Palm Desert Hotels Benefit from Coachella, Stagecoach Festivals

As the Stagecoach caravans pull out of town wrapping up the April music season in the Coachella Valley, local hotels are again counting the blessings brought on by the events.

That's because several hotels in the area report they were either fully booked up through the two weekends of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and Stagecoach– or were at least within a few hotel rooms of getting there.

The JW Marriott Desert Springs tells Palm Desert Patch that they booked up all 884 rooms on their 450-acre resort for the three-weekends.

"JW Marriott Desert Springs has been sold out all three weekends within Coachella and Stagecoach Festivals," Marketing Director Kathryn Cortese said.  

"The occupancy has been a mix of festival goers and convention attendees," she said.  "We are pleased to accommodate both leisure and business guests during this time."

Palm Desert's other major resort, the Westin Desert Willow, also was booked up, according to staff.  Patch is told that all 300 rooms sold out during the three music festival weekends.

The Best Western Plus on Highway 111 in Palm Desert reported sell-outs of their 153-room hotel for the festival weekends as well.

The Holiday Inn Express Palm Desert told Patch that their 129-room facility had about 98 percent occupancy for Stagecoach.  They were sold-out for both weekends of Coachella.

According to Billboard Boxscore, last year's Coachella grossed more than $47 million, while Stagecoach brought in $13 million.

Resorts Benefit From Festival Parties

When music lovers come to town, they're not just looking to spend time at the festivals; rather, many start their days off by heading to one of the many pool parties held at local resorts.

Those parties are hosted throughout the Valley, and this year at least one such event was held here in Palm Desert.

The JW Marriott capitalized on an opportunity to host a festival party, as the clothing line Mimi Chica held an event celebrating their festival-themed clothing line.  The company, along with Nordstrom and Star 98.7, invited people out to enjoy an afternoon of music, food, drinks and hors d'oeuvres poolside.

"We've been coming to this Marriott... for 16 years, we love it out here," co-owner Paul Spoleti told Patch at the April 20 event. "We were just talking today, we should buy a house out here."

Spoleti and his wife Michelle founded their line in 1998, and it's now carried in thousands of stores across the United States, with Nordstorm offering several exclusive pieces.  Based in Los Angeles, the owners say they love visiting the desert and told Patch they're huge fans of the local area.