La Quinta Resort & Club is a historic resort located in the city of La Quinta, California, within the Coachella Valley. Opened in 1926 as one of the area's early destination resorts, the hotel held a soft opening on December 29, 1926, and opened to the public in January 1927.[7]
The 45-acre resort sits at the base of the Santa Rosa Mountains in the city of La Quinta, California. It has 718 accommodations, including 620 casitas and 98 one-, two- and three-bedroom villas.[8] According to the resort’s specifications, the property has more than 190,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, including the Fiesta Ballroom (16,940 sq ft) and the Frank Capra Ballroom (5,952 sq ft).[9] Racquet facilities include 21 tennis courts and eight pickleball courts.[10] Spa La Quinta is 34,000 square feet and has 38 treatment rooms and a salon.[11] An early nine-hole dirt golf course was laid out on the grounds in 1926 by Norman Macbeth; later resort and PGA West courses followed.[2]
History
Walter H. Morgan commissioned Gordon Kaufmann to design the original La Quinta Hotel, which opened in late 1926.[12]
Both La Quinta Resort & Club and PGA West were acquired by the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund in 2007.[13] In 2011, lenders including Paulson & Co., Winthrop Realty Trust and Capital Trust foreclosed on part of the portfolio, and in 2013 the owners reached a deal to sell La Quinta and three other properties to the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.[14]
In December 2021, Blackstone sold La Quinta Resort & Club to Henderson Park, a London-based private equity firm, for US$255 million.[15][16]
Architecture
The resort’s original adobe bungalows and public spaces were designed by Gordon Kaufmann in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, with white stucco walls, red-tile roofs, and landscaped courtyards.[17]
Renovation (2024)
The resort completed a comprehensive restoration in preparation for its centennial year in 2026. The project preserved the resort’s Spanish Colonial Revival heritage with contemporary enhancements.[18][19]
Renovations covered the lobby, refreshed casitas and villas, and introduced the adults-only PLUNGE at the Renker Pool. The Grove an open area next to the historic Morgan House was enhanced for weddings and gatherings, and Morgan’s in the Desert, the resort’s signature restaurant, received an update. [18][19]
Waldorf Astoria Affiliation
In January 2006, Hilton Hotels, Inc. launched a new luxury collection branded as the Waldorf Astoria Collection, leveraging the prestige of its iconic flagship, the Waldorf-Astoria New York. La Quinta Resort & Club was among the inaugural properties to join this collection, along with Grand Wailea and Arizona Biltmore, under management contracts acquired from KSL Resorts by Hilton Hotels Corporation and owned at the time by CNL Hotels & Resorts.[20] As of late 2006, the resort featured approximately 800 guestrooms, 23 tennis courts, 41 swimming pools, seven restaurants (including the newly opened Twenty 6), and 90 holes of championship golf, highlighting its status as a premier luxury destination within the Collection.[21]
Film director Frank Capra was a frequent guest; contemporary accounts and local histories note he worked on screenplays while staying at the resort.[29]
The Food Network’s cannabis-themed cooking competition series Chopped 420 was filmed on location at La Quinta Resort in early 2021.[32][33]
In January 2024, the resort hosted ABC’s televised special The Golden Wedding, celebrating The Golden Bachelor contestants Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist.[34]
Parts of the 2022 psychological thriller film Don’t Worry Darling, directed by Olivia Wilde, were filmed on location at La Quinta Resort.[35]
Scenes from the reality TV series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills were filmed in Old Town La Quinta, in close proximity to the resort. The area's scenic charm has attracted multiple television productions, with the city tour page noting both The Bachelorette and Chopped 420 alongside this show as highlights of Hollywood activity in La Quinta's entertainment scene.[36]
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