Welcome to
El Rancho Lodge
The Essence of Old Palm Springs
1330 East Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs , CA 92264
760.327.1339 - fax 760.327.7689 - cell 760.567.6847
Check-in is at 3:00 pm
Check-out is at noon
Please join us for complimentary continental breakfast each morning, served in the lobby from 8:00 am to 10:30 am. We feature Starbucks coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice, pastries, and fresh fruit.
Phone Information
There is no charge for local calls. Please dial 9, then the number.
Our fax number is 760-327-7689. Incoming faxes will be charged at $ .50 per sheet.
There is no charge for outgoing faxes.
To contact the front desk, registration, assistance, or to be connected to another guest room, please dial 160.
In case of emergency, please dial 9-911. Then call Robert at 760.567.6847 – 760.567.7109
To contact us after hours, or if the office is closed, please dial 170, or 760-567-6847 (dial 9 first if calling from your guest room).
To call another guest room, simply add 100 to that guest room number (for example, dialing room #1, you would dial 101).
Incoming calls may be connected between 8:00 am and 9:00 pm.
Outgoing calls may be placed at any time.
Messages and deliveries will be placed in your room.
Room Information
Thank you for not smoking in your guest room.
Smoking is permitted outside on the grounds of the El Rancho Lodge.
If you are planning on being away from your room all day, kindly turn off your air conditioner or heater, and lights, while you are away.
To avoid icing-over the air conditioning unit, please Do NOT use the Turbo Cool setting on your air conditioner. use the Low Cool setting for the majority of your stay.
DVD players are available. Please peruse our DVD library in the lobby. Please return your selection to the lobby once you have finished your viewing. If you enjoy our DVD's may we suggest you purchase your own copies for your collection to support our friends in the movie industry – especially the writers! We do not sell DVD's.
New and classic books are available for your reading pleasure during your stay. Please return to the lobby once you have finished reading your selection.
There are guest laundry facilities located between rooms 10 and 17.
Laundry hours are from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Please let us know if you need an iron and ironing board.
Thank you for doing your own dishes; dishwashing liquid, sponges, and dishcloths are provided.
Please let us know if you have any special housekeeping requests.
The El Rancho Lodge is not responsible for the safety and security of guest's money, jewelry, electronic equipment, cameras, personal belongings, etc., or for the safety and security of guest vehicles and their contents.
Additional guests are welcome; there will be a charge of $15 for guests in addition to the standard double occupancy. Rollaway beds are available for a charge of $15 per night.
There will be a charge of $5 each for missing towels and dishes, $15 for a room key not returned. These will be charged to your credit card.
Please request extra pillows, towels, or guest towels as needed.
Do please let us know if there is anything else you need to make your stay more enjoyable!
Spa Services
There are many delightful spas in the area. We'll be happy to gather information for you and to make your reservations.
Restaurants
There are so many delightful restaurants to choose from . . . deciding where to go for dinner or lunch can be a hard choice!
We have a selection of menus in the lobby to help in your selection. We will be happy to place your dinner reservations for you.
Garden Area Grill
A propane grill is available for your use, and located in the back garden patio area of the hotel, patio dining tables are also located there.
Newspapers
The local paper, The Desert Sun is delivered daily and is available in the lobby. If you wish to receive your own paper, we will be happy to make that arrangement for you, bill your room, and deliver it to your door each morning.
Magazines
Current magazines are available in the lobby for your reading pleasure.
Books
New, classic, and local-interest books are available in the lobby for your enjoyment during your stay.
DVDs
New, classic, and local-interest DVDs are available in the lobby for your viewing during your stay.
Pool Information
The El Rancho Lodge swimming pool (original to the hotel in 1951) has recently been re-plastered, and looks brand new!
Please help us keep the pool looking fabulous by using no oil-based products before using the pool.
Please, for safety reasons, no diving, no running around the pool, and no glassware or bottles in the pool area.
Please do not eat, drink, or smoke in the pool.
To ensure the peace and quiet of our other guests, please listen to your radio or CD player by the pool with headphones only.
The spa controls are located next to the palm tree, and the spa capacity is seven guests.
There is no lifeguard on duty.
Pool and spa hours are 8:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Important Phone Numbers
Remember to dial 9 to get an outside line.
Our area code is 760.
