Spring break in Palm Springs
More and more people are choosing the Coachella Valley to spend their spring break. This is the time where we used to see snowbirds start to head hom,e but as you might have noticed, local hotels and restaurants are still busy. For businesses, it’s a welcome new trend.
Michael Von Wittenau, director of sales and marketing at the Saguaro Hotel, says, “It’s a very effortless great value vacation. You can’t beat Palm Springs.”
Palm Springs is once again becoming a spring break destination.
“It’s a lot of fun. I like to play a lot of golf, and it’s very relaxing,” said Daniel Arenson who is visiting from Chicago.
“I enjoy the people, the people are friendly, it’s not rush, rush, big city kind of place and it’s got a terrific climate,” said David Johns, from British Columbia.
When you look at the rest of the country, most people are still covered in snow; a stark contrast to the desert’s 80 degree weather.
“it is always beautiful weather every day. Our joke is we wake up and it’s sunny and beautiful and exactly the same everyday,” said Susie Arenson from Chicago.
Jon Friedman is visiting from Oregon, “It’s great to get some sun and get out of the rain in Portland and have a good time. I get to swim in a pool instead of getting drenched just walking around.”
Hotels are catering to to the new crowd, offering package deals and special activities.
“We have DJs on the weekends as you can hear the background music. We are launching movie under the stars which should be a lot of fun. We will have some complimentary popcorn and some great culinary creations while people are able to enjoy some iconic films shot in Palm Springs and other areas while floating in the pool,” said Von Wittenau.
Knott’s Soak City also opened just for spring breakers. It’s now open 7 days a week through April 7th.
“Palm Springs is a lot more than just golf, there is a lot of great activities. There is great hiking, great museums, but a lot of activities for families to enjoy and I think it’s become a great destination from people all across the world,” said Von Wittenau.
Palm Springs has become an easier choice for spring breakers because of how easy it is to get here. There are a lot more non-stop flights into the Palm Springs Airport including a brand new flight this year from New York.
Mary Jo Ginther, the director of the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism, said, “It was a very very exciting happening for Palm Springs. We have never had a non-stop flight from New York before. We were excited when it went to San Francisco and came to Palm Springs.”
More visitors means more people eating, shopping, staying in hotels; pumping more money into the local economy.
“April used to be considered somewhat of a shoulder month, even an off month in slower years and now it’s still one of the peak months,” said Ginther.
The Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism has also launched a website aimed at bringing more people to the Valley for spring break. PalmSpringsbreak.com connects vacationers with the latest deals in the area.
