Storytelling Is In The Design Of Life House, Palm Springs
The desert outpost of Life House Hotels blends minimal design influences in a Coachella Valley escape
(Life House, Palm Springs, which retains the signage from the property’s previous identity, Royal Sun Inn)
Location: Palm Springs, CA
Perfect For: Anyone seeking a relaxing respite set against stunning Palm Springs scenery
Storytelling is a key component of the Life House experience. And as Stephany Wilder, Director of Sales and Marketing at Life House, tells A HOTEL PODCAST, the brand’s Palm Springs destination is no exception.
“Life House did a really good job of creating a story and a brand and a very intentional property,” Wilder shares. “Even down to figuring out our location and where we're at. So really our big story, you know, we're sitting in Minerva's, right? How did we get the name? Where did it come from? So, the story behind Minerva's is really about Minerva Hoyt, who was a (conservationist) and a botanist, and she actually lived in Pasadena and she was a really big part of getting Joshua Tree National Park founded and to really protect the Joshua trees. And she was really into plants. And I think that, as you can see all around property when you do come visit, there's a lot of foliage, there's a lot of plants, there's a lot of desert plants, and we're even right across the street from Moorten Botanical Garden. And all of these things are really intentional.”
(The pool at Life House, Palm Springs)
Built in the 1960s, the property at 1700 S. Palm Canyon Dr. was previously the Royal Sun Inn before becoming Life House, Palm Springs in November of 2023. Drawing from a muted color scheme that reflects the desert setting, the hotel offers 66 rooms featuring minimalist design and amenities like Revival New York linens, bath products from Le Labo, and Marshall speakers. Guests can also take in the Palm Springs scenery at Minerva's pool house, which offers F&B options both poolside and indoors, as well as amenities like a communal fire pit and relaxing cabanas. Yet despite Life House’s design identity and management, the Royal Sun Inn signage still adorns the front of the property above the hotel’s main entrance.
“It's the original sign and Palm Springs as a market does a really good job of preservation,” Wilder explains. “And that sign is there. If we take it down, we can never put another sign up. So, it was a really important thought process to say, ‘Do we keep the sign and work around it? Or do we go full blown Life House Palm Springs and just get rid of the sign and only have the Life House Palm Springs sign?’ But it didn't feel right, I don't think. I think that keeping that sign just sets the tone from when you walk into the property. It's a 1960s property. It was built in 1965, originally. And it's been re-imagined and rebuilt to a beautiful…I mean, we have some photos of what it looked like before and the pool deck, it's just been completely renovated. You know, the story when you walk in, it's everything from you walking in…it's a whole Mad Men vibe, I think, is really what is, has been written about us, and really kind of what people are catching on from us. But…the design is really what is going to set us apart in the market.”
“The pool is really the heart of it in Palm Springs. People want to be outside. That is why people come to Palm Springs. They understand that, for the most part of the year, you can be outside and you can enjoy these beautiful views.” - Stephany Wilder
The story of the hotel can also be discerned across its notable design influences, including the Desert Migration, when Hollywood stars would escape to Palm Springs for a rejuvenating getaway that still allowed for a prompt return to set. As Wilder details, Hollywood is “a part of Palm Springs’ ethos.”
(The Life House, Palm Springs cactus car)
“So Hollywood would come out, Palm Springs is as far as they could go. So if they're working on a movie. Or if they're actively doing something in Hollywood, they had to be within two hours away. And so that is really, I think, what Palm Springs became to them. It was a place to decompress or escape to for as long as they could until they had to go back. But the mark that was left here during those times in the ‘50s and the ‘60s and the ‘70s were really deeply rooted. And I think that is, again, an ode to the mid-century modern, the history that's here, that is really what is. It's like our Life House spin on that. And to keep that and to respect it. And I think that the design team did a really good job of being able to tip their hat to that.”
Life House, Palm Springs also draws from Japanese design influences, found in the more understated elements of the hotel, as well as East Asian art that adorns the guest room walls.
(A king room at Life House, Palm Springs)
“I think that the Japanese influence is really more, it's that minimalist touch point,” Wilder details. “And so when you go into our guest rooms, you know, there's a desk to work at, but it's very clean and there's not a lot on it. There's maybe a book or two and you have a desk. And It's there. It's designed to be there for when you need it. But if you don't need it, it's also okay. It doesn't feel overwhelming. We've got some really great influences in our back garden, off the pool deck. If you, once you go take a chance to take a look at it, you'll see we've got just a little Japanese garden. You know, there's little influences within that spot of just a place of serenity to go sit and enjoy a moment of quiet while you're looking at the gorgeous mountain that you can't not see when you're here.”
While the story of Life House, Palm Springs is told in across its multiple design sources and minimal and relaxing guest experience, Wilder hopes visitors will also take from their stay the story of Palm Springs’ natural beauty.
“I think the greatest thing about Palm Springs is when you do get here, especially if you've seen it from like Instagram and your screen, it's not just like a corner that looks like that. Because some people take a photo and it's just like a corner and you're like, ‘nothing else really looks like that.’ They just got a really good angle. That's not Palm Springs. It is anywhere that you stand and it's all encompassing from the moment that you drive in or fly in. It really is beautiful all the way around and it is what it is on the screen.”
For more from Wilder, including what goes into her position as Director of Sales and Marketing, the role the local community plays at Life House, Palm Springs, and the hotel’s Coachella-adjacent programming this past spring, check out her interview on A HOTEL PODCAST below.
Find more via Life House, Palm Springs. And subscribe for more from A Hotel Podcast on LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Words and media by Jaime Black.
Overnight accommodations provided by Visit Greater Palm Springs and Life House, Palm Springs.