Caliente Tropics Resort - Palm Springs, CA — Hotel in Palm Springs

Let me start by saying that I have years of experience as a hotel front desk staff member as well as years working the food service industry, so I respect how much stress these employees encounter. Overall, my family and I's stay was below average. My family and I booked three rooms total, out of three rooms, one room was not cleaned well enough for guests. This room in question had dirty sheets and hair/dust/dirt on the floor, basically seemed as if the cleaning employees had rushed through and only cleaned at a very minimal level (not even changing the sheet or wiping down counters). Only positive is the pool is open and until midnight, which is a great benefit for this hotel, however the pool has extremely strict rules with employees from "The Reef" who enforce said rules with a very rude and short attitude. I will say the pool being open until midnight was one of the only positives of this stay. After arrival, my family decided to attend the pool... as soon as my large family sat, we were told we could not have ANY OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINKS, as this included water and non-alcoholic beverages (which is unfortunate since we have elderly and infant members who are sensitive to the heat). The staff from "The Reef" quickly came over and said "all alcohol and outside food/drinks needs to leave pool area", and that hotel guest must only purchase food and drink from "The Reef". My family and I complied, however, I feel that not even not allowing water is a bit harsh, especially since the weather was 112 degrees F and the next day even hotter. After waiting twenty minutes in front of the patio of "The Reef", our ordered was taken. Twenty minutes later, we got the water and overly priced soda we ordered, however service was unfriendly and standoffish. Later that night, the bright LED lights that are facing the hotel rooms (surrounding the pool gate on all sides) were overly bright and abrasive, causing my elderly members to have a rougher time sleeping. One of our rooms had black out curtains, while the other two did not. The refrigerators were not very powerful and seemed to keep items in fridge at a minimal cool temperature, not even cool enough to chill a gallon of water. The phone in all three rooms did not work when trying to call front office.The "blankets" were so thin, like a sheet over a bed sheet, and were not enough to keep a mouse warm. Overall- the pool was the only positive. These aspects (and more) of the hotel needs to be updated to be more hotel guest friendly and ensure hotel guests want to come back. As of now, my family and I will avoid booking rooms here at all cost. This is a shame, as we travel quite a bit to...

Sadly, this will be our last time staying at Caliente Tropics. We’ve stayed multiple times over the years. We always seek out older kitschy places to stay in our travels, but CT doesn’t fit the bill any longer. The hotel has really gone down hill. We drove 4 hours for our Palm Springs weekend and when we arrived, our room was 90°. It was 107° out at the time. They have a sign saying the AC and lights are off when not in use. I feel like people checking into a room is a good use for the AC to be turned on, especially if it’s going to be sweltering, but I guess not. We just wanted to relax when we arrived but the room just wasn’t comfortable. These are just large room AC units and not super efficient. It took hours to cool down. Just be prepared to have to go elsewhere for some time after checking in if it’s even moderately warm out. We talked to a few other people staying there who had similar issues, but had to switch rooms. The AC units weren’t cutting it to cool their rooms down even after a few hours. I guess we got lucky? Our room eventually was OK. Palms Springs is in the desert and gets hot! Just be warned.

The carpet has obviously not been shampooed or replaced in a long time. It was stained and just dirty looking. Any “fixes” done in the room were quick and not aesthetically pleasing. Just cheaply done and sort of functional. The window in the bathroom was unable to be closed all the way and locked. They put some sort of screwed in “security bar” but it still had a gap which didn’t help with the AC cooling. Dingy is the word I would use for the overall feel of the room. Dings in the walls, peeling paint, damaged furniture, unusable room fan, shower head spraying in all directions, and bad outlets kinda rounded out the feel. The mattress needed replacing a while ago. Honestly, the pillows were awesome. So there’s that. They really need to go through these rooms and inspect them, if they care. It doesn’t seem like renovating or real upkeep and real maintenance is of interest. The retro tiki charm is gone for the hotel. It’s just old, rundown and whooped on.

The pool and the bar/restaurant are the absolute saving grace of this property at this point. I think when people are feeling the retro vibe, it’s because of these. They’re managed by a different group and you can really tell. If you really love the tiki vibe, just swing by and grab a drink at the bar and use the pool if you’re so inclined!

The location is fine for out of main part of town and the area is safe.

There are other places to stay in this price point that have been better maintained. We’ll be going back to those properties for...

Caliente Tropics is a secret spot. A place that can take your mind away. Its island vibes and tropical landscaping make you feel like youre somewhere in the pacific. A perfect place for a staycation getaway.

When we arrived, we soon realized that Caliente was special. Every staff member we interacted with smiled especially Alicia who was very helpful and kind. She made us feel at home and even offered us fruit infused water upon our arrival. The hotel has a lot of amenities like room service and pool towels. There’s even two restaurants on site.

We stayed in a garden view king room with a view that peeked through foliage to the lawn and pool. It was during a massive heat wave but our A/C kept us cool and the shade provided by the giant bamboo was awesome.

The shady lawn was a relief to walk barefoot through, and the grass was well kept. During the day I would take dips in the pool then sit under the bamboo huts while swiping on my device and/or reading a book.

I couldn't help to notice how nicely maintained everything was, this hotel has character because it's an older place, being built in the 60s but not run down. Even the Tiki Torches lit up at night. Making the pool feel like I was at a Hawaiian resort. It was really relaxing, Mentally, I was much further away than Palm Springs, I was chilling somehere in the Pacific.

At night we would hit The Reef, the hotel’s Tiki themed bar and grill. Where there is plenty of Tiki motif to look at and even a Star Wars figure here and there. This place’s cool factor is definitely higher than usual. The menu has several options and even a reverse happy hour. We ate some good food and chilled poolside with our boozy cocktails. We loved it.

The pool closes late so we took advantage of the night time cool down. I brought a inflatable double pool lounge where we laid for hours just chatting, floating and cocktailing. The ambience was calm and just what we needed to escape our city life.

When we retired we were not disappointed, our room was cleaned and turned by the daily maid service plus our A/C was cold enough to cover up. We were in paradise.

Now I have to be honest, you aren’t going to get a corporate chain hotel here. You’re going to get a small hotel with a unique style and the amenities to just lounge around. It’s an awesome place to visit when you want to feel that vacation sensation. We will be back for round two soon.

Thank you...