Emergency: 911
Fire Department: 323-8181
Police Department: 323-8116
Eisenhower Immediate Care Center : 328-1000
Eisenhower Medical Center : 340-3911
City Cab: 416-2594
Palm Springs International Airport : 778-8455
Alaska Airlines: 800-426-0333
America West Express: 800-235-9292
American Eagle: 800-433-7300
American Airlines: 800-433-7300
Continental Express: 322-4540
Delta Connection: 800-221-1212
Northwest Airlines: 800-225-2525
Southwest Airlines: 800-435-9792
United Express: 800-864-8331
Alterations: 321-4921
Florist, Palm Springs Florist: 325-7441
Time of day: 853-1212
Weather: 345-3711
Road Conditions: 800-427-7623
Banks
In the Smoke Tree shopping center
At the corner of East Palm Canyon Drive and Sunrise Way:
Bank of America
Canyon Bank
Downey Savings
Wells Fargo (inside the Ralph's)
Markets
In the Smoke Tree shopping center
At the corner of East Palm Canyon Drive and Sunrise Way:
Ralph's
Long's
At Sunrise Way and Ramon Road (turn left at Sunrise Way):
Ralph's
Sav-On
At Sunrise Way and Tahquitz Canyon :
Jenson's Locomotive Liquor: 325-1486
162 East Palm Canyon Drive
Post Office
Smoke Tree Shopping Center
At the corner of East Palm Canyon and Sunrise Way
Restaurants
In the neighborhood:
Banducci's: 325-2537
Cedar Creek Inn: 325-7300
Davey's Hideaway Casual Dining: 320-4480
Europa: 327-2314
Ichiban : 318-1622
International Café: 202-2390
La Casita: 320-8993
Lyons English Grille: 327-1551
Notable in Palm Springs :
Chop House-Palm Springs: 320-4500
The Deck and Skybar: 325-5200
Fisherman's Market and Grill: 327-1766
LG's Prime Steakhouse: 416-1779
Las Casuelas Terraza: 325-2794
Le Vallauris: 325-5059
Melvyn's: 325-2323
Pomme
Frite: 778-3727
St. James at the Vineyard: 320-8041
Sherman 's Deli: 325-1199
Top of the Tram: 515-TRAM
Museums
Cabot's Pueblo Museum : 329-7610
67-616 East Desert View Avenue , Desert Hot Springs
Children's Discovery Museum : 321-0602
71-701 Gerald Ford Drive , Rancho Mirage
Desert Holocaust Memorial: 325-7281
San Pablo Avenue and Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert
General Patton Memorial Museum : 227-3483
62510 Chiriaco Road , Chiriaco Summit
Palm Springs Desert Museum: 325-0189
101 Museum Drive
Palm Springs Air Museum : 778-6262
745 North Gene Autry Trail
Entertainments:
Demuth Park Tennis Courts: 323-8272
4365 Mesquite Avenue
Indian Canyons: 325-3400
End of South Palm Canyon Drive
Indian Wells Tennis Garden : 200-8000
78-200 Miles Avenue , Indian Wells
Palm Canyon Theatre: 323-5123
538 North Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs
Aerial Tramway: 325-1391
1 Tramway Road (north Palm Springs )
Lake Cahuilla fishing: 564-4712
Living Desert Zoo and Gardens: 346-5694
47-900 Portola Avenue , Palm Desert
Knott's Soak City : 327-0499
1500 Gene Autry Trail
McCallum Theatre: 340-2787
73-000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert
Mesquite Country Club Tennis Courts: 323-1502
2700 East Mesquite Avenue
Moorten Botanical Gardens: 327-6555
1701 South Palm Canyon Drive
Plaza Theatre, The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies : 327-0225
128 South Palm Canyon Drive
Racquet Club of Palm Springs Tennis Courts: 325-1281
2743 North Indian Canyon Drive
Shields Date Garden : 347-0996
80-225 Hwy 111, Indio
Smoke Tree Stables: 327-1372
2500 Toledo Avenue
Tahquitz Creek Golf Resort Golf Course: 328-1005
1885 Golf Club Drive
Tommy Jacobs Bel Air Greens Golf Course: 322-6062
1001 El Cielo Road
Westin Mission Hills North Golf Course: 770-9496
70-705 Ramon Drive
Westin Mission Hills Resort Golf Course: 328-3198
71501 Dinah Shore Drive
Enjoy any or all of the several ongoing events in and around Palm Springs :
First Friday, Shop North Palm Canyon : Antique shops, galleries and shops are open until 9:00 pm the first Friday of every month.
Palm Springs VillageFest: A lively street fair, on North Palm Canyon Drive between Baristo Road and Amado Road , 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm (October – May) or 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm (June – September).
Street Fair in Palm Desert : Bargain hunting and street fair, on the College of the Desert Campus in Palm Desert , starting at 7:00 am.
