Palm Desert hotel nearly rebuilt five years after fire
Five years since a fire, started when electrical equipment on the roof malfunctioned, gutted the Fairfield Inn in Palm Desert, a new hotel is close to being finished at the site.
Landscaping is being done at the site of the new Springhill Suites in Palm Desert. While it looks like just another hotel opening up in the valley, for the city it represents progress after a fire destroyed the previous hotel five years ago.
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“We’re very anxious to get the hotel back open again. The word is from staff out in the field is they’re hoping to open up in July,” Russell Grance, Director of Building and Safety for the city of Palm Desert, said.
The new hotel replaces the Fairfield Inn and will have 108 rooms, slightly fewer than before due to the rooms expanding. The city says the rebuilding has taken time due to delays from the property owner.
“They’ve had a lot of resource issues. They’ve had a change of architect as well as contractors,” Grance said.
Despite the delays, the city says the issues were resolved and believe a rebuilt hotel will help accommodate visitors during the high season.
“This area has had a loss of convenience of a hotel, so I think it’s put a burden on the other hotels and I think having that resource back here is a plus for the city,” Grance said.
Locals say they’re glad to see the construction near completion, no longer having to see an empty fenced-off building.
“That’s what it was, an eyesore. So it’s nice that something’s is being built in its place,” Hilary Appleby, a Palm Desert resident, said.
“It’s a welcome addition just to get rid of that eyesore,” Thomas Kearn, a Palm Desert resident, said.
An addition that the city hopes will usher in a new beginning for the site.
