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March 16th 2023
AFAR Magazine
DESERT X IS COACHELLA VALLEY’S BIGGEST ART EVENT—HERE’S HOW TO SEE IT
The biennial outdoor art extravaganza Desert X is back in all of its strange and provocative glory now through May 7. One of the biggest art celebrations in Southern California, Desert X is known for its large-scale, free-to-the-public art exhibits (past exhibitions have included a Hollywood sign-esque piece that read “Indian Land” and a silk and tulle adorned gas station). This year, the sculptures on display focus on everything from the precarious environmental status of the Salton Sea to the history of Black and Indigenous women in the United States.
Where to stay in the greater Palm Springs area
Azure Sky
This adults-only property strikes the perfect balance between midcentury-modern details and desert-inspired chic. Azure Sky has 14 rooms (11 of which have private patios) as well as an on-site heated pool and cocktail bar. The hotel is a five-minute drive from the bright lights of downtown Palm Springs.
March 7th 2023
Travel Agent Central
Regenerative Tourism Program Launched in Palm Springs, CA
Through Kind Traveler’s Give + Get hotel booking and media platform, travelers unlock exclusive offers from participating Kind Hotels with a $10 or more donation to Friends of the Desert Mountains or LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, or to another charity of choice on the platform. Positive impact metrics are shared with every booking empowering future visitors with specific details on how their travel dollars will support the local community. For instance, a $10 donation to the former will provide outdoor science supplies for one East Coachella Valley youth; a $10 donation to the latter will provide one meal at The Center’s Community Food Bank. Travelers additionally have an opportunity to plant trees at the time of booking with Arbor Day Foundation; one dollar plants one tree.
Participating hotels on Kind Traveler include Azure Sky Hotel, Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs, Miramonte Resort & Spa and The Good House (the first hotel in Greater Palm Springs to enroll in Kind Traveler’s new community impact certification, “Every Stay Gives Back”).
For more information, visit www.kindtraveler.com.
February 24th 2023
VOGUE Magazine
The Best Design-Forward Stays in Palm Springs
A stone’s throw away, the recently-renovated 14-room Azure Sky offers an equally appealing—if slightly more accessible—approach. Originally built in 1959, the classic mid-century modern motel has been thoughtfully appointed with custom details in soothing desert hues. Blonde wood and stonework accent the lobby and guest rooms, while details such as floating platform beds, wall paneling, and blue-green mosaic tiles lend contemporary-meets-retro appeal. Outside, the property’s two courtyards feature multiple fire pits, a lounge pool and jacuzzi, and plenty of chaise lounges from which to take in the views. “Our goal was to interpret the MCM style into a form that is livable today,” explains designer Anne L’Esperance.
BY CHRISTINA PÉREZ
February 20th 2023
Sunset Magazine
The Weather in Palm Springs Is Peaking—the Resorts, Hotels, and Spas to Book Now
Created in 1959, Azure Sky’s original architect is unknown, though rumored to be Howard Lapham, a modernist architect with many notable works throughout Palm Springs. The original forms of the hotel were thoughtfully restored by hospitality group Lightning Bar Palm Springs, whose master carpenters crafted floating wooden beds, accent walls, and wood-and-mirror banding in the lobby. The bouclé swivel chairs and muted earth tones give it all a 1970s rec room meets Japanese ryokan vibe that somehow works.
– Krista Simmons
February 14th 2023
WALLPAPER
Discover Palm Springs: from desert-inspired hotels to Joshua Tree stargazing
With thoughtful details, intimate character and a charming front-of-house team, Azure Sky, is a welcome addition to Palm Springs’ boutique hotel scene. Ahead of its May 2022 opening, renovations to the 1959 building retained the essence of its midcentury modern style. The 14 bedrooms and suites are tastefully decorated with floating oak beds and panelling, walk-in showers with floor-to-ceiling mosaic tiling – and no televisions or phones in the rooms.
The goal here is to switch off, and a smart pool and courtyard area, providing unobstructed views of the San Jacinto Mountains, add to the peaceful residential vibe. Guests are within walking distance of the Ace Hotel and Moorten Botanical Garden, and the hotel lends bicycles for the short cycle into town.
— Timothy Anscombe-Bell
February 3rd 2023
AFAR
These 11 Revamped Californian Motels Are Totally Worth a Road Trip
Vintage-inspired lodgings and wide California highways go together like beds and breakfasts.
