Review: Thompson Palm Springs
Image: hyatt.com
Thompson Palm Springs, located in the heart of Palm Springs, was initially planned as an Andaz property. Although the project faced delays during development, it eventually moved forward and became part of the Thompson Hotels brand under Hyatt. Despite the initial setbacks, the hotel has emerged as a vibrant addition to the area, and its prime location and upscale accommodations make it a notable new destination for travelers. The property features 168 guest rooms, including 18 suites, and offers a range of amenities such as a rooftop bar overlooking the strip, a pool area, and on-site dining options.Â
At A Glance: Thompson Palm Springs
- Average Nightly Cost During Stay: $675.00+ USD
- Loyalty Program: World of Hyatt
- Loyalty Category: Category 5
- Discount Applied: 20,000 Points
- Room Type as Booked: 2 Queen Beds Room
Booking/Redemption
~ PHOTO GALLERY ~
Hotel Entrance/Valet
Turn left at this sign, yes it will feel like your driving in the wrong lane
Valet area ahead
House Rivian
Front Desk/Lobby
Image: hyatt.com
Walkthrough Tour: Two Queen Beds Room
Room Key / Property Map / Postcard
Room Gallery
Bathroom
 
Room Quirks & Issues
We found the placement of the couch against the bed to be strange, especially because it faced straight into the bathroom (and not toward the TV).
To fix this, we moved the couch 90 degrees toward the TV. And just like that, we hacked the room code to turn it to a “junior suite” that actually felt comfortable.
Behold: the “junior suite” hack
Next, we ran into a quirk that is possibly a serious issue.
The bathroom lights don’t have a switch, but rather, a motion sensor on a timer. The timer seems to turn off somewhere around the 5 minute mark, leaving guests in the bathroom in the pitch-black darkness. This can be remedied if the motion sensor can “see you” to trigger it back on – but due to the placement of the hand towel holder – you may not “be seen”.
I found this out the hard way as the light turned off while I was in the middle of a hot shower when the room suddenly went pitch-black, and I couldn’t get the motion sensor to trigger the light back on because there was a hand towel hanging there.
Luckily, I was able to count on my plus-one to save me by opening the door and removing the hand towel to trigger the light. But this seems like a real problem, the kind of problem where somebody can really get hurt.
This is a big problem…
Property Gallery
Second floor bar at Lola Rose
Second floor bar at Lola Rose Â
 
 
Fire Pit
Convenient staircase to Palm Canyon Drive
Artwork
It wouldn’t be a proper Palm Springs hotel without the artwork. Luckily, Thompson Palm Springs has you covered.
Thank you Pepsi
Dining: Breakfast At Lola Rose
Our breakfast dining experience at Lola Rose was a bit jarring. On one hand, we had some of the best breakfast dishes at a Hyatt property anywhere: The Steak and Eggs, Chicken & Waffles, and Lebneh and Honey were all amazing.
On the other hand, the fruit bowl was dry, the breakfast burger was less than mediocre – but the worst dish was the easily the Salmon Benedict with salmon cuts that were “offensively not fresh” and that’s putting it mildly.
Image: hyatt.com
Steak and Eggs: Do it!
Breakfast Burger: Skip it!
Fruit bowl: Skip It!
Chicken & Waffles: Do it!
Eggs Benedict: DON’T DO IT!
Labneh With Honey: Do it!
