotel Renovations / → All Tags
Palm Springs is Hot, Hot, Hot with New Hotel Happenings
Now that our favorite airline, Virgin America, has just started to fly to Palm Springs we thought it was worth checking in on the hotel scene to see what's new.
A Classic, Revisited
For starters, a brand new hotel has opened--Hotel Lautner. Well it's kind of brand new. The old Desert Hot Springs Motel has been "reimagined" as a four suite boutique resort named after the motel's original architect, John Lautner.
The hotel now features vintage modern furniture, luxurious baths, contemporary kitchens, private gardens, a spa pool and outdoor lounge areas. Plus free WiFi! Room start at $200 during the week and $250 weekend. But hurry, those special introductory rates won't last long.
HotelChatter Reviews / Palm Springs Hotels / Hotel Pools / → All Tags
Pool Party Season is Just Beginning at The Colony Palm Springs
We had a short but sweet stay at the Colony Palm Springs over Labor Day weekend, which officially marks the beginning of the desert town's peak season. Though bargains are still to be found (on a weeknight, a Standard room here can go for as low as $199), rates are expected to climb higher and higher through the winter months—by Coachella season (mid-April), the hotel will demand a three-night minimum at $799 per night. Ouch!
But a classy joint like the Colony can be enjoyed at any time of the year. And on Saturday afternoon, when we checked in, we had one thing and one thing only on our minds: hotel pool lounging. Nevermind the nearby town's attractions, nevermind the casino around the corner (we managed to squeeze that one in later). This was strictly business, and the clock was ticking.
Hotel Tech / Plug Panels / Noble House Hotels / Palm Springs Hotels / → All Tags
Hotel Plug Panels are Finally Popping Up As the Necessary Amenity They Are
At this point, we're kind of collecting instances of plug panels showing up in hotel rooms. The latest is an unexpected find, at a hotel that's probably one of the last where someone would choose to do business: The Riviera Palm Springs. Basically if you're staying at The Riviera, you're more than likely just using your room as a place to sleep, dry your swimsuits, and occasionally nap to cool off in the air conditioning.
Regardless, the hotel is surprisingly up on its tech—as we saw with this outlet and A/V panel built into the mirrored TV table, just above the minibar.
Thumbs up...except for one huge problems we're beginning to notice when hotels get proactive and install plug panels: this won't fit Macbook Magsafe plugs! You know what we're talking about—those big white blocks on the end of Macbook cords, with the plug sticking out of it. Sure, you can attach the included Macbook extension cord to get around the big white block part, but then the outlet must be for grounded plugs (which this one luckily is). Ughh, tiny aggravation after tiny aggravation. Welcome to the modern world.
[Photo: HotelChatter]
Hotel Hell / Hotel Bathrooms / Palm Springs Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
'The Room Smelled Like a Fart': What Happens When a Sewage Explosion Ruins a Romantic Weekend
We've seen and heard various incidents of Hotel Hell here at HotelChatter over the years. But a sewage explosion in the bathroom that rained poop (the G-rated description) and "other foulness" all over a guest's belongings is seriously the worst one we've ever heard. Read on to find out how and where this heinous act occurred.
My boyfriend and I have had this mini-vacay booked at the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs, Calif. since February--without giving any thought or researching anything (because we had some discount coupons and the photos looked nice.) So we hopped in the car and escaped LA for the weekend....bored with 20 minutes left till we reached paradise, I decided to get on my trusty iPhone and check out Tripadvisor.com to read some long overdue reviews. I was amused by all the horrible reviews--I mean how shitty can it be?
We arrived to the resort around 11pm Friday night. Our room was decent, no Cosmopolitan by any means, but it got the job done. Big king-sized bed, AC was powerful and cool, TV was from the 90's and the bathroom was small, yet clean.
Saturday morn we ventured to downtown, which was the next street over. After a mere two hours of window shopping, we headed back to our room to get ready for the pool. However, as we entered our room, it smelled like a fart - you know the kind like rotten eggs that lingers? I though maybe my boyfriend forgot to flush and he was blaming me!
I took a peek in our bathroom and HOLY SHIT - LITERALLY. Our sink had diarrhea--a sewage explosion. It went off in our sink and showered our bathroom with, well, shit and other foulness.
Hotel Pools / Palm Springs Hotels / Noble House Hotels / → All Tags
Go to Palm Springs for the Sun, Stay in Palm Springs for the Hotel Pools
Think for a second. Why do people go to Palm Springs, CA? There's the colorful culture, gambling here and there, the sun so hot it takes like ten minutes to tan and mmm...mid-century modern style. Also: affordable hotels in the middle of all this with great pools.
Recently, taking advantage of a cheapie deal on JetSetter.com, we hightailed it to the Riviera Palm Springs to soak in the sun, yes, but also their free-form pool. By free-form, we mean that it's not rectangle-shaped, or a perfect circle or even kidney. It's kind of like a goopy blob shape if viewed from above, but this irregular form has its serious advantages.
Snapshot / Hotel Bathrooms / Palm Springs Hotels / Boutique Hotels / → All Tags
A Shower With A View In Palm Springs (Just Ignore The Workmen)
You’ve heard of peekaboo bathrooms, of course, but this is taking it to a whole new level. This, people, is the view from our shower at the Orbit In in Palm Springs.
We knew we were getting an outdoor shower when we booked the room – it’s on the website for this room (the Albert Frey Lounge) and was explained to us over the phone. But the guy on the phone also said it’s completely hidden from view. Which it is – from this angle.
Palm Springs Hotels / Boutique Hotels / Snapshot / → All Tags
Welcome To The (Refurbished) Hotel California
Welcome to the Hotel California, Palm Springs style.
You might not have wanted to be welcomed in the past. When we first caught sight of the property in January, it had builders outside and that pretty garden area was all torn up. The name made us want to investigate, but the sight of the place, not so much.
Fast forward a few months, more refurbishment and some seriously rave TripAdvisor reviews, and we decided it was time to look through the gate.
HotelChatter Reviews / Hotel Video Tours / Palm Springs Hotels / Renaissance Hotels / Marriott Hotels / Voyage Prive / → All Tags
The Room That Provoked A Renaissance In Our Palm Springs Hotel World View
It's the answer to this week's Guess The Hotel! And yes, as Saeta guessed immediately, it was the lobby of the Renaissance Palm Springs.
Yes, we're back in PS. Is there ever any reason not to be? Not when its hotels keep knocking out such awesome deals. The latest we scored: $195 ($226 inc tax) for three nights at the Renaissance Palm Springs, thanks to Voyage Prive. Seeing as rooms are running at $199 a night at the moment – and it’s one of the few hotels in Palms Springs not to have a resort fee, it was an offer we couldn’t refuse.
Check in:
We had a hellish journey getting in – nine hours for what should have been a four-hour drive from Vegas, thanks to a car that broke down three times en route. The final breakdown, as we were waiting for the tow truck, we called the hotel to warn them that we’d be arriving late. The woman on the phone was sympathetic, told us about a nearby carpark where we could leave our dead car for free rather than paying the $10 hotel charge, and wished us well on our journey. That got us in a good mood for the hotel.
In the end, thanks to the tow truck getting lost and it being past midnight, we dumped the car in the hotel carpark instead, and came in to be told by the lady at check in that she was waiving the parking charge since our car was unusable. Then, when we asked for a nice view, she told us that since we’d had a crappy day, she would upgrade us to a room overlooking the pool. Yes, you could call it an upgrade – we went upstairs to room 4339 and realised that she'd given us a “resort suite” – basically a junior suite with a pool view (standard junior suites look over the mountains).
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