Azure Sky Hotel
Constructed in 1959, the Azure Sky Hotel offers travelers the perfect balance of midcentury-modern details and desert-inspired chic. There are just 14 rooms here (and the property is 21+ only) making for an intimate, cozy atmosphere—11 of the rooms have private patios, the perfect place to gaze at the nearby San Jacinto Mountains that tower over the city. Though there is a bar on the property (guests receive a welcome cocktail at check-in) and a continental breakfast is served daily, there isn’t a restaurant. Thankfully, Azure Sky is just a five-minute drive from Palm Springs’ bustling downtown. As an added bonus, the motel also has a large heated swimming pool as well as a Jacuzzi. However, if getting wet is not your thing, there are two firepits on the property that are set up near lounge seating.
— Mae Hamilton
January 5th 2023
THE NEW YORK TIMES
52 Places to Go in 2023
Yes, this is the land of midcentury nostalgia, with its low-slung Modernist architecture and the recent return of the 26-foot-tall “Forever Marilyn” statue. But these days, there’s another headliner: the surrounding desert, and the dark skies above.
The desert nature and history that flourish around Palm Springs are also shaping the city’s landscape, including the new Palm Springs Downtown Park, designed to reflect Indian Canyons, ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians; the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza and Museum, which, when it opens later this year, will be one of the largest Native American cultural centers on the West Coast; and new desert-inspired hotels like Azure Sky.
— AnneLise Sorensen
January 5th 2023
VARIETY
Hospitality Flourishes at Desert Hot Spots Ahead of Palm Springs Film Festival
Don’t worry darlings, Palm Springs is thriving. Discover new designer hotels, nifty and crowded restaurants (reservations are essential) and chic bars for upscale cocktailing during the film fest.
An attractive re-do of a former 1959-built apartment complex, the 14-room Azure Sky entices the eye and invites guests to chill out. There are hammocks and lush tropical greenery at the breezy entrance and a grand pool deck with plentiful lounge chairs.The spacious residential-style rooms have kitchenettes, cozy chenille couches, retro ‘70s beds with built-ins and no TVs to distract from tranquility.
November 10th 2022
WHO WHAT WEAR
These Impeccably Designed Hotels Look 5-Star But Are Less Than $250 Per Night
As a SoCal native, I can attest to the fact that Palm Springs is the absolute best weekend getaway. While I’ve stayed at several different hotels and Airbnbs over the years, I’m excited to try the city’s newest offering, Azure Sky. Houses in a 1959 property that has undergone extensive renovation, the hotel just reopened in March 2022.
October 26th 2022
Santa Barbara Independent
Checking In with Acme Hospitality
The residential-style guest rooms are spacious and Zen, featuring “floating” beds, well-stocked kitchenettes, luxurious walk-in showers, cooling tiled floors, and private back patios complete with hammocks for lazy afternoon hangs. Notably, there are no televisions or telephones to enhance the unplugged vibes — but the Wi-Fi is strong and always at the ready!
When not ensconced in the comfort and tranquility of their rooms, guests can relax in the airy-yet-cozy lobby lounge, where complimentary self-service coffee and breakfast bites are offered each morning and canned spirits and bottles of wine are available for purchase. The expansive pool deck beckons morning through night for sunbathing, refreshing dips, and Jacuzzi soaks under the stars.
October 25th 2022
Inside Hook
The Stylish Azure Sky Hotel Is Our New Favorite Adults-Only Desert Escape
Santa Barbara-based Acme Hospitality teamed up with owners, Eastern Real Estate, to create this desert haven, with designers John Janulis and Anne L’Esperance tapped to mold the retro property into a peaceful oasis. Along with Cioffi Architect, the pair transformed Azure into the polished retreat it has become over the course of two years. Their palette puts the modern in “mid-century modern” with lots of creams, blacks and neutrals, and thoughtful finishing touches like linen robes and patio hammocks.
With just 14 rooms and a 21-and-older policy firmly in place, this desert hotel is as serene as they come
September 29th 2022
C Magazine
FOUR NEW CHIC BOUTIQUE HOTELS TO TRY THIS FALL
Azure Sky
If Acme Hospitality’s charming dining concepts in Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone (including The Lark and La Paloma Café) and its two historic hotels from the Gold Rush era are any indications, the company’s newest venture, Azure Sky, a 14-room boutique hotel in the heart of Palm Springs, is set to be the hottest new place in the desert. A team of local craftsmen overhauled the original 1959 structure while staying true to its retro midcentury-modern roots. Wood-paneled rooms appointed with curvy boucle chairs and floating wooden beds are centered around a courtyard, affectionately dubbed “the meadow,” which gives way to the tranquil pool area—a welcome retreat from the bustle of nearby downtown.
