Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs

The Ace Hotel & Swim Club is the hotel that made Palm Springs cool again for a younger, creative crowd, and it remains one of the most fun places to stay in the desert. It occupies a sprawling former roadside motel at 701 East Palm Canyon Drive, a couple of miles south of downtown, reworked in the Ace style — canvas, wood, vintage finds, desert-camp touches and a soundtrack that never quite stops. The heart of the property is the Swim Club, open to hotel guests from 7am to 2am: the Main Pool is adults-only (18 and over) and hosts swim-and-dance parties with DJs on weekends, while the Commune Pool is a calmer, kid-friendly alternative, though it can close for private events. King's Highway, the hotel's roadside diner in a former Denny's, serves diner classics and what it calls world desert cuisine, with a La Colombe coffee counter and Monday night bingo, and the Amigo Room is a dim, convivial hideaway for classic cocktails. The Feel Good Spa offers treatments by appointment, and there is a gym and steam room. Rooms range from simple, motel-style doubles to larger patio rooms and suites, many with private outdoor space, record players or vintage touches. The details to know: you must be 21 or older to book a room, there is a $45 nightly resort fee covering Swim Club access, Wi-Fi, bike rentals, the gym and steam room, parking costs $10 a day, and small dogs are welcome for a per-stay fee. Weekends can be loud by the Main Pool, which is the point for many guests; light sleepers should ask for a room away from the action.

The Ace arrived in Palm Springs in 2009 and quickly became a magnet for musicians, designers and festival-goers; during Coachella and Stagecoach weekends it is one of the most sought-after rooms in the valley. Its appeal is a feeling of easy belonging. Days drift between the pool, a bike ride to the Uptown Design District or downtown, and long lunches at King's Highway; nights move from the Amigo Room to whatever event is happening on the lawn or by the Commune. The hotel's events calendar, from DJ sets to themed parties, is part of the experience.

Rooms are comfortable rather than luxurious, and the motel layout means walls and doors open to the outdoors. That is perfect for soaking up desert evenings and less so for anyone wanting hushed hallways. The location on East Palm Canyon is not walkable to downtown for most people, but bikes are included in the resort fee and rideshare is quick. The hotel is also good value compared with Palm Springs' luxury resorts, particularly midweek and in summer, when rates fall and the pool scene is relaxed.

Who should stay: groups of friends, music lovers, festival travelers, solo travelers who like a social scene and couples who want a party-adjacent stay. Who should not: anyone seeking silence on weekend nights, and families looking for an all-ages main pool — although the Commune Pool welcomes kids, the hotel's energy is grown-up. For a similarly colorful and social stay with a different feel, compare the Saguaro just down the road.