“It’s still going strong, but the Parker Palm Springs has changed hands and names so often that many people don’t know that this storied place has a fascinating history—and has been owned by two different showbiz icons.
The Holiday Inn/Melody Ranch/Gene Autry Hotel/Givenchy Spa/Merv Griffin’s Resort Hotel and Givenchy Spa/Le Parker Meridien, at 4200 E. Palm Canyon Drive, was California’s first Holiday Inn, initially a small cinderblock and concrete building built in 1959 on what was then the far edge of Palm Springs. Local builder Milt Hicks and partners were the contractors of the hotel that reportedly initially cost $1.5 million…”
[Read the full story at cvindependent.com]