Smart Meetings

An idyllic oasis in the Southern California desert ever since Hollywood stars started heading out there to “get-away-from-it-all” in the mid-1900s, Palm Springs today carries a well-deserved reputation as a leisure and meetings paradise. While only a few hours’ drive east from Los Angeles, the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States, the nine desert communities of greater Palm Springs collectively succeed in taking the best of Southern California—hot, sunny weather; top-notch hospitality, dining and golf; and lively, fun-loving people—while leaving behind the traffic and hustle-bustle.

“You feel that sense of relaxation as soon as you arrive here,” says Robert Enriquez, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Palm Springs Desert Resort Communities Convention and Visitors Association. “And there is that California sex appeal that is tied to this destination.”

Because of these attributes, Palm Springs is an incentive destination in its own right. But with a convention center, a solid core of downtown hotels and a wealth of world-class resorts spread throughout the small valley, the meeting options are virtually limitless.

 What surprises most visitors to Palm Springs is the geography. Not only has the manipulation of water from the Colorado River transformed the desert floor into a valley of green—coated in palm trees, flowery gardens and grass-covered golf courses as far as the eye can see—but the valley is bordered by towering mountain ranges that are sometimes snow-capped in the winter. With the Santa Rosa Mountains to the south, the Little San Bernardino Mountains to the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the west, it would be easy to think you were in a mountain valley, were it not for the warmth, the 354 days of sunshine and the palm trees.

These three ranges create the Coachella Valley, which cradles Palm Springs at its farthest point west and eight other cities that stretch southeast—Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage. Hosting the Palm Springs International Airport and the Palm Springs Convention Center, the city of Palm Springs is still the most significant part of the Coachella Valley, yet all of the cities are tied together and virtually seamless. For locals, these communities have their own unique feel and personality, but for meetings they all have similar offerings—top-notch resorts, spas, dining and golf; minutes from outdoor recreation like hiking, horseback riding and jeep tours; and plenty of sunshine.

“The community is so tight, that when you are working with a salesperson here, they know every destination and property intimately,” Enriquez says. “There is a consistency of product here, all within a 25-minute radius. Once we get the [meeting planner] here, they’re sold on it.”

TIMING IS EVERYTHING
It’s important to recognize that Palm Springs has its distinct seasons. Meeting here in the summer means you are going to experience regular highs over 100 degrees (and some days even up to 115 degrees), so outdoor meetings, events or even short walks between venues may be out of the question. You can expect to have fantastic evenings outdoors, however, and every indoor meeting space in the area is going to be well air-conditioned. You can also expect to save a significant amount of money—room rates during the summer drop considerably. Even during the shoulder seasons, May–June and October–November, you can find decent bargains and daytime temperatures that are not unbearable.

The high season, December–April, is high for good reason: the weather is perfect, and festivals, shows and events are back-to-back. It’s an exciting time to be in Palm Springs, whether you have attendees who are into golf (numerous golf tournaments), film buffs (the Palm Springs International Film Festival) or fans of live performance (theater, comedy and Las Vegas-style shows).

In January, the Palm Springs International Film Festival draws A-list Hollywood stars for a major awards gala at the convention center as well as thousands of movie-goers for hundreds of film screenings and countless parties. Founded by Palm Springs’ celebrity mayor Sonny Bono almost two decades ago, the festival last month drew such celebrities as John Travolta, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Sean Penn and Drew Barrymore. January also sees the prestigious Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, a PGA Tour Golf Tournament with all of the world’s top players. Another major golf tournament in the spring, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, features more than 100 of the world’s top female golfers. If tennis is more your thing, the Pacific Life Open in March showcases the top tennis players in the world at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

If you happen to be in town on a Thursday, head to downtown Palm Springs, where the major downtown corridor is closed off to traffic for a popular street fair, featuring hundreds of booths with handmade art and jewelry, gourmet food and street musicians. If you need something a little more structured, all of Palm Springs’ many restaurants and bars are all within a short walk away.

