Palm Springs’ long-delayed Thompson Hotel missed planned 2023 opening. Here's the latest
The Thompson Hotel's long road to opening on the north side of downtown Palm Springs will now be at least little longer.
A spokesperson for the long-in-the-works and currently under-construction luxury hotel, which is located on the east side of the intersection of Palm Canyon Drive and Alejo Road, announced Thursday that the anticipated opening date has been shifted yet again, this time to September.
The Thompson is now taking reservations for stays starting Sept. 5, although there is a possibility it could open earlier, said Julia Wagner of the hotel's public-relations firm, C&R Communications,.
"The hotel is committed to opening in 2024," wrote Wagner in the email statement. September is latest in a long line of targeted opening dates to be offered for the roughly 170-room hotel, which has been in development for nearly a decade and is an affiliate of Hyatt.
The project's current owner, Craig Hall, told The Desert Sun almost a year ago that part of the hotel would open by the end of 2023, although he said at the time he was hesitant to say exactly when.
"I hope that’s an accurate statement and I think it will be," Hall said at the time.
Hall said then that the first phase would include about 100 hotel rooms, a pool and retail and dining offerings. A second phase consisting of 68 rooms and another, more private pool was to follow, with a spring 2024 date planned at the time he spoke.
This week, Wagner said the hotel was sharing the updated opening timeline as part of an effort to keep the community proactively updated on the hotel's progress.
She also said that the hotel had "made remarkable strides in recent construction progress" over the past year, explaining that two model rooms have already been completed. Other recent progress has included the installation of local indigenous landscaping throughout the property, the ""finalization" of hotel meeting spaces and the installation of catering kitchen equipment. The rest of the hotel's mid-century modern furnishings are also set to be installed over the next 30 days, she said. She did not immediately respond to a follow-up question about whether the hotel will open all at once or in stages.
The Thompson Hotel is one of three high-profile projects in the city that date back more than a decade and have beset by numerous delays. The developer of one of those other projects, the Dream Hotel adjacent to the Palm Springs Convention Center, said last summer that she was now estimating it would be completed at the end of 2025 after the Palm Springs City Council approved revisions to the project. In July 2023, another developer, Richard Weintraub, entered into a revised agreement with the city that would require him to start construction on another long-delayed hotel, the Orchid Tree, within 15 months of getting required board and commission approval.
How much are rooms at the Thompson?
The Desert Sun searched for several dates and room types at hyatt.com/thompson-hotels. While rates varied, the standard seemed to be between $600 and $800 a night. The exception is the pricier Hardy Suite, which goes for $1,300 to $1,400 a night. The listing for the suite says it offers "unparalleled views of the city and pool" and "blends chic sophistication, relaxed California vibes and midcentury design."
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Opening of Palm Springs’ Thompson Hotel delayed again
