Royal Sun Palm Springs

From Roadside Motel to Boutique Hotel, Reopened in 2023

The property began life as a roadside motel on South Palm Canyon Drive, operating for years as the Rodeway Inn Motel Palm Springs and briefly appearing under another operator's name on some booking sites during a transition. A full renovation, completed in late 2023 under owner Suncroft Capital and manager Springboard Hospitality, rebuilt the property from the ground up as Royal Sun, a 66-room boutique hotel across three levels, including four suites. The rebrand history explains why older listings still surface under earlier names, but the hotel that exists today bears little resemblance to the motel it replaced. The motel-era building had sat largely unchanged for decades, and the scope of the renovation, new structural finishes, reworked public spaces, and an entirely new pool and grounds layout, is closer to a rebuild than a refresh.

Why It Works

We chose Royal Sun for a renovation that commits fully to a single design concept rather than a surface refresh. The look blends desert modernism, Japanese minimalism, and a touch of Old Hollywood glamour, carried through geometric lobby flooring, layered textures, desert-hued furnishings, and curated art; an arrival tea ritual sets the tone before guests even reach their room. It is the kind of detail that signals real intent rather than a quick paint job over existing motel bones. The arrival tea ritual in particular is a small gesture that costs little to deliver but signals a level of hospitality thinking that goes beyond the room count or the amenity list.

Why This Location

The hotel sits on South Palm Canyon Drive, near the Palm Springs Convention Center, with San Jacinto Mountain views from several rooms. Downtown's restaurants and galleries are a short drive rather than a walk away, which trades some walkability for a quieter setting and more room for the pool deck and grounds than a tighter downtown lot would allow. The convention center's presence means the surrounding blocks see a mix of business travelers and leisure guests, a different crowd than the resort corridors further south, which gives the hotel a slightly more local, less tourist-dense feel.

Fast Facts

• Price: Premium

• Vibe: desert modernism, Japanese minimalism, Old Hollywood glamour

• Rooms: 66 rooms across three levels, including four suites, each with a balcony or patio and desert-hued furnishings

• Best For: travelers who want a boutique rebrand story and a pool scene without a downtown address

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the High Moon Pool Bar's brick-oven pizzas, served poolside through the afternoon

• Dining: High Moon restaurant, run across two dayparts, Sunrise and Afterglow, plus the High Moon Pool Bar

• Amenities: pool deck, cactus garden, fire-pit lounge, gazebo and event space, pet-friendly

• Attractions: Palm Springs Convention Center nearby, San Jacinto Mountain views, downtown Palm Springs a short drive away

A Rebrand With a Real Design Concept

What separates Royal Sun from a cosmetic refresh is the consistency of its design language: the geometric flooring, layered textures, and desert-hued furnishings carry from the lobby into the rooms rather than stopping at the public spaces, and the curated art and arrival tea ritual extend the concept into small, easy-to-miss details. It reads as a hotel designed by people who thought through the whole guest arc, not only the spaces a camera would catch first.

High Moon, Day Into Night

High Moon, the hotel's restaurant, runs across two distinct dayparts, a Sunrise service and an Afterglow service after dark, with a separate Pool Bar keeping brick-oven pizzas and drinks moving poolside through the afternoon. The grounds also carry a cactus garden, a fire-pit lounge, and a gazebo and event space used for weddings and retreats, giving the property a social, all-day rhythm rather than a pool that empties out once the sun gets high. The event space holds up to roughly 150 guests, a scale that suits a wedding or a corporate retreat without overwhelming the rest of the property.