More than many other low-rise hotels in town, the Ace works to create a slick desert scene for guests who bring urban cool with them. The main pool is big, boozy, sun-baked, and buzzy—its other pool is for romance (or escaping poolside club events), broad and quiet. The windowless, dark bar, the Amigo Room, recalls a 1970s lounge even as it searches out the best locals microbrews to serve on its nearly two dozen taps, so you can feel both current and retro in the same sip. And its restaurant, King's Highway—feeling very much like the motel Denny's it once was—does excellent, if overpriced, Mexican-inflected Californian dishes and massive breakfast burritos that people know about across town. The property was once a Howard Johnson's but got a re-do by swish architects, who replaced ugly parking strips with tough desert plantings so the gated resort now encourages strolling, privacy, and evenings by the built-in fire pits. Rooms are HoJo small, but distinct—each has a shower (not a bath) and is done in an odd macramé-era mix of ropes and canvas, but include enough modernity (vinyl players or a guitar, MP3 streamers, glamorous coffee table books and 'zines) to pass the hip test. You don't pick the sprawling Ace for your family or to feel cloistered; you pick it for a good chance to meet other people and drink good booze without having to leave the premises. You won't see this one go far below $150 even on the discount sites because the owners like to preserve a mystique. The city's Buzz shuttle goes right past it, linking it for free to downtown.
Palm Springs
Travel Guide
Palm Springs› Hotel
Ace Hotel and Swim Club Palm Springs
701 E. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs
Our Rating
Neighborhood
South of Downtown
Transportation
Buzz shuttle stop outside
Phone
760/325-9900
Prices
Standard rooms $149–$349
Units
176 rooms
Amenities
Two pools, bar, restaurant, spa, free loaner bikes, free parking, free Wi-Fi
Web site
Ace Hotel and Swim Club Palm Springs
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.