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The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage
Rancho Mirage, California, United States · Ritz-Carlton · High Luxury
Originally the seventh Ritz-Carlton in the world when it opened in 1988, this property was fully rebuilt and relaunched in 2014 atop a 650-foot bluff on Frank Sinatra Drive, infinity pools engineered to spill over the desert floor, with panoramic views across the Coachella Valley to the San Jacinto Mountains.
- 244 rooms
- Opened 1988
- Neighborhood: CA - California Desert
- Rooms from 450 sq ft (42 m²)
About The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage
- When the original Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage opened in 1988 on Frank Sinatra Drive, it was only the seventh Ritz-Carlton in the world.
- Rather than renovate, owners undertook a complete demolition and reconstruction, returning the 650-foot bluff site to bare earth before building an entirely new resort that opened in 2014.
- The infinity pools were engineered to appear to pour over the desert floor six hundred and fifty feet below, an illusion the Coachella Valley's scale makes convincing at sunset.
- Edge Steakhouse sits at the escarpment's lip, pairing dry-aged beef with 360-degree views across the valley to the San Jacinto Mountains.
- The resort sits on land within the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians' traditional range, a geographic fact the property's interpretive programming acknowledges.
History
The Coachella Valley's relationship with luxury resort development stretches back at least to the 1920s, when Palm Springs began attracting Hollywood figures, industrialists, and the infirm who came for the desert air. The valley's particular combination of extreme heat, arid clarity, and mountain drama — the San Jacinto range rises nearly eleven thousand feet from the valley floor in one of the steepest escarpments in North America — made it a landscape that rewarded bold architectural gestures, and the succession of midcentury modern houses, country clubs, and resort hotels that accumulated along Highway 111 became one of the most concentrated examples of postwar American leisure architecture in the world.
The original Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage opened in 1988 on a dramatically positioned site on Frank Sinatra Drive, perched on a 650-foot bluff overlooking the valley from the south. It was, remarkably, only the seventh Ritz-Carlton in the world at that point — the brand was still a boutique enterprise by later standards — and its desert setting represented a departure from the urban and coastal locations that had defined the chain to that point. The property operated for more than two decades before a decision was made that is rare in luxury hospitality: rather than restore or renovate, the owners undertook a complete demolition and reconstruction, returning the site to bare earth before building an entirely new hotel designed to take maximum advantage of the bluff's position.
The rebuilt resort opened in 2014. The contemporary structure is built into the hillside in a way that makes the building's relationship with the landscape inseparable from its architecture — terraces step down the slope, and the infinity pools were engineered to appear to pour over the desert floor six hundred and fifty feet below, an illusion that the valley's scale and clarity makes completely convincing at sunset. The Edge Steakhouse, positioned at the escarpment's lip, offers dry-aged beef and 360-degree valley views in a combination that distills the resort's ambition into a single dining experience.
The location on Frank Sinatra Drive is a reminder that the Coachella Valley is saturated with the cultural associations of midcentury American celebrity. Sinatra's estate at Twin Palms in Palm Springs is nearby; Sunnylands, the Annenberg winter compound where eight sitting presidents have visited, is a short drive away; and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, whose ancestral hot-springs territory gives the entire region its name, have reclaimed significant cultural and economic presence across the valley. The Ritz-Carlton sits on land that falls within the Agua Caliente's traditional range, a geographic fact that the resort's interpretive programming acknowledges. The hotel held AAA Five Diamond designation in its previous incarnation and has carried AAA Four Diamond status since its 2014 reopening, serving a market that has never lacked for discerning visitors.
The setting
Perched above the Coachella Valley on land purchased by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians — whose ancestral hot-springs territory gives the entire region its name. 4 miles from tours of Sunnylands Center & Gardens. 7 miles from Palm Springs International Airport.
Restaurants and bars
- State Fare Bar & Kitchen — Restaurant · American
- The Edge Steakhouse — Restaurant · Steakhouse
- Air Pool Bar — Poolside · California
Experiences
- Club Lounge access — Club Lounge access with a personalized welcome and seamless check-in, reserved for Club-level bookings.
- Daily Culinary Presentations — Complimentary continuous food and beverage presentations (breakfast, lunch, hors d'oeuvres, cordials) using locally sourced ingredients.
- Spa Month: Detox Hour, SkinGym and Sound Bath — Complimentary Detox Hour, SkinGym and customized Sound Bath during August Spa Month.
- Cut & Culture: Dry-aged Beef Technique — Hands-on culinary journey discovering dry-aged beef at The Edge Steakhouse, described as the only cliffside restaurant overlooking the valley.
- Exclusive Culinary Experience with Master Chef Bruno — Hands-on classes on Mondays and Tuesdays with wine pairings, gourmet creations and a recipe booklet; group reservations from $3,000.
- Preferred tee times — Club Level golfers receive access to preferred tee times and complimentary rentals.
Amenities
- Perched 650 feet above the Coachella Valley with infinity-edge pools
- 25,000 sq ft Ritz-Carlton Spa with Moroccan-inspired hammam
- Trail access to the Santa Rosa Mountain wildlife sanctuary
- Adults-only pool and family pool with waterfall
- 25 minutes from Coachella and Stagecoach festival grounds
- Infinity pool
- Sauna
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Pet-friendly
- EV charging
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Recommended (2026)
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2020)
- AAA Five Diamond (2017)
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