A few weeks ago, I attended my fifth in-person FinCon — which was hosted in Palm Springs, California, this year. And since FinCon is all about personal finance, I thought it was only appropriate that I simultaneously treat myself to a bit of luxury while leveraging available tools to keep costs down. What I found during that endeavor was the Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel. So, after exploring options (as we’ll talk about), I booked my three-night stay and have now returned with my full review.
Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel Review: What to Know and My Experience
How I Booked
Knowing that I wanted to keep my out-of-pocket expenses to a minimum for this trip, I initially looked at options that could be booked with my IHG points. That’s how the Kimpton Rowan first came to my attention. However, that’s not how I ended up booking my stay.
Instead, I was excited to find that the Kimpton Rowan was also part of the Amex Hotel Collection. That meant that I could use one of the semi-annual $300 credits that come with my American Express Platinum card. So, I decided to book that way rather than using my points.
By the way, when comparing cash prices, Amex was only slightly more. Howevewr, since Hotel Collection stays include a $100 property credit and more, this method more than outweighed the price difference.
Location
The Kimpton Rowan is in Downtown Palm Springs, sitting at the intersection of Tahquitz Canyon Way and Palm Canyon Drive. Nearby, you’ll find a variety of shops and restaurants, as well as attractions, including the Palm Springs Art Museum.
Of course, as I mentioned, I was in the desert for a conference. While it was a fairly easy straight shot down Tahquitz Canyon Way to the Palm Springs Convention Center from the Rowan, it was at least a 15-minute walk. Thankfully, the 90-degree highs didn’t hit as hard as they could, so this wasn’t a big deal. Still, if you want to be as close as can be to the convention center, you might want to try the Renaissance Palm Springs. But, if you’re just visiting Palm Springs to hang out, the Kimpton’s location is great.
Check-In and Amenities
When arriving at the Kimpton Rowan, I was greeted by a very friendly front desk team member who impressed me in a few ways. First, they went through the Amex Hotel Collection welcome letter with me, making sure I knew all about my included credits and how to use them. They also gifted me some truffles, which were apparently a part of a promotion and aren’t likely the standard (they were delicious, though). They also gave me a wristband to be used when visiting the rooftop pool area.
As I shared in my quick tip, I was also taken aback (positively) to hear that the in-room minibar didn’t utilize any sensors that automatically charge you just for moving items. In fact, she advised that I was welcome to remove the items and use the mini fridge for personal items if I wanted. After dealing with Vegas hotels that charge you just for looking at an item the wrong way and other hotels that use “beverage coolers” instead of actual fridges, this was also very welcome news. Oh, and did I mention that the minibar had a physical key? Kind of cool.
Going back to my Amex perks, my $100 dining credit could be used at any of the on-property dining locations, for room service, or even on minibar purchases. I was also entitled to a $60 per day breakfast credit at Juniper Table.
Elsewhere, I learned that the hotel offered free coffee in the lobby each morning. Spoiler: the coffee was actually quite good! Although the cups are pretty small, so I may or may not have grabbed two of them when I went down.
With that, I was on my way up to my room.
Elevators
I was perhaps slightly apprehensive when I saw that there were only two elevators in the lobby. Yet, I never had an issue catching a car when I needed.
One thing to note, though, is that you will need to tap your key to select your guest room floor. But, since I had physical keys, this wasn’t an issue at all.
A passing grade for the Kimpton Rowan elevators!
The Room
As you look at my photos from the room, you may notice the fun camel motif that The Rowan has. From the pillows to the bathroom and even a green camel figure in the main area, this was a playful but elegant touch.
Anyway, when entering, an open closet concept on one side has an ironing board/iron, robes, the aforementioned camel, and more.
Opposite that is the bathroom, which was lovely. But I did immediately recognize that the shower only had a half sheet of glass, calling back memories of Europe. Thankfully, while I did get some water on the floor, it wasn’t quite the soaking I’m used to when faced with these predicaments.
I’ll also give Kimpton credit for having one of the best-stocked in-room amenity kits I’ve personally encountered.
Back in the main part of the room, the large desk was beautiful and made for a great place to both work and eat (or both at the same time, as I often did). I also liked the subtle decor throughout, including the rug that sat underneath the two queen beds. Speaking of the beds, I found them to be comfy, even if the pillows weren’t my favorite.
Easily the most unique feature of the room was a built-in white noise machine. At first, I had no idea what the little dial on the desk was, but once I took a closer look and tried adjusting the knob upwards, I was pretty excited. Seeing as I’ve been sleeping with a noise machine at home for months now, it was pretty great to have something fairly similar on the road. Although I was initially worried that the presence of the machine suggested that noise from the streets below was usually a problem. Yet, I had no such issues — just lovely sleep all around.
Another amenity I loved was the Nespresso machine. Even with the good coffee in the lobby each morning, it was nice to have a little pick-me-up in my room later in the day. And, of course, there was also the mini-fridge/minibar I’ve now mentioned too many times.
Lastly, my room faced out toward downtown, which was a nice view. Incidentally, during my stay, there was one night where there seemed to be a block party of sorts, making for some good people watching.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my room as it was comfortable, functional, clean, and quiet (especially with the white noise on).
Dining
The Rowan is home to a few dining venues, including Juniper Table, 4 Saints, and High Bar. They also offer in-room dining.
On this trip, I had a chance to try two of these options. First, one afternoon, I headed to the pool bar (High Bar) to place a to-go order. I chose to get the smash burger, which was delicious and filling. Thank goodness for that mini fridge because I ended up saving half of it for later that night. Also, props to The Rowan for carrying one of my favorite non-alcoholic beers: Best Day Brewing Kolsch.
The other option I tried was in-room dining. Hilariously, for whatever reason, I decided on the kid’s pasta as my main dish, but treated myself to some gelato for dessert and had another Best Day Brewing fake beer. My pasta ended up hitting the spot, but it was indeed children’s-sized. Meanwhile, the chocolate gelato was rich and indulgent. And, yes, I did laugh at drinking my N/A while eating kid’s macaroni. This was a meal that definitely wouldn’t have been worth the full cost if I paid it out of pocket, but it was fun to try while being subsidized by a credit.
Of course, there are also plenty of dining locations that are a short distance from The Rowan. For one, right next door is a Starbucks — although I was more than fine with the coffee supplied by the hotel. Elsewhere, on my arrival night, I hurried a few blocks down to Blaze Pizza, which was open even after most everything else had closed (this was at 9:30 p.m., mind you). Lastly, my friend and I grabbed some lunch at the Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar one day and it was surprisingly good!
All in all, I was quite pleased with the surrounding selections as well as those within the hotel itself.
Final Thoughts on the Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel
Even though I only visited the rooftop pool for food, I’d say that my stay at the Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs went swimmingly. Just as I had hoped for, the hotel offered me luxury at a price I could stomach (especially thanks to my Amex perks). Yet, even if I did find the property to be upscale, it lacked pretension and even offered cost-conscious, guest-friendly policies. All of that is a big win in my book — and made it more than worth walking to the Convention Center.
My only disappointment was that this was my first time staying at a Kimpton property and there was no active “password” promotion! Eh, it’s just as well — that would have just been an awkward exchange anyway.
The bottom line is that, if you’re headed to Palm Springs, I think the Kimpton Rowan is a great choice. Furthermore, I look forward to seeking out other unique Kimpton properties going forward.
Per FTC guidelines, this website may be compensated by companies mentioned through advertising, affiliate programs or otherwise. (Note: advertising relationships do not have any influence on editorial content. Advertising compensation allows Money@30 to provide quality content for free. All editorial opinions are those of Kyle Burbank.)