It looks like Hyatt has a new plan to open a luxury hotel in Palm Springs.
The Abandoned Andaz Palm Springs
In 2015, it was announced that an Andaz would be coming to Palm Springs. At the time, the plan was for the 150-room hotel to open in 2016. For those of you unfamiliar with Andaz, this is Hyatt’s luxury (ish) lifestyle hotel brand with properties in popular destinations around the world.
The reality is that this property was already in the pipeline, long before it was announced that it would be classified as a Hyatt, as the four-acre property has now been developed in some form for almost a decade.
To date, the project has not been completed. The development seems to have been cursed in almost every way – there have been endless allegations of breach of contract, lack of payment to contractors, etc. In mid-2020, it was announced that the hotel had ended up in bankruptcy court, with the controlling entity. to sell its stake in the property.
Up to this point, there were no real updates, and based on what I heard, the project was more or less dead, at least as a Hyatt.
Thompson Palm Springs now in the pipeline
I understand that a new company has now taken over this project, and that there are plans to open the Thompson Palm Springs. If you go to the Hyatt Development website, you will see the Thompson Palm Springs in the list, and if you click the “View Website” button, it will go to the Andaz Palm Springs website.
Only time will tell whether the project will move a little faster this time. The fact that the construction is mostly completed means that it should theoretically be possible to complete this project within a year, if the paperwork and permits do not cause major delays.
For now, there are more questions than answers, though it’s nice to know that this project will not be fully canceled, and that it will remain in the Hyatt ecosystem.
There are only versions of the Andaz yet – Andaz and Thompson are largely comparable Hyatt brands in terms of property size, luxury and the crowd they go for. The biggest difference is the finishes, although it is not a big problem to change as no work has been done on the inside yet.
Andaz Palm Springs Frontier (Thompson Coming Soon)
Andaz Palm Springs Lobby Lounge Version (Thompson Coming Soon)
Andaz Palm Springs Pool Version (Thompson Coming Soon)
Andaz Palm Springs Pool Fireplace (Thompson Coming Soon)
Andaz Palm Springs Guest Room (Thompson Coming Soon)
Andaz Palm Springs Guest Room (Thompson Coming Soon)
Another great addition to California for Hyatt
A few general remarks about this property specifically and about Hyatt’s overall footprint in California.
First of all, Palm Springs is not my favorite place in the world, but I’m still excited about this property:
- I would not travel nationwide to visit Palm Springs, but what I love about California so much is the geographic diversity, so it would be great as part of a larger trip to California; it will also be great for those in SoCal who are looking for a weekend getaway
- Palm Springs desperately lacks luxury point hotels; I still miss the Parker Palm Springs that belong to Starwood Preferred Guest; the hotel still exists, but it is no longer linked to an important hotel point program
- Although I’m generally excited about this development, I wish it was a more remote resort with a little more land, rather than a four-acre development in the heart of the city.
Parker Palm Springs Room
On top of that, I can not help but point out how beautiful Hyatt’s luxury portfolio is starting to develop in California:
- Starting this month, there will be three Alila properties in California, between the Alila Ventana Big Sur, Alila Marea Beach Encinitas and Alila Napa Valley.
- For Hyatt loyalists, you have luxury hotel options to enjoy the beaches of SoCal, the scenery of Big Sur and the wine country of Napa Valley, plus this addition of Palm Springs which will be available soon
- Hyatt still has plenty of room for improvement when it comes to luxury hotel options in cities in California, as Hyatt’s footprint is still largely lacking in Los Angeles and San Francisco; it improves slowly (like the addition of the Thompson Hollywood), but there is still a lot of potential
Alila Marea Beach Encinitas
Bottom line
It looks like the much delayed Andaz Palm Springs will now become the Thompson Palm Springs. I love the Thompson brand and am delighted to see this hotel join the Hyatt portfolio.
Here is the hope that this project is actually finished this time, because it has been endlessly delayed.
Are you excited about the Thompson Palm Springs?
(Hint of the hat for Tom)