5 Things I Didn’t Like About the Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, in California

The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, is just outside Palm Springs, California, and a short drive from the area’s major attractions, including the Indian Wells Tennis Center, Coachella Valley, world-famous golf courses, and more.

The Ritz-Carlton is one of the priciest hotels in the area and boasts extraordinary views of the entire valley. It’s about a 25-minute drive from Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), and the best way to get to the hotel is by car since no public transit options are available.

I had the chance to stay here in March 2025, right at the height of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in neighboring Indian Wells, and an influx of tourists to the area. With per-night cash rates of over $1,400, I got a fantastic steal using an expiring Marriott free night award certificate. Let’s dive in and look at what you should know about this hotel.

1. There’s a Hefty Resort Fee

The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, charges a $50 per night resort fee, plus tax, which will be a turn-off for many guests. This fee is an absolute rip-off. It includes free Wi-Fi (which Marriott Bonvoy elite members get anyway), bottled water, a candy display in the lobby, nightly stargazing opportunities, fitness classes, and access to the hotel’s gym and spa area. Most hotels in the Palm Springs area charge a resort fee.

The daily candy display in the lobby features cheap candies, such as lollipops, set up in a fancy formation. You won’t find anything high-end here. Had the display featured some local chocolates or premium offerings, it might be justified in the fee. When I visited, it seemed someone had raided a local 7-11 and offered the cheapest options.

I didn’t partake in the nightly stargazing session as I had something else to do, but I suppose that could be quite fun, considering where the resort is situated. It’s on top of a large hill with sweeping views of the valley below. There’s limited light pollution in this area, where you should be able to see stars and planets clearly.

Access to the gym space is 24/7, but if you want a spa treatment, you must sign up for it. Unfortunately, the resort fee only covers the privilege of signing up for this and exercising in a facility that would normally be free at other hotels.

Marriott now includes the resort fee in the cost of the room displayed online.

2. Parking Is Pricey

Valet parking at this hotel is $50 a night, plus tax. The only option is to use the hotel’s valet without self-parking.

The Ritz-Carlton is about a 25-minute drive from the airport, and the property has no public transit. Because of this, your only options for getting to and from the property are using a car or a ride-share.

Ride-sharing would be highly inconvenient as there are no walkable things to do from the resort itself. Most activities, including high-end shopping and great restaurants, are at least a 10-minute drive away. Essentially, you need a car when staying at this hotel.

Unfortunately, the hotel capitalizes on this reality and forces you to pay the high valet price each night. It would be one thing to offer a cheaper self-parking option and valet for those who want that, but to force everyone into paying $50 per night is extremely steep. You can see the valet lot only a couple hundred feet from the main entrance, and it would be extremely easy to use this area for self-parking if the hotel wanted to.

I had a little trouble using the valet during my stay. I gave the front desk my valet ticket number, and they called for the car, but the car didn’t arrive. After about 20 minutes of waiting, I realized that something must have been wrong. When I approached the valet desk asking where my car was, they said they had received no call from the front desk, even though I witnessed the front desk agent call over. This certainly did not reflect the hefty valet price tag you must pay.

3. Rates Can Be Very Expensive

Rates at Ritz-Carlton hotels are typically costly, but the Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, has very high rates in the peak season. I visited in mid-March 2025, right in the middle of the main tourist season, and the famous BNP Paribas Open was nearby. All hotels in the area were extremely busy, and the Ritz-Carlton charged approximately $1,400 a night for a stay in a standard 1-king bedroom.

While this may seem high, high-end hotels throughout the Coachella Valley are priced similarly. About a 15-minute drive away is the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells, and standard rooms there were also going for north of $1,000 a night.

Over the summer, when it’s extremely hot in the Palm Springs area, there are far fewer tourists, and some snowbird residents leave during the hottest part of the year. Palm Springs rates drop to a much more palatable $400 or so a night during the summer. While still expensive, you get far more bang for your buck over the summer months, but you’ll have to deal with oppressive temperatures.

I stayed at this hotel for only 1 night, so I used the 85,000-point free night award certificate from my Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant^® American Express^® Card. The nightly rate was 97,000 points, so I used 12,000 Marriott Bonvoy points from my account in addition to the certificate to book the single-night stay. Even if you use points or a certificate at this property, you’ll still pay $100 extra each night in fees (parking and resort fee), so a “free” stay here really isn’t free.

4. The Location Isn’t Walkable

Depending on your needs in the area, the Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, can be a great option, but it also has drawbacks. To get to the resort, you must ride-share or drive, and public transit isn’t an option. As most of the Coachella Valley requires a car to visit, the hotel is not great for those who don’t drive, can’t rent a car, or don’t want to get ride-share vehicles everywhere.

There are some walking paths at the resort itself, but no businesses or attractions are walkable from the hotel. On Highway 111, you’ll find various restaurants and shops, and about a 10-minute drive away is the high-end shopping district along El Paseo. Here, you’ll find all of the major design retailers.

The nearby towns of Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, and La Quinta are fairly close, but each requires a car. If you’re looking to head into Palm Springs for dinner, that’s about a 20-minute drive away, and again, it is not accessible by public transit.

Though you need a car when staying at this hotel, the area is peaceful and quiet for optimal relaxation. It’s secluded from the business below the hill and a great place for a relaxing getaway, so it has its perks! You’ll find some rooms facing the desert or mountain, some facing the valley below, and others facing the inner courtyards of the resort.

The hotel seemed to be a hotspot for conferences, as a major bank retreat occurred when I stayed at the resort. Unfortunately, one of the evenings, there was a retreat dinner outside in the main courtyard. The guest speaker talked for over an hour about politics, which was unwelcome considering I was trying to escape my hometown of Washington, D.C.!

5. The Rooms Are Small

When I checked in, I was surprised at how small the rooms were at this resort. My room, which featured a king-sized bed overlooking the property’s central courtyard, was smaller than most hotel rooms I’ve stayed in.

The bathroom was nicely sized, with a full soaking tub, shower, vanity, and a separate toilet room, but it took up significant square footage from the room’s living area. Right next to the king bed was a lounge sofa crammed between the bed and the glass window. It obstructed the view since it was hard to pull back the curtains.

Next to the desk was a random sitting chair, again crammed between the desk and the wall. These base rooms felt smaller than other hotels, though I appreciated the spacious balcony with 2 sitting chairs and a large table.

For the price point of these rooms, I expected a better layout and a little more room to spread out.

Final Thoughts

The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, is a pricey hotel just outside Palm Springs. While the hotel is branded as a luxury property with Marriott, which is certainly nice, it didn’t quite feel up to the Ritz-Carlton standard. With cheap inclusions for the resort fee and a hotel feeling like a top-end Westin vs. a truly luxury Ritz-Carlton, I felt the property needed a bit of work to bring it up to a 5-star standard. With rates as high as they are and a whopping $100+ in mandatory fees a night, I’m not sure I’d return to this hotel anytime soon.