Why Palm Springs for Your Next Meeting or Event?
The Greater Palm Springs area is hot, particularly with hotel developers and meetings and event planners. Over the next five years, nearly 2,300 new rooms in
some 16 hotels are expected to open in the Coachella valley. Even more, this desert region has much to offer -- from top wellness facilities to the stunning Joshua Tree National Park.
Under New Management
Property operator Crescent Hotels & Resorts is now managing the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort & Spa, and has added it to Crescent’s Latitudes Collection. The 215-room lifestyle property, also part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, features the Well Spa; golf, tennis and other outdoor activities; and more than 35,000 square feet of event space.
Venue Additions & Renovations
Villa Royale
A boutique hideaway at the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains in Palm Springs, Villa Royale was redesigned in
collaboration with Provenance Hotels and reopened in October 2018.
The property by the numbers:
- 38-room, adults-only boutique property
- 31 of the hotel’s rooms are in a main building, surrounded by gardens, courtyards and two pools
- 7 additional villas are situated around their own pool, in an annex called Villa Rosa
- Events can be held on the 33,000-square-foot lawn, which is surrounded by hedges for privacy
- Originally built in 1947, the boutique property is a restored version of the iconic original Villa Royale
Hotel Paseo
A Marriott Autograph Collection property, Hotel Paseo first opened for business last spring in Palm Desert.
The 150-room property sits on El Paseo, known as the “Rodeo Drive of the Desert.”
The hotel offers nine specialty suites, among them:
- A 1950 Airstream on the backyard lawn, outfitted with stainless-steel appliances, a reclaimed black walnut bar and a porch with lounge chairs
- A Billiards Suite equipped with a pool table, a wet bar, a lounge area and a Shinola Runwell designer turntable, complete with a collection of old and new vinyl to play on it
Among the flexible event spaces are the 3,200-square-foot Grand Paseo Ballroom, which can be divided into two rooms, and the adjacent 2,000-square-foot event lawn. The Palm Boardroom can fit up to 20 guests and includes a 75-inch TV and a view of the
backyard lawn.
Delano Hotel & Residences Indian Wells
Hospitality group SBE is developing the 154-room Delano Hotel & Residences Indian Wells,
projected to open in 2020. The property promises 54 additional Delano-branded residential condo units, as well as SBE’s Katsuya restaurant and Skybar pool-deck lounge.
New Horizons
The JW Marriott Desert Springs is in the midst of a reinvention via a phased renovation of all 884 guest rooms, as well as public spaces and meeting rooms.
Montage Resort & Pendry Hotel
In La Quinta, a 140-room Montage Resort and a 200-room Pendry Hotel are coming to the SilverRock Golf Resort in 2020. Also planned for the $420 million development are a 71,000-squarefoot
conference center, a shared-services facility for the hotels, luxury residential units and homes; a public event center, and an event lawn.
Hotel Indigo Coachella
The city of Coachella will be getting its first hotel this autumn, the 250-room casita-style Hotel Indigo Coachella. Because the opening date has been pushed back, the property won’t debut in time for Coachella’s annual music festival next month. But the hotly anticipated, marijuana-friendly upscale
property should still get plenty of attention — in particular for its 10,000-square-foot, Vegas-style pool, to be filled with chilled saltwater.
Andaz Palm Springs
The 163-room Andaz Palm Springs is scheduled to
open this fall in the city’s downtown district. The new building will include more than a dozen shops and 9,300 square feet of event space.
Downtown Plans
- The 142-room Virgin Hotels Palm Springs is expected to debut downtown in 2024 or 2025. Plans for the six-story new-build call for multiple F&B outlets, a variety of meeting spaces, and a rooftop terrace and pool with mountain views.
- Construction continues on the 169-room Dream Palm Springs, projected to open in 2020. Among the plans are 30 residences and 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
Looking to Plan a Palm Springs Meeting?
Learn everything you need to know about this beautiful locale at
Destination California, Northstar’s premier event for meetings and incentive pros looking to book biz in the area.
General Palm Springs Info
MEETING HOTELS: Among the many meetings-friendly hotels in Palm Springs and Palm Desert are the:
To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit Northstar Meetings Group’s new venue finder.
CONVENTION CENTER: Palm Springs Convention Center; exhibit space, 112,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 15.
TRANSPORTATION: Palm Springs International Airport, about 2 miles east of the downtown district. Transfer cost to downtown by taxi, about $20; by Lyft or Uber, $10-$15
TAXES IN PALM SPRINGS, CALIF.
- Room tax for hotels with meeting space in Palm Springs: 13.5%
- Sales tax in Palm Springs: 9.25%
- Total tax on hotel rooms in Palm Springs: 13.5%
- Room tax in Palm Desert: 11%
- Sales tax in Palm Desert: 7.75%
- Total tax on hotel rooms in Palm Desert: 11%
Other Event Venues
Palm Desert’s Savory Spice Shop can customize an aromatic event for groups — beginning with the Spice 101 class, which provides
a guided tour through the store as participants learn about the care and use of various spices. To get the creative juices flowing, groups can combine their own blends, and then use them in an in-store cooking class. Popular food-prep tutorials here
include making one’s own mustard or corned beef.
Groups that prefer high speed to high spice are advised to check out the BMW Performance Center West at the Thermal Club. Custom corporate group events are regularly hosted
here, where participants get hands-on training in taking precision automobiles to their limits. Various courses and track exercises promote high-velocity team building. bmwperformancecenter.com
Top 10 Golf Courses in Greater Palm Springs
Known as The Golf Capital of the World, Greater Palm Springs offers some of the most scenic as well as the most challenging courses for golfers.
- Escena Golf Club
- Indian Canyons Golf Resort
- Desert Willow Golf Resort
- Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort
- Big Rock Golf Course at Indian Springs
- Marriott's Shadow Ridge Golf Club
- Canyon South Golf Course
- O'Donnell Golf Club
- Classic Club Golf
- Mesquite Golf and Country Club
CONTACT: Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau