Quirky hotel listings in Palm Springs for $2.5 million, complete with all furnishings and its own high-tech management system

A property in Palm Springs, CA that epitomizes the area’s vibrant and funky architectural style has gone on the market, offering not only an opportunity to own a piece of design history, but also a lucrative business model.

Enter The MOD, an eight-room boutique hotel in the heart of California’s thriving desert oasis, offering an intriguing blend of traditional Palm Springs vitality and Instagram-worthy amenities.

It is designed as a traditional motel, with a single, one-story building housing a mix of guest rooms and expansive suites. It is now for sale for $2.5 million. Originally built in 1952, the property bears many of the original features from that era, with multiple modern updates that give it new relevance in modern times.

With perky bright yellow doors to each unit and a pool scene with splashy white and yellow stripes, it fits right in with this design-focused destination.

After the sellers took over the property in 2023, when it was still known as the Art Hotel, they embarked on a major restoration that honored its 1952 roots while modernizing amenities for travelers.

Every inch of the square footage has been updated during recent renovations, including bathrooms, bedrooms and tile work. Some units are suites, “with full kitchens, furnished patios or balconies, separate dining areas and internal work areas,” according to the listing.

Billed as an “exceptional investment opportunity,” The Mod is nestled in the Uptown Design District, just 10 minutes from Palm Springs International Airport and approximately 45 minutes from the grounds of the wildly popular Coachella music festival.

Listing agent Adam Gilbert by The Commercial company notes that the property’s location makes it the perfect place for visitors to explore Palm Springs, explaining that it is easily “walking distance to bars and restaurants.”

Far from a run-down business requiring extraordinary investment and renovations, The Mod is essentially a turnkey property offered with all current furnishings, as well as integrated ‘self-check-in technology and virtual management systems’, both of which help to run the motel with minimal staff.

According to Gilbert, it is rare for such a complete package to come onto the market, especially in a place where tourism is such an important source of income for the local economy.

“Something completed to this level hasn’t been on the market for a while. It’s turnkey and ready to go,” noted the real estate agent, who sold the property to the sellers. “A lot of people are entering the hospitality sector. There are certainly opportunities.”

In his expert opinion, the turnkey nature of the property, combined with its relatively low price tag, makes it the perfect opportunity for someone looking to make the transition into the hospitality industry, especially as they don’t have to deal with the ins and outs of a full renovation.

A more typical scenario in Palm Springs, Gilbert says, is a hotel that costs $2 million but requires $1 million in renovations.

The current owners also own the 12-room Maya Hotel next door and originally planned to operate both locations as full buyout rentals for groups, rather than offering them as traditional hotels. However, Gilbert believes a more standard business model would be the best option for a buyer.

“The vision for The MOD is for someone to come in and rent out the eight rooms individually per night,” he explained.

“A lot of people came in thinking they could use the Airbnb model, but that’s not really what travelers want right now. They want rooms cleaned daily. Your everyday traveler wants more amenities than they did a few years ago.”

According to the listing, the sale would also include “onsite furnishings and amenities,” and there is an option to continue the hotel under the same name or rename it completely.

Because it is offered as a complete buyout and the owners have only owned it for two years, brand recognition has not yet been built up. This just means the buyer has more creative license to realize their hotelier dream.

“My experience is that most people come in and create their own brand,” Gilbert says.

The 8,278 square meter property also features a swimming pool and on-site parking.