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 Caliente
tropics Resort in Palm Springs, California re-opened in March
2001 after an extensive $2.2 million renovation and is one of
the last and greatest examples of the classic Polynesian-styled
motor hotels of the 60s. Our Polynesian and Tiki Playground now
features up-scale, boutique-styled guestrooms with custom furnishings.
Our exterior has been made over to celebrate the original mid-century
look when the resort opened in 1964 - A True Palm Springs Icon.
We are
completely non-smoking, inside and out. Pet-friendly rooms feature
pet beds, pet throws, pet dishes and tiled vanities enclosed  with
swinging gates. Canines receive biscuits on arrival.
Our services
and amenities include complimentary extended continental breakfast,
complimentary in-room beverages, complimentary LA Times delivered
daily, ceiling fans, refrigerators, voicemail, desktop dataports,
nightly turndown service, shuffleboard, an original but completely
renovated 65-foot 100,000 gallon swimming pool and 12-person therapeutic
pool.
Swim, relax and take-in the extraordinary mountain views, in the
warm light of the tiki torches, where Elvis hung-out and Nancy
Sinatra grew-up. Unique indoor and outdoor meeting spaces for
10 to 250 people. Packages are available.
Caliente
Tropics History:
Built in 1963 and opened in 1964, by Ken Kimes, Sr., the tropics
was number 38 out of 45 motels Kimes developed in the U.S. Five
of the motels were Polynesian styled. Sister Polynesian properties
were located in Indio as well as Modesto, Blythe, and Rosemead.
At some point in the early ‘60s, 50 condominium units were
annexed on Twin Palms Drive (across the street). Those units were
spun-off and turned into apartments and are no longer part of
the Resort. 
Our Polynesian personality is reflected not only in the architecture
of the Resort, but in the accoutrements as well. Oceanic Arts,
considered by many tiki-followers to be the “Grand Daddy”
of Polynesian pop-culture, designed and manufactured most of the
tiki gods and artifacts throughout the Resort. It is primarily
these artifacts that are considered to be the most valuable to
the tropics lineage. Oceanic Arts still dominates as the primary
source for this pop culture niche and, in recent years, has enjoyed
a major rebirth in business. Oceanic Arts is currently a primary
supplier to Disney, worldwide.
In addition
to Sambos (coffee shop), The Reef (cocktail lounge), the Congo
Room (steakhouse), and the Cellar (basement cocktail lounge for
100!), the central building also housed the main lobby. According
to locals, the tropics rocked-and-rolled during the ‘60s
and ‘70s. It was frequented by members of the Rat Pack and
professional ball teams (Palm Springs was a major training venue).
Elvis and Nancy Sinatra liked to hang out at the pool, and Victor
Mature had “his” table in the Congo Room. The tropics
was to the south end of Palm Springs what the Racquet Club had
been to the north end.
In the
‘80s, as Palm Springs lost its allure, the resort became
an abused relic and a favorite spring break hangout. It was the
scene for parades of cars cruising the parking lot, fence jumping,
broken furniture, holes in walls, unruly behavior, illegal activity,
and numerous visits from the Palm Springs Police. At the same
time it became the site of (if not the first) Miss Hawaiian Tropics
Pageant and the Reef did a booming business—to the tune
of about $250,000 gross, a year.
 The
Resort changed hands in the late ‘80s and continued to slide
until 2000. Starting in the ‘60s, as a Hyatt Lodge, then
becoming a Best Western at its peak, then a Days Inn, and eventually
a Rodeway Inn, the property was headed for the wrecking ball by
the mid-90s. The old tropics was kicked out of Rodeway Inns, the
Palm Springs Visitors Center, and the Palm Springs Desert Resorts
Convention and Visitors Authority.
When it was “rescued” by the current owners, in 2000,
unsavory characters were staples to the tropics “scene.”
The Resort currently enjoys life as an independent property operated
by Townhouse Development, Inc., and Conde Nast Johansens. It is
marketed as an alternative to big “box” and chain
hotels with no personality, caters to pets and non-smokers and
has become a popular venue for photo shoots and cinematographers.
Fun fact:
Ken Kimes, his wife (Sante) and son (Kenny), were the subject
of a movie released in 2001, “Like Mother, Like Son,”
starring Mary Tyler Moore and Jean Stapleton. Portrayed as a world-class
con team, Sante and Kenny are currently incarcerated for murder.
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