Palm Springs Rael hotel project to break ground this summer

Connie Bramoweth and her husband Larry own Bram’s jewelry and antiques in Palm Springs. Across the road sits an empty 4-acre dirt lot.

“I’ve seen it with buildings. I’ve seen it when we didn’t have buildings,” said Bramoweth.

After more than 10 years, the Palms Springs City Council gave its final stamp of approval on the Lawrence Rael’s Port Lawrence project. Rael will move forward with building a 150-room boutique hotel at the corner of North Palm Canyon Driver and Alejo Road. The project was originally planned to be condiminiums, but it was put on hold during the economic downturn and has been used a partial parking lot since.

“It left a really a bad taste, now we’re used to it,” said Bramoweth.

“When most developers his developer has stayed with us for 11 years. To get the funding and ready to go, to be breaking ground is really exciting,” said Mayor Steve Pougnet.

Pougnet said $2 million of Measure J funds will be used to build a parking garage of 100 parking spots that’ll be free to the public. The mayor hopes the project will be an economic driving force for the city by creating construction jobs, permanent jobs and add to the transient occupancy tax. It’ll also create some competition among resorts.

“For the last few weekends we’ve been sold out of hotel rooms. Competition is good. We need those rooms. You want weekends to be busy, but you have to have places for people to stay,” said Pougnet.

The hotel space will include a rooftop pool and 27,000 square feet of retail and restaurants. Bramoweth said she’s excited the hotel’s finally getting built.

“Finally being the key word here. It will be lovely, needed and I’ll believe it when I see it,” she said.

As for what brand the hotel will be, Pougnet said we’ll have to wait and see.