For Lori Wolking, director of event marketing and operations for the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association, November was the perfect month to bring her group of more than 10,000 attendees. For one, she needed the majority of the rooms in Palm Springs, and November provided great weather without being in the high season. For another, she had held the annual event in Palm Springs in 2002, but the event was so large that, in addition to maxing out the Palm Springs Convention Center, they set up large tents nearby for additional sessions and displays. By 2006, however, the convention center had expanded, and Wolking was able to fit everything inside the building.

“Palm Springs is a real destination—it’s a destination that [the attendees] all wanted to bring their spouses,” Wolking says. “We had great weather, great views, great restaurants, great shopping; we went horseback riding and visited the canyons. It’s also nice that the airport is so close to the convention center.”

While it’s true that the airport is only a five-minute ride from downtown, the proximity was especially important for Wolking’s group—working with the city, they were able to close down one of the streets and conduct a parade of airplanes from the airport to the convention center. “Palm Springs is the only place where we can do this,” she says.  

MORE THAN A NEW COAT OF PAINT
Some things about Palm Springs will never change, nor should they. More than 100 golf courses, many of them championship caliber, simply make the valley a golfer’s paradise. And, in tune with the area’s tranquility and beauty, there are enough spas here that you could visit a new one every day for months (in our dreams, right?). Not that it’s difficult to get around here, but just about every major meetings resort has both a spa and a golf course on-property, so you can fit in a few holes or a quick massage right between the day’s meeting and dinner.
But Palm Springs is no longer just about taking it easy—in the last five years or so it has begun to shed a little of its skin for a newer, hipper image and, as a result, the median age has come down a few notches.

“For one thing, we’re starting to see the younger Hollywood come out here,” explains the CVA’s Enriquez. “Those in their ’30s and ’40s. We’ve got the casinos and more nightlife.”

Lori Wolking sees the change as well. “This used to be more of an elderly community,” she says. “But what they are doing is making it more of a hip place to go, and for younger people. As a result, more groups are wanting to go there.”

For meeting planners, however, Palm Springs’ evolution may be even more apparent when it comes to its meeting facilities and resorts. In addition to brand-new properties, like The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage opening this summer, just about every major resort has or is currently undergoing significant upgrades—everything from their amenities to their guest rooms to their ballrooms. Including the $500-million Ritz-Carlton, more than $1 billion in upgrades or new properties is currently being invested throughout the valley.

The result is impressive. Just about every resort is in top form and can showcase the latest in property features—outdoor gas firepits, lazy rivers, chic lobby bars, state-of-the-art meeting rooms, flat-screen TVs, “dive-in pools” with nightly projection movies and a wealth of other attractive facets. In fact, doing site inspections of Palm Springs resorts is a bit like going to an expo—you don’t know what cool new thing you are going to see next.

MEETING VENUES
Meetings could not be easier at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Right in the heart of downtown, it is surrounded by the city’s restaurants, shopping and major hotels, so just about anything needed is within a five-minute walk. The convention center itself, after a significant expansion in 2005, now offers 140,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, including 112,000 sq. ft. that is contiguous. The renovation includes a stylish design that mirrors the themes of the surrounding desert, such as undulating ceiling panels meant to reflect the clouds that hover over the mountain ranges. Directly adjacent to the center, the 410-room Wyndham Palm Springs Hotel provides 30,000 sq. ft. of its own meeting space. And within just a few blocks you can find the 228-room Spa Resort Casino, 261-room Hilton Palm Springs Resort and 193-room Hyatt Regency Suites. Also in the downtown core, the hip 163-room Hotel Zoso is an example of Palm Springs’ steady adaption of a younger, hipper demographic. And, just a few blocks away, the sparkling brand-new Holiday Inn Palm Springs-City Center features a number of snazzy amenities, such as a stylish inner courtyard with a “dive-in pool” and a massive gas firepit.

