The Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, CA is an expansive hotel complex. We came to the hotel quite ready to check-in and relax. As a Gold member of the SPG program, I did not receive an upgrade but they extended us a welcome gift (caramel corn in our room) and breakfast for just one of the days we were there. Although we had to wait in line for 15 minutes to check-in, when we got up there she was very nice and sent us over to the concierge desk to get a "free gift" -- it was nothing more than an invitation to attend the Starwood Vacation Ownership information session (offer of 10,000 Starwood Points or $125 to attend). No thank you!!
Our room was located on the far side of the hotel grounds, so I was glad my wife had suggested we leave the car just outside the lobby. We had to drive around to get to the room. The private villas looked very cool, but I think you have to own Starwood Vacation Ownership to gain access there. The resort was very green and lush, just the kind of place we wanted to come to relax! The room had a Heavenly Bed and Heavenly Shower. It was in okay condition, but certainly not becoming of a four-star resort. There were some stains on the carpet and chips in the tile in the bathroom. Housekeeping did not come every day or else we were in our room and did not want to be disturbed when they came (this was early evening!). So I think we only got our room cleaned two or three times. Newspaper delivery was also a little spotty.
The pools are big and I even saw one with a slide, which I'm sure our kids would have liked had they accompanied us. There is a separate adult pool, which was welcome given the splashing and screaming at the family pools. The adult pool was rarely very crowded when we used it. I also used the fitness room a few times while we were there, but found it stuffy and small.
About half-way through the stay, we received a call from a staff member to "evaluate" our stay. I had never seen this before, but I'm glad he did not sell on the Starwood Vacation Ownership again. That would have been slightly annoying. I related that we did not receive any manner of upgrade as a Gold member, for which he apologized, pointed out we had received a view of the golf courses, and explained they were very full; which is the standard line for anytime you make such a request! We also had a couple messages on the voicemail reminding us about the SVO deals to be had while we were at the hotel. Wish we could just "opt-out" of such marketing right from the get-go at check-in.
The breakfast buffet was adequate and of medium quality. Since we had only one day of breakfasts, we opted to forrage for our own food in the mornings in Palm Springs or skip the meal all-together. We did not order room service during our stay. Like any resort, food and drinks were overpriced.
As a Gold member, they should have been able to extend a late check-out to me and my wife. However, I found that they were not very flexible. The latest we could check-out was 2PM. City hotels always seem more reasonable in this regard than resorts. I was a little peeved, but my wife suggested we just leave our bags with the bellhop while we explore Palm Springs to kill time.
In the end, it was a decent stay but far from perfect. Probably the only reason I would return to the hotel would be for the Starwood points. I'm sure there are other better hotels in the Palm Springs area.
Review by flywithme.
Posted at June 24, 2006 10:36 AM
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2 experiences with westin mission hills
June 24, 2006 11:04 AM. SFowler said:
We had a similar experience as Platinum members, although we were upgraded to a suite and received breakfast for the duration of our stay. Service was spotty, as you mentioned, and the hotel generally seemed understaffed (housekeeping, check-in staff, etc.). I attended the SVO presentation, which was pushy (although, what do you expect!) and received my points. The offer wasn't bad if you're into the vacation ownership thing -- over 200,000 Starwood points could be netted. But I don't need it or want it. Nice resort, very large!
July 6, 2006 1:35 AM. edoRAYE said:
We spent a night at Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, a city 20 minutes away from downtown Palm Springs. The short drive on the local streets to the resort was rather interesting. There were vacation homes on one side of the street and desert on the other.
The resort occupies 360 acres and boasts two great golf courses and many pools & parks. Accommodations were in the form of 472 rooms and 30 suites arranged in countless two-storey townhome-like buildings. We got a room on the 2nd floor so we could leave the balcony door open for our puppy Beaker to go potty. We were delighted that the resort is pet-friendly at no additional charge.
Check-in was a very pleasant experience. Although there was a short line because of the holiday weekend, the front desk staff were efficient, courteous but unhurried. The lobby smelled absolutely divine. I later learned from the Spa receptionist that it is a white ginger tea scent that Starwood (its parent company) is launching at all Westins worldwide.
The interior of the room was pleasant; dark chocolatey furniture, earthy upholstery, creamy walls, and white linen. The highlights were the plush Westin Heavenly Beds® and the enormous L-shaped bathroom with dual sinks, a dual showerhead, an extra countertop that everyone would appreciate and a good-sized closet. Everything was reasonably well-kept.
We did little on the first day except to hang out in the room with Beaker, watch the Discovery channel, and have dinner at Bella Vista, one of the resort's restaurants that was offering a different buffet everyday throughout the holiday weekend. We tried the Italian (pasta-less) buffet that was on that evening. Although it wasn't an extensive spread, every single dish was fresh and delicious, especially the roasted vegetables! I had seconds, of course.
We spent the night out in the balcony that faces a mid-sized pool, enjoying the warm summer desert night, sipping coffee and sharing a smooth H. Upmann cigar.
The next morning, we had breakfast delivered to the room so the husband could sleep in. After breakfast, I headed to the resort's spa. I couldn't get a massage as all the masseurs and masseuses were fully booked. (Travel tip: Book spa services in advance.) So I settled for a facial and body scrub instead. Many thanks to Adrianna, the spa's Lead Aesthetician for it was undoubtedly the best facial I've ever had!
All in all, we had a very pleasant stay at the Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, CA.