There’s nothing prickly about The Cactai For the modern traveler, it doesn’t get better than The Cactai. This revitalized mid-century modern boutique hotel was built on the vision of “great design, great technology, great art, and great food and drinks,” co-owner Joel Milne said. The Cactai may be new on the Palm Springs scene, but the property has deep roots. It first opened in the late 1940s as Los Dolores, and was purchased in the 1970s by actor Stubby Kay. Joel recently bought the property with two friends — the trio previously worked in the tech industry together — and...

There’s nothing prickly about The Cactai For the modern traveler, it doesn’t get better than The Cactai. This revitalized mid-century modern boutique hotel was built on the vision of “great design, great technology, great art, and great food and drinks,” co-owner Joel Milne said. The Cactai may be new on the Palm Springs scene, but the property has deep roots. It first opened in the late 1940s as Los Dolores, and was purchased in the 1970s by actor Stubby Kay. Joel recently bought the property with two friends — the trio previously worked in the tech industry together — and they were immediately excited about bringing new life to a classic hotel. “It’s a modern revival,” Joel said. “We tried to create a modern oasis. It’s in a great location, with great views of the mountains, and is a secluded, private property.” Joel, his friends, and their families have ties to the desert — after years of coming out from Los Angeles for vacations and staying at boutique hotels, two now have homes in Palm Springs. “We really built the place we would have wanted to stay at back during our dating days, as couples before having kids,” Joel said. The partners and their wives all had a say in things, and Joel’s wife came up with the name, The Cactai, as a fun (and purposely misspelled) nod to its new place as a desert destination. The team dreamed up an amenities list that will make any guest glad they checked in. A curated selection of wine and spirits from around the world will be available to enjoy in rooms or by the pool, and one-of-a-kind works by local artists will be displayed around the hotel (and available for purchase as a great souvenir). In the spacious, apartment-sized rooms and suites, there are plush, pillowtop mattresses, full kitchens or kitchenettes, heated bidet toilets, and smart TVs to watch streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Half of the rooms also have large, private patios for even more space to relax. “I think that makes it feel unique and special, and not like your average chain hotel,” Joel said. Everything in the hotel has been majorly refreshed, with the cabinets replaced, walls replastered, and floors redone. “Everything visible to the naked eye is new,” Joel said. “From the baseboards to the doors, all the kitchens and bathrooms are new.” Already, people are noticing just how much time and effort went into creating The Cactai. Joel recently received an email from a guest who shared that the “attention to detail is apparent and very much appreciated. We’ve been getting that comment a lot. The furniture, the toilets, everything we put in, we really tried to put in quality. It’s solid wood furniture, not pressed board or chain. Those little details might not make the most economical sense, looking at it as a finance person, but if you’re looking at it from a guest experience, we really tried to pay attention.” Joel and his wife, a Coachella Valley native, love Palm Springs, and The Cactai team “believes the city is just a great place to get involved,” he said. “It’s a small town in the sense of you know your neighbors and can get involved and get to know other business owners. We want to be active in the community and are big believers in Palm Springs.”