For quite some time, I have been looking longingly at photos of The Parker on Instagram and online. I knew that a weekend in Palm Springs had to include a stay here. During winter time, the rates can get rather expensive. We chose to visit when the weather was warm and the rates seemed a little more affordable. There are a variety of options when choosing your room online. The Deluxe King Room looked very spacious to me with fantastic retro/eclectic decor. We booked this room online through their website.
When we arrived at the hotel for check in, they confirmed our stay in the Deluxe King Room. We also signed up for their rewards program with leading hotels of the world, which allowed us a complimentary continental breakfast in their restaurant Norma’s. We were escorted to our room by the front desk staff that checked us in. When we arrived at the room, I was shocked to see how small it was. In addition, there were open water bottles and a glass that someone had been drinking out of at the bedside table. I was really disgusted and clearly not expecting this. It did not have the appearance of the Deluxe King Room online, but instead, looked like the most basic Accessible Room. I immediately inquired, and she stated that this was the Deluxe King Room. She left and said we could call the front desk manager to inquire. I spoke with the manager over the phone who tried telling me that because of the location in this particular building this room was actually considered a “deluxe king.” I was outraged at this lie and quite infuriated. He started to stammer over the phone and said he was uncertain that there was another deluxe king that we could be moved into. Ultimately, we were able to move to the appropriate room and received a discount on our first night rate.
In the end, we were placed in the appropriate room. However, I wandered what would have happened if I would have not said anything. We would have stayed the entire weekend in that much smaller room and not gotten what we paid for. I was happy with the ultimate outcome; however, I was left with a very bad taste in my mouth after the initial encounter and the deception that continued even with my argument. I expected more professionalism and knowledge from the team than was provided.
Moving past our initial issue, the grounds of The Parker itself and the hotel room were quite nice. There is definitely a retro vibe with somewhat outrageous and eclectic furniture and decoration. On the grounds, there is a gym, two pools (adults only and family pool), large outdoor chess, a lawn for croquet, hammocks, mini golf, fire pit, tennis courts, and a lemonade stand. As you can start to imagine, this is plenty to keep someone occupied. There are also a number of restaurants and bars on the property itself. We had drinks at the mini bar and breakfast at Normas. We did not try their “fancier” restaurant Mister Parkers or the bar Counter Reformation. I thought that the mini bar made a great drink. There is very little seating here, but we took our drinks out into the lobby seating area, which is quite nice. Norma’s did a great job with their continental breakfast. Every day they provide you with a sample of their “daily smoothie” when you sit down. Both days I enjoyed them so much that I ordered a smoothie.
The hotel room had fantastic decoration and the new “deluxe king” was actually a very large room. One of my favorite things about the room was the extensive amount of high end bath products. The Hermes soap smelled amazing and is a rather potent scent. There were also products from L’Occitane, Acqua di Parma, lip balm, etc. As you might except, there were two plush robes in the closet with accompanying slippers.
We spent time lounging around in the hammocks, playing croquet, and putting on their small green. It is a very peaceful and quiet setting. There is a lot of greenery and trees making the grounds almost like a maze. It would be easy to get lost wandering around. We stayed in the far north building closer to the family pool. I thought this location was nice and more secluded.
Trying to move past the initial deception, I ultimately enjoyed my stay at The Parker. I would return in the future for another visit, but I would make 100% sure that I know what room is being booked and that I am getting what I paid for.
