Ingleside Estate

About Ingleside Estate

Ingleside Estate is one of Palm Springs' most storied addresses. Built in 1922 for heirs of the Pierce Arrow Motor Company and designed by Santa Barbara master George Washington Smith, a defining figure of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, it later became an invitation-only retreat for Old Hollywood's inner circle. Today the 2.5-acre estate, tucked behind lush hedges steps from downtown, is a MICHELIN Guide hotel and an adults-only escape. Its heart remains Melvyn's Restaurant and Casablanca Lounge, open since 1975 and now past its fiftieth year, a piano-bar time capsule where Sinatra once held court. White plaster facades, exposed beams, wrought-iron gates, and manicured grounds set against the San Jacinto Mountains make it feel less like a hotel than a private villa you have been let into.

What Ingleside Estate Is Known For

Ingleside occupies a category almost no property can claim: a 1922 George Washington Smith landmark, a genuine piece of architectural history, operating as a working hotel with a MICHELIN Guide listing and a restaurant that has run continuously for half a century. The Melvyn's legacy alone, a room where Old Hollywood actually gathered, is something no new-build could manufacture. Few desert properties anywhere pair architecture of this pedigree with hospitality this immersive, which is precisely what places it among the very small number of true destination stays in Palm Springs.

Amenities

• Pets Welcome
• Melvyn's Restaurant and Casablanca Lounge on-site
• Pool deck and hot tub
• Shaded courtyard with hammocks and fire pits
• Complimentary bikes
• Access to sister Avalon Hotel pools, fitness center, and Estrella Spa
• 1922 George Washington Smith architecture

The Room

The estate holds brass-keyed rooms and suites across estate rooms, premium-patio rooms, and villa-style suites, each individually appointed with Golden Age refinement and modern detail. Expect one-of-a-kind furnishings, original architectural touches from George Washington Smith's design, and recently renovated bathrooms. Many rooms come with private sun patios, courtyards, or fireplaces, so no two feel alike. The materials lean warm and historic: white plaster, dark beams, wrought iron, and quality bedding. This is a room you choose for its individual character, not a repeatable template.

The Grounds

The 2.5-acre grounds are the estate's quiet luxury: whitewashed stucco walls, heavy wrought-iron accents, and lush manicured gardens that read as a green oasis against the rugged mountains. A pool deck and inviting hot tub anchor the outdoor space, alongside a shaded courtyard strung with hammocks and fire pits. Complimentary bikes are available for cruising downtown, and guests also gain access to sister property Avalon Hotel, adding three more pools, a 24-hour fitness center, and Estrella Spa. Parking is free and on-site, and the whole estate stays screened behind its signature hedges.

The Experience

An evening at Ingleside means dinner at Melvyn's, and that is the ritual guests remember most. The Casablanca Lounge fills with piano music, the martinis are cold, and the Old Hollywood glamour is played completely straight, not as costume. Days move between the pool deck, the hammocks in the shaded courtyard, and a fire pit after dark. The privacy is total: behind the hedges, the noise of downtown falls away entirely even though it is steps beyond the gate. It is the rare property where the history is not a backdrop, it is the whole experience.

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