JW Marriott Palm Springs: An Ideal Base for Coachella and Other Desert Trips

Part festival memory, part practical pick. We first stayed here for Desert Trip in 2016 and found a big, comfortable base in the Coachella Valley — handy for gigs, golf, and a sun-soaked long weekend.

Between Desert Trip, Coachella, and countless smaller festivals, the Coachella Valley fills up fast every spring. Back in 2016, the night we secured our Desert Trip tickets, we booked the JW Marriott Desert Springs — or, as it’s often (mis)labelled, JW Marriott Palm Springs.

We hadn’t done much research, but luck was on our side. As our Tesla driver pulled into the palm-lined driveway, he told us we’d picked the best hotel in the area. For once, he might have been right.

Why This Hotel Works for Desert Festivals

Palm Springs is hot, glamorous, and just far enough from Los Angeles to feel like an escape. When the festivals roll into town, the JW Marriott becomes a natural hub: huge grounds, reliable service, and enough amenities to make recovery days feel indulgent rather than dusty.

It’s not a boutique hideaway — it’s a proper resort, complete with sprawling golf courses, flamingo-filled lakes, and boats that glide beneath the lobby. That mix of scale and spectacle is exactly what you need when 80,000 people are descending on the desert.

Arriving at JW Marriott Palm Springs

The first impression is all about contrast. You leave the muted sprawl of LA, pass through arid desert, and suddenly arrive in a world of green lawns and reflective water.

The driveway sweeps between golf fairways and small lakes, home to the property’s resident flamingos. Stepping out of the car, you’re hit by the dry heat and bright light that define Palm Springs. It’s that instant sense of warmth that tells you you’ve arrived somewhere different.

Inside, the lobby is vast yet surprisingly warm in tone — marble floors, indoor palms, and the gentle sound of water lapping against the hotel’s internal docking station, touched with the familiar JW Marriott scent that’s become part of the brand’s signature.

You can literally cross the lobby by boat, a novelty that still raises a smile years later. Oh and there’s a full on Starbucks in the lobby.

Rooms at JW Marriott Desert Springs

We opted for two adjoining rooms in the main hotel rather than the scattered villas. Both were spacious and practical, with two double beds, a small seating area, writing desk, and balcony looking out to the pool and mountains.

The bathrooms were large, with a proper walk-in wardrobe — the kind that makes unpacking feel satisfying. In hindsight, three of us could easily have shared one room.

A strong Wi-Fi signal and a large TV with Netflix pleased our teenage companion, while thick walls and deep corridors made for restful, jet-lag-free sleep.

The real magic came at dawn: watching sunlight spill across the mountains and creep over the manicured lawns below. The desert’s palette shifts through soft browns, pinks, and purples — not unlike the light in the South of France, that same painterly glow that makes you reach instinctively for a camera.

Beyond the Room: Golf, Water, and Quiet Corners

It’s a large property — nearly a village in itself — yet the design keeps it calm. Guests drift between five pools, two golf courses, and walking paths lined with palms. The lake winds through the grounds, linking villas and restaurants, while the mountain backdrop reminds you you’re still in the desert.

Even if you’re here for a festival rather than a tee-time, the sense of space and stillness is restorative. You can be out all day in the heat, then return to quiet water and soft light by evening.

Food and Drink

We were too busy with Desert Trip to explore every restaurant, but the choice is broad: sushi, steak, and relaxed California-style dining. The lobby Starbucks was a daily stop for iced coffee before hitting the road.

Even without a big night out, this is the kind of place where you can linger with a drink at the bar and watch the sun fade over the water. Even better grab a beer and sit by the pool as their speaker system plays great music. There is possibly no better confluence of Wine, Travel and Song than sitting poolside before a concert listening to Led Zeppelin, drink in hand!

Watching the Light Change

If Palm Springs has a secret weapon, it’s the light. It transforms the landscape throughout the day — from the first gold of sunrise to the mauves and ambers of dusk. From our balcony, the view felt cinematic, as if the mountains themselves were glowing.

That memory, more than anything else, stays with us. Long after Desert Trip ended, the desert light — and that moment of quiet before the heat — became our lasting image of the Coachella Valley.

Would We Stay Again?

Absolutely. For festival weekends or longer desert escapes, the JW Marriott’s combination of space, comfort, and spectacle is hard to beat. It’s large enough to handle crowds, but peaceful enough to recover in style.

If you’re visiting for Coachella, Stagecoach, or even just a winter-sun break, it’s a reliable, slightly nostalgic pick — a hotel that feels tied to the golden age of the desert resort.