During Hollywood’s golden age, movie studios insisted on a ‘two-hour rule’ that kept stars within reach of Los Angeles during production. For those seeking to escape prying paparazzi, one destination emerged just inside that perimeter: the flourishing oasis of Palm Springs.

As the likes of Clark Gable and Marlene Dietrich descended, so did visionary architects charged with creating fitting homes. Between the 1920s and 1960s, Palm Springs saw the birth of an architectural style known as ‘desert modernism’. Clean lines accentuated the natural curves of the surrounding mountains, while courtyards and pools promoted indoor-outdoor living.

This glamorous ideal is still a way of life at Parker Palm Springs, a 13-acre estate with its own A-list backstory. Built in 1959 as California’s first Holiday Inn, it was bought two years later by Western star Gene Autry, who added his own exemplary mid-century modern home that’s now the hotel’s finest two-bedroom suite.

Hotelier Jack Parker took charge in 2003. He recruited designer Jonathan Adler, who added the striking 23ft sunshade and tangerine doors that have become the much-photographed face of the hotel.

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Published in National Geographic Traveller, June 2026