Palm Springs: The History of The Parker Hotel
For me, it all started in 1986
I was 4 years old on vacation with my grandparents at a hotel that was then called The Gene Autry in Palm Springs, California. This was my very first memory in life. And maybe the reason why we ended up retiring here in vibrant, historic, sunny Palm Springs.
For the hotel, it began in 1959
The hotel was the first Holiday Inn in California but was purchased by Gene Autry “The Singing Cowboy” in 1961. He bought the hotel and renamed it after his radio show, “Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch.” He needed a place to house his baseball team, the California Angels, during springs training. He built a secluded private home for he and his wife on the property, that to this day has its own gated entrance and private front yard. The hotel was commonly referred to as the Gene Autry hotel for the next three decades.
A little rebranding
The property was sold to Merv Griffin in 1998, so Gene and Jackie Autry moved to an enormous house across town. He lived there for the rest of his life. The house was most recently sold in 2023 for $8.25 million. To this day, a statue of his beloved horse, Champion, stands in the front yard.
The Hollywood elite have been coming to the Coachella Valley since the 1920s and The Merv Griffin’s Luxury Resort officially cemented the hotel as the celebrity hotel in Palm Springs.
In the news
I think we all remember the headlines in 2000 when Robert Downey Jr was busted at the Merv Griffin for drug possession. Long story short — Mr. Downey was in town from LA on bender, made some friends at Showgirls, a gentlemen’s club in neighboring Cathedral City, and brought them back to bungalow 311 to party. A disgruntled male Showgirls employee placed an anonymous call from a payphone ratting out the movie star.
Nowadays
The property changed hands over the years, most notably in 2003 when hotelier Jack Parker (hence the name) took over. A $27 million remodel was on the docket, overseen by cutting-edge designer Jonathan Adler. Fun fact: The carpet throughout is the same pattern as seen in The Shining.
There are three pools, the spa known as the “Palm Springs Yacht Club,” a fancy gym called the “Boiler Room,” and three restaurants on the property. You can play croquet, padel (an amalgam of tennis and pickleball pronounced “pah-dell), or hang by the fire pit.
The list of stars who have stayed at the Parker is endless. Even though Danny and I live just a few miles away, staying here was an absolute must and did not disappoint.
