Historic name returning to Palm Springs hotel known for its glamorous past

Nearly four years after rebranding as a Margaritaville property, a well-known and much-loved hotel is reportedly going back to its roots.

The 400-room property at 1600 North Indian Canyon Dr., which became the Margaritaville Hotel and Resort in 2020, is expected to revert to The Riviera Hotel, the name it carried when opened in November 1959, during the next few weeks. While unconfirmed, the move appears to come following a change of ownership between Davidson Hospitality Group and IHG Hotels & Resorts.

The Riviera Hotel, originally developed by Irwin and Mark Schulman, was designed by architect Homer A. Rissman with a luxurious and continental theme, inspired by southern Europe. It quickly became a glamorous hotspot for celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Elvis Presley. In fall 2020, the hotel was rebranded as Margaritaville Resort, shifting its theme to reflect the laid-back Caribbean vibe associated with Jimmy Buffett.

Emails sent to representatives of Margaritaville and the Davidson Hospitality Group asking for confirmation of the move were not returned this week, but employees at the hotel confirmed the change in branding is imminent. Already, materials with the Riviera branding are on order, including some from Bill Nicholson and his staff at Flooring Innovations, who spoke with The Post Wednesday.

Whenever it happens, the switch back to Riviera branding would be the latest in a series of changes for the property. After being sold to Holiday Inn in 1965, the hotel underwent several ownership and branding changes, including stints as the Hilton Riviera and Radisson Palm Springs Resort.

The property faced financial difficulties leading to bankruptcy in the 1970s and again in the 1980s. It closed in June 2006 and, after a major renovation, reopened in 2008, later joining Starwood’s Tribute Portfolio. As the pandemic began, the hotel was briefly closed again in March 2020 before being rebranded as Margaritaville Resort Palm Springs and re-opening in November 2020, marking the first Margaritaville property on the West Coast.

The upcoming switch may not be the last. IHG has not formally announced acquiring the property, nor what it may do with it long-term. Employees at the Margaritaville said the Riviera rebranding, once complete, will remain for the foreseeable future.

News of the possible return to the Riviera name was met with applause from some in the community when it was first posted on social media by Gary Johns, president of the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation Board of Directors, over the weekend. Most of those who weighed in agreed with popular sentiment that the Margaritaville theme just did not fit the property, given its history.

“The Riviera IS Palm Springs, and Palm Springs IS the Riviera,” wrote one commenter.

Added another: “Every time I pass that intersection, I instinctively look away from that corner. I’d rather see the 7-Eleven or Rick’s crappy parking lot than allow the desecration of the Riviera to offend my eyeballs.”

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