StarwoodGuy: Palm Springs and Disney Birthday Getaway

   I love the Parker in Palm Springs but on my first night over the busy Memorial Day weekend I could not get a room there so I opted for the other Starwood Hotel close to town, the Riviera. I had stayed once before right after the hotel was renovated and the service had been terrible. There have definitely been improvements in terms of service, with friendly staff at the pool, at the front desk, and throughout the property.
     The hotel has a very modern feel with a younger and trendier vibe then many of the other hotels which can gear towards an older clientele at times. The downside was that the property was so full so there was fighting for lounge chairs and a very mixed crowd of party groups trying to mingle with families with small kids. I still like the renovations and the location is excellent since you can walk to town, unlike any of the other Starwood properties in Palm Springs. There are two pools, one main pool with the larger bar and the small gym overlooking it, and then the farther out pool which also has a bar but this is more of a quiet pool with a children focus.
      We had been given an upstairs suite overlooking the grounds not the pool, something I was pleased about since it was quite noisy at the pool area. The room had a large sofa and sitting area, big balcony, and a very large master bedroom and bathroom. The restaurant was quite nice for breakfast but the staff could barely keep up with the sheer volume of guests. It was a great stay and good property but it was a little too busy, I think it would be a much more relaxing spot on a non-long weekend, but a good value if the Parker is out of reach financially and you do not want to stay at one of the Westin properties which are focused to golf and kids activities.