The Best New Hotels in the World: 2019 Hot List

"For a long time after its Fifties and Sixties heyday, Palm Springs was in a mid-century-design time warp, frozen in a world of extremes—Bacchic pool parties and staid games of golf. Over the past few years, though, a different energy has emerged, with young Angelenos choosing the town as a drivable weekend destination. A different type of traveler has followed—one seeking sun but also wanting to hike in Joshua Tree, catch live music at Pappy & Harriet’s and get inspired at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Sands, a reimagined Fifties motel, has this more worldly visitor in mind, like Rossi and The Rowan did the year before. Interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, sought after for his ability to color with wild abandon, applied his flair here: bubble-gum-pink walls, Warhol banana-yellow against black and white. He channeled another desert 6,000 miles away with Moroccan zellige and ceramic tiles, kitting out the 46 adults-only rooms with Beni Ourain rugs, ikat upholstery and zebra-striped furniture, and shading the chaises longues at the pool with Bedouin-tent-style cabanas. But not forgetting Sands is in the Sonoran not the Saharan desert, there are just enough Hollywood nods to bring you back: mirror-backed liquor cabinets in the rooms; an obvious homage to the Beverly Hills Hotel in the leaf-print wallpaper of the Pink Cabana restaurant; and photographs of stars including Farrah Fawcett. This is next-level Americana escapism, with a global influence. FLASH POINT Next door at The Nest, a swinging Rat Pack-era haunt, dancers of all ages still sweat it out till the wee hours. (760) 321-3771; sandshotelandspa.com. Doubles from about $249" - CNT Editors