Words by KELSEY McKINNON
October 2022
805 Living
Loungy Desert Days
Front desk attendant Cesar Gonzalez offers guests kind, gentle greetings, sets out a continental breakfast each morning, and every once in a while fields mail sent to past residents of Azure Sky in Palm Springs, a former timeshare resort that was repurposed into apartments and is now a 14-room hotel. While the hospitality has turned professional, the residential feel of the place has remained. “When I travel,” says owner R Henry Courtemanche, “I love being able to have that hybrid of hotel amenities—where you’re waited on and have housekeeping and bar service—but feel at home. We tried to bring the best of both worlds together.”
While the 21-and-over hotel doesn’t have a restaurant on-site, rooms have kitchenettes with refrigerators, induction burners, sinks, and cooking tools. The largest accommodations are 620 square feet, and freestanding hammocks make the private patios feel like mini backyards.
By Erin Rottman
September 16th 2022
Inside hook
How to Spend a Perfect Weekend in Palm Springs
Another stellar choice and one of the city’s newest openings is Azure Sky. Located in South Palm Springs and within walking distance of Ace Hotel, Villa Royale and buzzy new restaurant Bar Cecil, it’s an adults-only boutique gem that welcomes each arrival with a cocktail from the lobby bar. It feels intimate with just 14 rooms and suites, most featuring kitchenettes and private patios with hammocks. However, it’s easy to meet and mingle with guests around the swimming pool, a focal point of the property, alongside its duo of courtyards and fire pits.
September 9th 2022
AARP
Vacation Ideas Based on Your Horoscope
Libra: September 23 – October 22
Since Libras tend to be social and romantic, Palm Springs, California, is the perfect destination for a couples getaway. Stay at the swanky new adults-only Azure Sky in one of 14 luxurious rooms with built-in floating beds. The Agave Suite ADA boasts a private balcony for unobstructed views of the stars. At night, channel your charm to secure the password for the new Del Rey speakeasy at the Villa Royale hotel next door. Rates at Azure Sky start at $299.
August 30th 2022
7x7
Friday in Palm Springs: Check in at Azure Sky.
This quiet oasis is ideal for Palm Springs travelers looking to relax more than party. So don’t expect to find rowdy bachelorette groups smashing rosé or children splashing in the pool here (the hotel is 21 and up). In fact, with just 14 rooms, you might at times feel like you have the whole place to yourself. Azure Sky is a chill, no-frills reinvigoration of the original 1959 hotel featuring a palm tree-enclosed pool with plenty of loungers and umbrellas, views of the San Jacinto Mountains, a communal lawn for lazing about when it’s not too hot, and fire pits for chilly nights.
Like most Palm Springs hotels, it has a mid-century modern theme, and it’s clean, simple and isn’t trying too hard. Rooms are contemporary yet understated with floating wooden beds and soothing neutral tones, and most have kitchenettes and private patios with hammocks. Azure Sky is located conveniently within walking distance to several Palm Springs institutions like Melvyn’s, plus the buzzy Bar Cecil. You can also borrow complimentary cruisers for getting around quicker.
By Jess Lander
July 2022
Santa Barbara Magazine
We get away in Paradise
With just 14 rooms, AZURE SKY is a newly renovated microhotel embracing a midcentury modern ethos in South Palm Springs. Originally built back in 1959, the hotel, now operated by Santa Barbara’s Acme Hospitality, features serene grounds that have been thoughtfully transformed. A grassy meadow, formally the original pool, features an inviting fire pit. The expansive new pool area is now the focal point of the property with unobstructed views of the San Jacinto Mountains.
Restored and redesigned with a neutral_palette, muted black finishes, and glossy wood, the accommodations include plenty of natural light. Boasting custom-built beds, the spacious suites-12 of which feature kitchenettes-call to mind an airy apartment more than a hotel room. With a lobby that doubles as a retro living room, complete with a cocktail bar, guests don’t have to leave the property to enjoy all the desert has to offer.
June 24th 2022
SF GATE
The Four New Must-Stay Boutique Hotels in Palm Springs This Summer: Azure Sky
A private oasis in the heart of Palm Springs, Azure Sky is the brand-new boutique hotel now accepting reservations (as of June 6th). Designed in the Desert Modern style, with soaring roof lines, walls of glass, peek-a-boo exterior screens, and seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces, Azure Sky is a nod to classic 1960s Palm Springs while offering guests all the luxurious amenities that accompany a dreamy getaway.
The space truly feels unreal, in the best way. Unobstructed views of the San Jacinto Mountains give way to a sparkling pool and date palms that sway in the warm summer breeze. The suites are elegant yet understated, offering respite from the busy world you left behind. With no telephones or televisions en suite, Azure Sky is conducive to switching off (although there is great WiFi when you need it!). Instead of a screen, spend your day reading in your private hammock, or lounging by the expansive pool amid lush desert landscaping. Azure Sky is all about basking in the calming seclusion of a chilled-out architectural highlight.