Casinos
Agua Caliente Casino: 321-2000
32-250 Bob Hope Drive at Ramon Road
Augustine Casino: 391-9500
84-001 Avenue 54, Coachella
Fantasy Springs Casino: 342-5000
84-245 Indio Springs Parkway , Indio
Palm Springs Spa Resort Casino: 883-1000
401 East Amado Road
Trump 29 Casino: 866-TRUMP29
46-200 Harrison Place , Coachella
Movie Theatres
Camelot Theatres: 325-6565
2300 East Baristo Road
Mary Pickford Theatres: 328-7100
Buddy Rogers Avenue at East Palm Canyon Drive , Cathedral City
Desert IMAX Theatre: 324-7333
Buddy Rogers Avenue at East Palm Canyon Drive , Cathedral City
Signature Desert Cinemas: 322-3456
789 Tahquitz Canyon Way
Cinema Palme D'Or: 779-0730
Westfield Shopping Town, Hwy 111, Palm Desert
Bookstores
Barnes & Noble: 346-0725
Westfield Shopping Town, Hwy 111, Palm Desert
Borders: 779-1314
The River Shopping Center , Hwy 111, Rancho Mirage
Celebrity Books: 320-6575
264 North Palm Canyon Drive
Peppertree Books: 325-4821
622 North Palm Canyon Drive
Churches
Palm Springs Baptist Church : 323-1013
1696 El Cielo Way
St. Theresa Catholic Church: 323-2669
2800 East Ramon Road
Community Church of Palm Springs : 325-2242
284 South Cahuilla Road
Church of St. Paul in the Desert (Episcopal): 320-7488
125 West El Alameda
United Methodist Church of Palm Springs : 327-5931
1555 East Alejo Road
Palm Springs Presbyterian Church: 320-2769
620 South Sunrise Way
Temple Isaiah : 325-2281
332 West Alejo Road
10
El Rancho Lodge:
The Beginning
The El Rancho Lodge was built in 1951 by Don and Zetta Castle , and was originally called Castle's Red Barn. The buildings were painted barn-red, green grass surrounded the pool and waterfall, and tennis courts lined Palm Canyon Drive .
Don Castle was a former stage and movie character actor with MGM, and was featured in the early Andy Hardy movies, Northwest Passage , and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral . He and Zetta were close friends of producer Jack Wrather and actress Bonita Granville. Don was associate producer for Jack's television series Lassie . Jack and Bonita went on to build their own hotel next door. Don died in 1966, at the young age of 49, following a traffic accident. He and Zetta had been divorced, and she went on to manage her friend Bonita's hotel the L'Horizon.
Opened in January 1952, Castle's Red Barn was Hollywood 's “in” place to stay. Now the El Rancho Lodge, it has hosted Gig Young, Elizabeth Montgomery, Jeff Chandler, Lee Marvin, Alan Ladd, Robert Altman, Hal Wallis, Lizabeth Scott, George Reeves ( Superman ), Fess Parker, Buddy Hackett, John Cassavettes, Gina Rowland, Patricia Crowley, Sal Mineo, Jay North ( Dennis the Menace ), Barbara Hale, Motown founder Berry Gordy, and more, as well as numerous writers.
. . . and the El Rancho Lodge today
The El Rancho Lodge retains the same charm and structure of the original Castle's Red Barn, although the tennis courts were lost when Palm Canyon Drive was widened.
An intimate desert hideaway with a European/Mexican flair; a relaxing oasis in a hurried world; the personal attention and hospitality of a country inn. You have stepped back into a world you thought no longer existed, and which you won't want to leave.
Enjoy the quiet and quaint Old Palm Springs atmosphere in the wind-free south section of town, in the historic, exclusive Deepwell area. The El Rancho Lodge is located a mere five minutes from the downtown Village of Palm Springs, with its restaurants, shopping, museums, theatres, galleries, Spa Resort Casino, and world-famous boutiques. A shopping center and restaurants are within walking distance, and close by are stables, the Indian Canyons, hiking, the Knott's Water Park , golf, and tennis. The airport and the Tram are a very short drive away.
Stunning mountain views, the sparkling pool and large Jacuzzi pool, a peaceful garden setting, stately palm, olive, citrus and fig trees, magical desert nights, unbelievable sunsets, and year-round sunshine—this could be paradise!
Shop your heart out at the Cabazon Outlet Mall; take a tour of the movie star homes; visit the unique Living Desert Zoo and Gardens; view the Palm Springs windmills up close; depart on a Jeep or hot air balloon adventure; explore the Joshua Tree National Monument and the high desert; take the scenic drive up the mountain to Idyllwild; discover the Village of Palm Springs during the weekly VillageFest; take in a first-class entertainment with musical or stage performances, the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies , and independent movie theatres; be “in the know” at the Palm Springs International, Short Films, or Film Noir film festivals . . . or just spend the day by the turquoise pool and catch up on your reading and sunning!
As the new owners of the El Rancho Lodge, as of July 2004, we'd like to introduce ourselves to you, and we warmly thank you for staying with us.
Sandy comes to the El Rancho for the second time in her life: Her parents, Marge and Bill Miller, owned the El Rancho Lodge from 1968 to about 1976, and she spent her teenage years here, graduating from Palm Springs High School . In her intervening years away from El Rancho Lodge, she managed bookstores in New York , San Diego , and Flagstaff , spent the last few years working in marketing and publicity in the book industry, and served on the board of the San Diego Council on Literacy.
Robert is from the Bay Area in California (we are both native Californians), and worked in Silicon Valley , most recently designing web sites. Robert designed the new El Rancho Lodge logo, and our new web site (www.elranchlodge.com). He also served as the President of a San Diego musical society, the San Dieguito Performing Arts Association.
Welcome, relax and enjoy!
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