Start heading southeast of Palm Springs and you will find yourself in a playground of sprawling upscale resorts, challenging championship golf courses and luxurious spas. All of them have a significant amount of meeting space—indoor and outdoor—and many have enough in the way of restaurants, lounges, shops and spas to keep your attendees happily occupied between meetings without ever leaving the resort.

In tune with the theme of an oasis, most of the resorts in Palm Springs are covered in water features—large courtyard water fountains, an assortment of different swimming pools, winding man-made rivers and mini-water parks. At the Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, a new lazy river winds around the outdoor courtyard, taking leisure to the next level. The luxurious resort is fresh from a major $35-million renovation, which includes a new lobby with beautiful marble and hardwood, bluEmber restaurant (with a private dining room for up to 20 people), and enhanced guest rooms that wrap around the green of one of 27 holes of on-site golf. More than 41,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and 444 guest rooms are available for meetings large and small.

Stretching across 450 acres, the 884-room Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa offers one of the largest and most impressive lobbies around. At the bottom of this eight-story lobby, private water gondolas drift in from outside to pick you up and carry you off to one of the 13 on-site restaurants via the resort’s winding lake.

For meetings, the potential of this unique feature is virtually limitless—bring in your VIPs to an outdoor setup on a private grass knoll, or set up a memorable themed team-building exercise. With indoor and outdoor space combined, up to 210,000 sq. ft. of meeting space is available. Afterward, throw a private party at the resort’s own nightclub, Costas. The newly enlarged spa, at 38,000 sq. ft., will refresh them the morning after.

One of the most unique spa experiences can be found at the Mediterranean-themed Miramonte Resort & Spa, in which guests can “paint each other with mud” before heading into the treatment rooms. The option has made for more than a few interesting photo ops. Along with a new renovation of the ballroom, pool and courtyard, Miramonte offers beautiful guest rooms interspersed among ornate landscaping that is spotted with water fountains, flower gardens and hammocks stretched out between fruit trees. With 18,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and 215 guest rooms, Miramonte is certainly one of the most relaxing places to do business in Palm Springs.
Nearby, the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort and Spa has one of the best options for private VIP treatment, with its brand-new luxury villas. Set outside the main building, attendees staying here can access the spa and meeting space without ever entering the lobby, and large, private enclosed patios—complete with gas grills—are the perfect option for a VIP BBQ, cooked-to-order by your own private butler.

Another little-known facet to Palm Springs is its gaming options. Much of the land in the Coachella Valley is Native American-owned, and several large casinos entertain those who would rather try to win some cold hard cash than bragging rights on the golf course. Agua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa offers Las Vegas-style gaming, with 42 tables and 1,000 slot machines. By mid-2008, it will also join the pool of meetings options, with 340 brand-new guest rooms, more than 13,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, a full-service spa and numerous restaurants and bars.

One of the most impressive destinations in the Palm Springs area, the La Quinta Resort & Club offers a whopping five full golf courses, 23 tennis courts, 41 pools, 53 hot spas, seven restaurants and 800 guest rooms in Spanish-style casitas. If you can pry them away from these amenities, your attendees convene in more than 40,000 sq. ft. of indoor meeting space.

Back to Top

Getting There

Palm Springs International Airport is only minutes from downtown Palm Springs. It offers nonstop service from many major cities, as well as a short connecting flight from Los Angeles International Airport. Back to Top

Not To Be Missed

• The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
• The Living Desert
• Horseback rides into the canyons
• Jeep tours through the desert
• Hot-air balloon rides
• VillageFest, every Thursday night in downtown Palm Springs
• A round of golf at the many championship courses
• A spa treatment
• Joshua Tree National Park
• Palm Springs Air Museum

Back to Top

What's New?

Palm Springs’ Tempting Offer | Groups booking with select Palm Springs-area convention hotels by the end of this year can now re...

Back to Top