REVIEW: Thompson Palm Springs

Thompson Palm Springs finally opened this fall after being delayed for years and undergoing a brand change.

A friend of mine, who used to frequent SPG properties and now holds a Globalist status with Hyatt, recently stayed at this hotel, and I asked him to write up his experiences and thoughts.

You can access the Thompson Plam Springs Hyatt’s page here.

Thompson Palm Springs It’s finally open:

The drama over the decade plus it took to develop this property has been well covered by John and others, so it was great to see the property become a Thompson and open for business.

The location is in the center of Downtown Palm Springs. It’s possible to park your car at the hotel and not need it until you leave as there is so much within the hotel complex and a short walk in any direction of the hotel: shopping, restaurants, museums, trails, etc.

Where it fits into the market:

In recent years many of the older boutique hotels have changed hands and undergone deep remodels, so finding modern rooms with updated AC is becoming easier and the level of service in Palm Springs gets better and better. The Thompson elevates that even more, but like the brand itself, this is on the high end of hotels: think $400-$600 rooms per night. (Although there is even more luxury available in the City and at the Thompson itself).

The hotel:

With that rate and category within the World of Hyatt program, my expectations were high. Sadly, this hotel missed the mark, but I see potential if the owners are willing to address them and adhere to Hyatt brand standards.

Construction, finishes, landscaping and decor seemed to all be high quality and no expense spared. Interior design is very similar to other Thompsons (think white marble and gold), but the artwork tied that into the desert and Palm Springs semi-successfully. From the inside, you could be anywhere, but the many outdoor spaces are what make this hotel great and they embrace the location very well.

Most ground level retail spaces are not yet open with the exception being the Hall Wine Tasting Room and the lobby. The pool, bar, restaurants and lounging areas are on the 2nd floor.

For being sold out, the hotel was never crowded. However, there is an entire wing of the hotel that is not yet open. I was told it would be adults only.

Room

First room (courtyard, 2nd floor):

Only window was the patio and that looked up the steps to another room. So some natural light, but no privacy. No desk, no ‘sitting area’ as in the room description, just 1 club chair. The agent who walked me to the room noted my extreme disappointment and said this was the best they had for a Globalist and left. I was in shock and immediately started to look at other options.

I was about to walk out from the first room to stay elsewhere when I saw there was a room with a balcony on the app. The front desk apologized and said it has ‘just been inspected’ and said they would move me there ASAP.

Second room (Balcony, 4th floor facing Indian Canyon Blvd.)

This room had a patio with 2 chairs. I ended up moving one of the chairs into the room as there was no couch or reading chair. (There were 2 what I’d call stools against a credenza, but no place to sit other then the bed!) This room was not ideal for lounging or working.

The bathroom was huge, soaps made in China. Shower took about 6 mins to get hot water.

Bottled water was refreshed each day. I was told there were refill machines around the hotel, but that the fitness center had the best one since it offered sparkling too. Why not have that machine on EVERY floor, near the pool, etc.?

Other misses:

– Website does not seem to accurately describe the non-suite rooms

– During what I assume was turndown, my deadbolt was opened and I returned to my room with the door propped open. Nothing was amiss, but assume sloppy turndown.

– I asked for 4pm checkout and was denied. 1pm was offered and when I expressed disappointment, 2pm was granted instead.

– Neither the bench or the stools in the room had any back support. Not ideal for lounging around.

– The app says there is a workspace on the 2nd floor which I wanted to try for a call due to no desk or functioning chair in my room. However, the only spaces I could find had music blasting (at Noon).

– The Nespresso machine was very nice to have, but none of the pods were labeled so I had no idea of strength, flavor, etc.

– Valet took 25 mins on Sunday night; the guys telling me they only had 2 people staffed for the night.

Some nice things:

– Breakfast was fantastic; this hotel seems to have a big hit with Lola Rose across all dayparts

– Valet was efficient all other times

– Very nice fitness room

Reader’s Images from Thompson Palm Springs:

Hallway with a good amount of space for luggage

This is pretty much the entire room (balcony, city-view room)

The Hall family developed the hotel, so of course their wines are featured in the well stocked minibar. There is a Hall tasting room on the ground floor of the hotel; very nice wines but also expensive.