Pool / Fitness Center
Image: hyatt.com
THE FHOP BOTTOM-LINE 10 RATINGS:
| Location: | 9 |
| Service/Elite Treatment: | 9 |
| Overall Room: | 7 |
| Property/Amenities: | 7 |
| Luxury Factor: | 8 |
| Coolness Factor: | 10 |
| Cleanliness/Non-Grime Factor: | 9 |
| Correct Billing/No Issues Factor: | 10 |
| Cash Bang-For-The-Buck: | 7 |
| Points Bang-For-The-Buck: | 9 |
| FINAL RATING | 8.5 |
The Bottom-Line Review: Thompson Palm Springs
Thompson Palm Springs is a brand new, upscale hotel, which we enjoyed very much. However, that doesn’t mean it’s without growing pains that have yet to be worked out. Â
Thompson Palm Springs has a prime location along Palm Canyon Drive (the main “strip” of Palm Springs), offering easy access to downtown Palm Springs and it’s many attractions (there’s even a stairway to take you straight from the bar to Palm Canyon Drive). The hotel is branded as a Thompson, and it does adhere to that standard aesthetic in terms of room decor and hotspot “coolness factor”. I can verify the bar at Lola Rose was a bonafide weekend hotspot. The artwork was interesting and the service was excellent (we were even walked to our room). The property itself is is quite attractive being set against Palm Trees and Mountain backdrops. There are beautiful spaces throughout, including the pool area, bar/lounge area, and the well manicured desert flora guests encounter on the way to their rooms.Â
On the negative side, breakfast was such an uneven experience in terms of “excellent” dishes served alongside those that were “just plain bad”, that we were actually confused (do yourself a favor and go with the Steak and Eggs or Chicken & Waffles). There were some noticeable, weird quirks which I’ll mostly attribute to growing pains and redevelopment including: the weird room layout with the couch facing directly into the bathroom, fire-pit in the middle of a walkway away from the chairs, the alien-feeling “left lane turn” drive into the hotel valet area, the property elevator which drops you off smack in the nightclub on the second floor, the strange design which requires you to walk through the restaurant to get to your room, the [above mentioned] potentially serious hand-towel/blackout issue, and the austere concrete patios which just stare into a wall.Â
With that said, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives, and the bottom-line is we really enjoyed our stay at Thompson Palm Springs. I personally feel this hotel would have fit in better branded as an Andaz (it reminds me of Andaz Scottsdale), but for some reason Hyatt seems to be really pushing the Thompson brand. Regardless, it was clear “the word was already out” and this new hotel is likely going to be a “hit” (the hotel was fully booked during our stay). We can easily recommend Thompson Palm Springs for couples, girls trips, boys trips, and singles (although we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it families, business travelers, or golfers). I’d also recommend redeeming points for hotel stays here sooner than later (while it is still a Category 5 hotel), as I have a feeling the 20,000 point redemptions may not last long.Â
FINAL RATING: 8.5 out of 10
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Thompson Palm Springs Bait and Switch Tactics. BEWARE!
November 2024
Thompson Palm Springs is deceitful, passed on a ” bait and switch” attempt to extract a higher revenue for the room
On March 24, 2024, I made a reservation for November 2, 2024,directly with hyatt.com for a corner Alejo Suite with balcony overlooking South Palm Canyon and Alejo at the rate of $625.34 per night including taxes, and resort fees.
On October 26, 2024, I received a confirmation of my upcoming reservations but the rate is now $1250.88 per night.
I called Thompson Palm Springs directly and confirmed of my rate of $625.34 for the Alejo Suite. A confirmation was sent to me with the old rate.
Today, upon check-in at 4:05 PM, I was told the Alejo Suite with balcony is not available, and I was “upgraded” to a different suite. Basically, it was a room in which the view from the balcony to street was completely blocked by the pool.
After preview of the room, I declined the “upgrade” and was told I was “out of luck” as the room is occupied. There is nothing else Thompson Palm Springs can do. At time of check-in, and as a preferred level member, I asked for a 2:00 PM check out that resulted in a response of “we are fully booked.”
I think Thompson sold the room at a higher rate then tried to substitute a room that was not even acceptable. I maintained my composure. I did not raise my voice. I remained cool and calm. Absolutely no apologies from Thompson front desk nor any attempt to diffuse the situation. I walked away.
Thompson Palm Springs is deceitful, passed on a ” bait and switch” attempt to extract a higher revenue for the room
On March 24, 2024, I made a reservation for November 2, 2024,directly with hyatt.com for a corner Alejo Suite with balcony overlooking South Palm Canyon and Alejo at the rate of $625.34 per night including taxes, and resort fees.
On October 26, 2024, I received a confirmation of my upcoming reservations but the rate is now $1250.88 per night.
I called Thompson Palm Springs directly and confirmed of my rate of $625.34 for the Alejo Suite. A confirmation was sent to me with the old rate.
Today, upon check-in at 4:05 PM, I was told the Alejo Suite with balcony is not available, and I was “upgraded” to a different suite. Basically, it was a room in which the view from the balcony to street was completely blocked by the pool.
After preview of the room, I declined the “upgrade” and was told I was “out of luck” as the room is occupied. There is nothing else Thompson Palm Springs can do. At time of check-in, and as a preferred level member, I asked for a 2:00 PM check out that resulted in a response of “we are fully booked.”
I think Thompson sold the room at a higher rate then tried to substitute a room that was not even acceptable. I maintained my composure. I did not raise my voice. I remained cool and calm. Absolutely no apologies from Thompson front desk nor any attempt to diffuse the situation. I walked away.
Written November 3, 2024
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