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A Resort of Choice

By Ellen Paris

Seen Right: The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa — Pete Dye Resort Course.

The City of Rancho Mirage sparkles as a small resort oasis in the desert landscape.

From fine dining to championship golf to the worldclass, $25 million La Prairie Spa at the new The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage, there’s no doubt, Rancho Mirage is a five-star resort experience within a small city. Visitors need never leave the city limits to enjoy almost 70 restaurants, over a million square feet of shopping; and a variety of dining, shopping, and entertainment choices at The River.

“The River is a total destination beckoning valley residents and visitors from the four corners of the country and, indeed, from around the world — all enjoying a great entertainment and lifestyle center,” observes Rancho Mirage Mayor G. Dana Hobart.

Nowhere else in the Valley is there so much to see and do seven nights a week. The city showcases a full calendar of cultural events thanks to the Rancho Mirage Cultural Commission, which recently brought Dave Brubeck to the Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa as a part of the city’s concert series.

In only 24.7 square miles, with a permanent population of almost 17,000 (which doubles during “season”), Rancho Mirage has garnered an international reputation for its luxury resorts, exclusive country club communities, and natural beauty. Residents and visitors enjoy this resort lifestyle year-round with miles of wide sculpted sidewalks perfect for walking, running and biking. Hiking the trails and enjoying Rancho Mirage’s five parks with stunning mountain views are part of the resort experience. Even touring Rancho Mirage’s wide treelined streets with lush landscaped medians is an adventure: they are paved with a special blend of hot rubberized asphalt, making for an incredibly smooth and quiet driving experience.

When the new Ritz-Carlton opens next year, Rancho Mirage will boast three luxury first-class resorts. The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage will be a five-star resort, providing the epitome in luxurious hotel and spa accommodations, as well as a partnership with a celebrated Southern California-based chef/ restaurateur. It will feature a 24,000-square-foot, internationally acclaimed La Prairie Spa which will provide new meaning to restorative relaxation while adding additional cachet to the city.

“Our commercial and hotel development has been designed by the council and staff to provide us with an economic engine to propel Rancho Mirage into the next century,” explains Hobart. The resorts not only enhance the city’s distinctive character, but also constitute the city’s primary source of revenue. Because of its projected fiscal importance, the city expedited development for the new Ritz-Carlton, which will have the most luxurious spa to be found in the desert.

The multimillion dollar upgrade and renovations of the former Marriott, which is now the Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, was also fast-tracked. New signature spa rooms offer spacious early California-style accommodations, that include 42-inch plasma televisions and amenities worthy of the most demanding resort guest.

Set on 360 acres, The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa continues to be a vibrant destination and choice venue for many of the valley’s major black-tie charitable galas. With more than 75,000 square feet of meeting space, The Westin is also one the most highly sought business and convention resorts in the desert because of its outstanding facilities and two championship PGA golf courses.

Remaining a small, exclusive resort city is key to Rancho Mirage’s future. The city council recognized the importance of curtailing expansion of the city’s boundaries to ensure that Rancho Mirage remains a unique jewel of a city. The city is currently in the process of trimming its potential size by six square miles — a land area north of Interstate 10, between prolongations of Bob Hope and Da Vall drives. “We’re making this move because of the enormous economic problems and financial pressure that expansion into the northern area would impose on the south side,” Hobart says. “An estimated annual transference of approximately $8 million would be required. Furthermore, more than doubling the population of Rancho Mirage would completely transform the image and essence of our community. We would no longer be a special resort community with an extraordinary quality of life. Being ‘just another city’ is not our vision, nor our destiny.”

Another exciting feature of the city, which will draw visitors, is the Agua Caliente Casino and its dramatic new 400-room hotel, scheduled to open in early 2008. The city and the Agua Caliente tribe have forged a relationship that provides both sides with numerous benefits, including the city receiving the equivalent of additional bed-tax revenue generated by the new hotel. “We are quite pleased with this developing relationship with the tribe. It allows us both to lean on each other in a mutually beneficial partnership,” Hobart observes.

To enhance Rancho Mirage’s position as a pre-eminent resort destination, the city is establishing a tourism bureau with the objective of focusing the tourism spotlight throughout the country on Rancho Mirage’s unparalleled resort attractions. “Visitors tell us they have been seduced by Rancho Mirage’s beauty, sophistication and lifestyle; we want to spread the word,” Hobart says.

It is no surprise that Rancho Mirage stands proudly among world-class resort cities, yet exhibiting a distinctive chic elegance all its own.

Mayor G. Dana Hobart Mayor Pro Tem Ron Meepos	Council Members Richard W. Kite Gordon Moller Alan Seman	Year Incorporated 1973 Population 16,944	Median Household Income $89,000
		Beautiful Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage. Courtesy Rancho Las Palmas
		The outdoor amphitheatre at The River is a favorite of visitors.
		The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage — proposed guest wing perspective view.