May 12th 2022
Hospitality Design
Azure Sky to Open in Palm Springs Next Month
An upscale adults-only hotel will soon join the hospitality landscape in Palm Springs, California. Azure Sky occupies a midcentury structure transformed by locally based Cioffi Architect and Anne L’Esperance of An Ellipsis Design to accentuate its roots and revitalize the property as a modern sanctuary.
June 11th 2022
LaLa Scoop
Relive California’s past with 5 reimagined hotels
Transformed into a design lover’s Zen oasis, this former apartment building from 1959 has been reborn as 14-room Azure Sky Hotel, set in the tranquil Deepwell Estates neighborhood. The design team behind this Palm Springs newcomer has made mid-century modern with a calm aesthetic in this secluded property just minutes from all the action of downtown.
Thanks to the vision of the creative team Lightning Bar Palm Springs, made up of John Janulis (partner in Villa Royale Palm Springs & Lightning Bar Collective) and Anne L’Esperance (An Ellipsis Design) with the help of Cioffi Architect, two years were dedicated to breathing new life into every aspect of Azure Sky.
June 2022
SHLTR
Desert Jewel: Azure Sky Arrives On Scene
On Monday, prepare to pack your bags and head to Azure Sky in Palm Springs for opening day. For a peek inside the reinvented 14-room boutique hideaway that took two years to renovate, we sat down with one of the designers, Anne L’Esperance of An Ellipsis Design, who teamed up with John Janulis of Lightning Bar Collective, along with Cioffi Architect and others. “It feels lush and lavish from the perspective of the property’s landscape, and clean and minimalistic in the guest rooms,” explains L’Esperance, of the adults-only hotel. “It’s somewhat like you are in a fortress once inside the gate and ficus hedges. It becomes your home for the duration of your stay.”
April 15th 2022
Locale Magazine
For the Traveler in Need of Relaxation
Originally built in 1959, this exclusive hotel caters to adults and promises a serene stay where you can unwind and escape your everyday worries. Out of the 14 rooms provided, 12 are equipped with kitchenettes and outdoor hammocks, giving you a sense of seclusion you won’t find at a chain hotel. Make your way through its midcentury modern hallways and utilize outdoor amenities, like a 4,500-square-foot pool, Jacuzzi, two courtyards and lounge seating scattered throughout the property. The best part? As you check in, you can enjoy a premium cocktail by the cozy fireplace, which is accented with custom woodwork and vintage lighting.
PERK: Guests can enjoy a cocktail by the fireplace as they check in.
April 4th 2022
SF GATE
7 top-rated Palm Springs hotels to visit
This adults-only, 14-room gem is the newest luxury boutique hotel in Palm Springs and is conveniently located close to downtown Palm Springs, but secluded enough to be a serene residential sanctuary. The hotel was originally built in 1959 and underwent two years of restoration before reopening in April 2022. Guests entering the lobby can enjoy a cocktail by the fireplace while checking in, then wind around the hotel’s courtyards and fire pits on the way to their room or the pool.
March 5th 2022
FORBES
77 New Hotels Around The World Opening This Spring
Azure Sky will open a 14-room, adults-only property in Palm Springs in mid-April. In view of the San Jacinto Mountains, the property features desert landscaping and a terrace complete with pool and whirlpool.
February 22nd 2022
PALM SPRINGS LIFE
Glow Up
Built in 1959, the midcentury hotel will be reborn in April as Acme Hospitality’s first property in Palm Springs. The company behind such spots as the Santa Barbara restaurants Loquita and The Lark as well as the hip Nevada County hotels Holbrooke and National Exchange modernized the boutique’s 14-room property, which features a 4,500-square-foot pool and fit pits.In the rooms, chic updates include built-in beds with tufted blush-colored headboards.
January 6th 2022
Travel + Leisure
Perfect for West Coast Road Trippers
Palm Springs, California is already an adult’s playground filled with golf courses, world-class spas, plenty of hiking trails, and incredible art and design. Soon, travelers headed to the area, especially as part of a quintessential West Coast road trip, will find Azure Sky, a forthcoming boutique hotel adding to the already stylish landscape.
January 5th 2022
Just Luxe
Unique Travel Destinations to Explore in 2022
December 21st 2021
Travel Agent Central
Azure Sky to Open in Palm Springs in Early 2022
December 20th 2021
Luxury Travel Magazine
Azure Sky, an Intimate Luxury Boutique Hotel to Open in Palm Springs
December 17th 2021
Visit Palm Springs
What’s New in Palm Springs: Coming Soon
“For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.”
Lily Tomlin