Thompson Palm Springs: First In

A long-awaited hotel in the middle of Palm Springs, walking distance to most of the city’s highlights and home to a hot new restaurant and lounge.

Why book?

You’ll be in close proximity to everything Palm Springs has to offer, from the ever-growing restaurant scene to design and vintage shops to the impressive art museum, while having access to a fun-but-not-raucous pool scene and an excellent Mediterranean restaurant onsite. Plus, rooms are sizable and come with private balconies or patios.

Set the scene

Though it’s in the middle of town, the Thompson is not an urban high-rise hotel. It manages to feel sprawling and spread-out with just a few levels of rooms and plenty of pockets of communal open-air spaces equipped with comfy couches and seating throughout the property. Most of the action takes place on the second level of the main building where the pool, bars, and restaurant are located. When I was visited, there was a true mix of guests with couples of all ages, several small groups of friends, and a sprinkling of families. Even at the height of a sunny Saturday, it wasn’t difficult to find open seats at the pool, which has both mountain views and a peek at busy Palm Canyon Drive below. The pool club also has several reservations-only cabanas and its own bar and poolside menu. While there was a soundtrack of high energy music playing throughout the day, it wasn’t a rowdy scene by any means. Adjacent restaurant Lola Rose was packed on a Saturday night, heavy on in-the-know and curious locals sharing the space with guests, plus a DJ spinning until well into the evening.

The backstory

It’s a long one. The property has changed hands multiple times over the last couple of decades. After the original buildings that occupied the site were razed, a mixed-use residential development was planned, then scrapped sometime after the 2008 housing collapse. After a brief stint as an empty lot-cum-parking lot, the property was slated to become an Andaz Hotel, breaking ground around 2015 and then fizzling out a few years later. More recently, the Dallas-based Hall Group (a commercial real estate and investment outfit that also owns several wine brands) bought the project and partnered with Hyatt to construct Thompson Palm Springs.

The rooms

Rooms and suites are set within white stucco, angular buildings surrounded by long pathways and Baja-meets-desert landscaping with rows of verdant succulents, cactus, and olive trees lining the exterior along with a bocce lawn, oversize outdoor games, and plenty of fire pits that light up the space come nightfall. It’s Palm Springs after all, so rooms are peppered with midcentury accents including light woods, rugs with geometric designs, leather headboards, velvet seating, and a neutral color palette that mirrors the surrounding desert hues, and equipped with either balconies or enclosed “courtyards.” Bathrooms feature giant walk-in showers and D.S. & Durga bath products, and be sure to check the wardrobe drawers for some super plush black slippers you won’t want to take off. Of the four suites currently open, the corner Alejo suite is tricked out with a full living room, vinyl record player, and dining area plus a ridiculously giant balcony with views of both the mountains and town, a perfect perch for catching events like Palm Springs Pride or the holiday-themed Festival of Lights parade. While my room could have used a few more pieces of art on a some of the walls, there’s no shortage of interesting art throughout the entire property, including mosaic murals, an enormous circular wall sculpture made out of colorful aluminum cans in the lobby, and other pieces created by local and Indigenous artists displayed throughout. Right now, all of the rooms and suites currently open are set within the north side of property, the larger section that also houses the main pool, lobby, restaurant, and gym. The adults-only “Upper Stories” tower—which will include another 42 rooms, including five suites, upgraded amenities, and its own pool—is slated to come online by the end of 2024.

Food and drink

Signature restaurant Lola Rose Grand Mezze is just the new addition Palm Springs needed: a gorgeous and glam indoor-outdoor space with a massive bar, large-format art, and a luxe living room-esque lounge giving Soho House vibes with lots of soft seating, brass accents, groovy light fixtures, and towering shelving lined with books, sculptures, and knick knacks. And while Los Angeles may be drowning in new modern mezze-style Mediterranean eateries, Lola Rose’s menu feels firmly fresh for the desert (which likely accounts for the crowds and yes, you’ll probably need a reservation for dinner most nights of the week right now). Start with a spread or two like fire-roasted eggplant, thick labneh garnished with cherry tomatoes and chopped olives, or a silky hummus topped with crispy chickpeas paired with housemade lavash or an assortment of fresh crudité. Then add on other starters like the baby beets salad tossed with pole beans and quinoa granola or the beef tartare paired with bulgur. If the Santa Barbara spot prawns (done in a harissa coffee marinade) are in season during your visit, order them ASAP. For groups, there’s also a menu of large-format dishes including a sea bream over pomegranate-parsley salad and a bone-in braised lamb neck as well as mix-and-match mezze platters. Bonus: The bar pours innovative cocktails like the Tzatziki Milk Punch and the tea-rosewater-gin Proper Tea and is open until 1 a.m. on weekends, a late-night rarity for Palm Springs. During the day, the lunch menu offers many of the same spreads, a larger selection of salads, and sandwiches, while the abbreviated breakfast menu does the requisite shakshuka, smoked salmon eggs benedict, and avocado toast. The daytime-only pool menu offers its own cocktail list (the spicy marg was a surprising standout), and a super-casual food menu with options like fish tacos, a wagyu burger, and chicken tenders. Look for Hall Winery’s first tasting room and wine lounge outside of Napa to open on the ground floor in the next few weeks and Bar Issi, a restaurant from LA-based Boujis Group, to take one of the street-facing retail spaces next year.

The neighborhood/area

The Thompson is perfectly wedged along the border of Downtown Palm Springs—home to lots of longstanding tourist shops and casual restaurants as well as new businesses, including national retail and restaurant chains like West Elm and Starbucks Reserve that popped up as part of the Downtown Revitalization Project several years back—and the ever-growing Uptown Design District, lined with vintage and high-end design shops, art galleries, and fashion retailers including Trina Turk’s flagship store and menswear designer Wil Stiles. Some of the city’s best restaurants and bars are both uptown and walkable, including breakfast juggernaut Cheeky’s and its adjacent pizza-pasta-patio hotspot Birba, farm-to-table fave Workshop, and cool cocktail den Tailor Shop. You’re also a short walk (or grab the hotel’s complimentary bikes) to Agua Caliente Casino, its new signature Spa at Séc-he, the Palm Springs Art Museum, and Thursday night street fair Village Fest.

Service

The Thompson was clearly fully staffed upon opening and there never looked to be a wait at the front desk or concierge. Service at both the restaurant and pool was spot-on, too. Since valet is included in the destination fee, it did get backed up on the weekend, so allow extra time. Overall service was friendly, helpful, and polished. Bonus: Staffers will even drop you within three miles of hotel in the house Rivian free of charge and the couple times we requested the car, it was available.

Accessibility

There are seven ADA rooms and two suites on property.

Anything left to mention?

The $49 destination fee covers a lot. In addition to the aforementioned valet parking, house car drop-off service, and bikes, you’ll get discounts at the local Brandini toffee and ice cream shop down the street and the BMW Performance Driving School in Thermal (about 45 minutes away), two-for-one tickets to the museum, in-room waters bottled in eco-friendly aluminum, and outdoor yoga classes on weekends. The gym is spacious and top-notch, too.