BACKSTORY:
1957: Irwin Schuman, owner of the Chi Chi Club, purchases land for the Riviera and develops plans for the hotel. In
1958-59: The Riviera opens and is an instant hit with the business elite. It was the only U.S. hotel built in a spoke wheel shape which fit into the 60’s psychedelic culture because of its communal shape.
1960's: The Riviera was a hang out for the “Rat Pack,” where Elvis Presley visits with his band, and where Connie Stevens had her poolside lunch with Robert Conrad in the 1963 film “Palm Springs Weekend.” Bands who performed at the hotel include The Desi Arnaz orchestra, Stan Kenton orchestra, Tommy Dorsey, and Count Basie. Raquel Welch performed here with Bob Hope in the late-60’s and Trini Lopez (a longtime PS resident) performed “Lemon Tree” and “If I Had A Hamme”" in 1968. The Grand Ballroom featured concerts by The Association and The Turtles as a promo for Top 40 station KDES. Sonny and Cher frequented the hotel, as did Nancy Sinatra, who stayed here while filming “The Wild Angels” in 1966.
1970's—1990's: The Riviera becomes more of a family hotel. Sinatra hosts several “Love Ins” in 78’ and 80’ - fundraisers that had Frank donning an apron and cooking pasta sauce in the Riviera kitchen. Sonny Bono Hosted a Celebrity Tennis Tournament in 1988. In the late 80’s, Sonny Bono’s Italian restaurant opened at The Riviera with an additional location on trendy Melrose Avenue in L.A. Sinatra performed in the Grand Ballroom in 1988, opening with “Come Rain or Come Shine.” First Gala for the Frank Sinatra Charity Event Fundraiser for the Desert Hospital (now Palm Springs Regional Medical Center) featuring Vic Damone, Buddy Greco, and Diahann Carroll.
Irwin Schuman passes in 1983, having worked inside his glass office at Riviera from the time the hotel opened in 1959 until his death.
The Riviera Hosts R&B New Years eve in the Grand Ballroom with Beyonce, Jay-Z & Ice T in the late 90’s
2003: Grand Re-Opening in September with screening of “Palm Springs Weekend” with Connie Stevens in attendance.
2006: Noble House Hotels & Resorts purchases The Riviera Palm Springs from The Carpenter’s Union
Fall 2008 Unveil: The New Riviera brings back the glamour and excitement of the halcyon days of the 60’s
During my most recent visit to Palm Springs in 2022, I discovered that the Riviera is now a Margaritaville Hotel. The glamour of old Palm Springs and the Rat Pack is gone.
