Hotel Zoso

A Foreclosed Resort, Reborn as Hotel Zoso

Before it was Hotel Zoso, this four-acre downtown property was the Marquis Resort, a hotel that closed in January 2003 and sat empty through a bank foreclosure before a buyer took it on in 2004. The reopening in September 2005 was a full reinvention rather than a cosmetic refresh: remodeled public spaces, a rebuilt spa, a new restaurant and café, and a pool deck reworked as the property's centerpiece. General manager Les Utley described the goal as a sleek, modern feel built on contrast, the name itself meant to suggest opposite ends of a spectrum rather than a single, safe idea. The new ownership committed to a ground-up redesign rather than a lighter refresh of the existing bones, which is part of why the property reads as a genuine second act rather than a repainted version of what closed in 2003.

Why It Works

We chose Hotel Zoso for a renovation that still holds up two decades later. Earth-toned rooms built around oversized furniture and unexpected artwork avoid the generic business-hotel look that scale usually invites, and small details, Herman Miller Aeron chairs, travertine countertops, signal a level of intent most 163-room properties skip. The pool area, with free-standing shades, cabanas, lit water features, and a misting system for the hottest months, gives the hotel a genuine center rather than an amenity checked off a list.

Why This Location

The hotel sits in downtown Palm Springs, a short walk from Palm Canyon Drive's restaurants, galleries, and shops, with golf courses reachable within a few minutes' drive. Four acres is generous for a downtown address, giving the property room for a proper pool deck and gardens that a tighter urban lot couldn't support, while still putting the city's main strip within easy walking distance for dinner or an evening out. The surrounding blocks mix mid-century architecture with newer boutiques and restaurants, giving guests a walkable base for exploring the city's design heritage without needing a car for dinner or errands.

Fast Facts

• Price: Premium

• Vibe: contemporary, earth-toned, confidently designed

• Rooms: 163, with Herman Miller Aeron chairs and travertine countertops

• Best For: travelers who want a full-service downtown hotel with real design intent, not a generic renovation

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the pool deck's lit water features and misting system, built as the property's centerpiece rather than an afterthought

• Dining: on-site restaurant and café, plus a poolside bar

• Amenities: spa with lifestyle and medical treatments, fitness center, hot tub, fire pit, business center, pet-friendly

• Attractions: Palm Canyon Drive, downtown Palm Springs shops and galleries, nearby golf courses

From Marquis to Zoso, a Second Act

Downtown Palm Springs has seen plenty of hotels close and reopen under new names, but few renovations committed as fully as this one. Where the Marquis Resort had sat vacant after its 2003 closure, the team behind Hotel Zoso treated the site as a blank four acres rather than a property to patch up, rebuilding the public spaces and the pool deck from the ground up. The result is a hotel that doesn't read as a rescue job; nothing about the earth-toned rooms or the cabana-lined pool suggests the building spent two years sitting empty.

The Pool Deck as Centerpiece

Rather than treat the pool as one amenity among many, Hotel Zoso built its 2005 renovation around it: free-standing shades and cabanas, water features lit at night, and a misting system that makes the deck usable through the hottest stretch of a Palm Springs afternoon. A fire pit and hot tub extend the space into the evening, and a poolside bar keeps the area staffed well past the point most downtown hotel pools go quiet. Lounge seating stays shaded through the afternoon, and the layout keeps the deck feeling intimate despite the hotel's size, a detail that matters on a property with 163 rooms competing for the same pool space.