The property now known as the Parker Palm Springs has a storied history dating back to the late 1950s (more on that below), but it was its reincarnation in 2004 as the Jonathan Adler-designed boutique property under the Le Méridien brand that has put the hotel on the map as a top destination for discerning, design-loving visitors. Now in its tenth year, the Parker is celebrating its anniversary on Oct. 1 with a special dinner and room package. For $75 per person, you can join the celebration with a four-course meal at Mister Parker’s and a complimentary room for the evening (with a minimum of two people). You can make your reservations online here, or by calling 760.770.5000. [Update: unfortunately all of the rooms are now sold out, but read on below for other deals!]
Even if you can’t make it to the birthday celebration, there are still some great deals going on right now at the hotel. If you book a stay starting at $249 per night, you can get a $250 credit at the spectacular Palm Springs Yacht Club (“PSYC”) spa, so depending on how you look at it, the room or your spa treatments are free. If you’re not interested in hitting the spa, you can also take advantage of a similar promotion that includes a $250 food credit valid anywhere on the property (more info here!)
Now a little more on the history of the Parker:
The property got its start in 1959 as California’s very first Holiday Inn, and was purchased in 1961 by the “singing cowboy,” Gene Autry. Autry’s intention for the property was to house his newly-acquired baseball team, the California Angels, during spring training. He changed the name to the Melody Ranch, though the property was often referred to as the Autry Hotel, and set out to add new amenities like a second pool, tennis courts and restaurants. In 1994, Autry sold the property to Rose Narva, who partnered with fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy to transform the hotel into a Versailles-inspired establishment named the Givenchy Hotel & Spa. Even following the sale of the property, Autry and his wife remained living in a two bedroom, two bath private home on the property (now known as the Gene Autry Residence, and offered as guest accommodations at the Parker).
The hotel was purchased by TV personality Merv Griffin in 1998 and renamed Merv Griffin’s Resort Hotel and Givenchy Spa. The hotel was frequented by celebrities, and in 2000 Robert Downey, Jr. was arrested while staying at the hotel following an anonymous tip that the actor had drugs and firearms in his possession. In 2002 the property was again sold, and remained vacant for a year until it was purchased again, this time by hotelier Jack Parker. Parker enlisted designer Jonathan Adler to lead a $27-million-dollar renovation of the property, and in 2004 the hotel reopened as the Parker Palm Springs. The 13-acre property was re-imagined in the style that Adler likes to call “hippie chic,” with an eclectic mix of vintage treasures decorating the guest rooms and common spaces. The hotel’s PSYC spa is one of our favorites in town, and both of the property’s restaurants also top our list of must-visits (Mister Parker’s and the more casual Norma’s). The hotel remains a favorite amongst celebrities and stylish folks from around the country and the world.
The Parker Palm Springs
4200 E. Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92264
(760) 770-5000
TheParkerPalmSprings.com
Images by Jessica Kettle
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