A look inside Triada Palm Springs after $8-million renovation

Triada Palm Springs has been known by several names over the decades: the Ambassador Hotel, Alan Ladd’s Spanish Inn and then just the Spanish Inn. In November it resurfaced as part of the Autograph Collection by Marriott after undergoing an extensive renovation.

The hotel was built in 1939 and has three wings and 56 rooms. No two are alike, a Triada Palm Springs announcement says.

The hacienda-style building was closed during the nearly $8-million renovation, which basically rebuilt the entire structure. It has two pools with sundecks and cabanas, and a restaurant and lounge called Iluminara.

You can stay in a casita with an open kitchen, dining room and outdoor sitting areas, or a standard room with a queen-sized bed. Many rooms have full kitchens and Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, according to the statement.

Room rates start at $219 in low season (summer) and $419 in high season. (I checked online and found rooms starting at $111 a night on random June dates.)

The hotel started life as a private residence and became the Ambassador Hotel in 1948. In 1972, Alan Ladd’s widow, Sue Carol Ladd, bought it and named it after her late movie-star husband. It was Alan Ladd’s Spanish Inn until 1982, when it became known as just the Spanish Inn.

Guests at the hotel included Hollywood stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Lana Turner, Tyrone Power and Esther Williams.

It sat vacant for years before Pacifica Host Hotels bought it in 2012 and started work on upgrades. As part of the Autograph Collection, it’s one of 75 independent hotels worldwide.

Info: Triada Palm Springs, 640 N. Indian Canyon Drive; (760) 844-7000