The Westin Desert Willow Villas – Palm Desert

so let me start off by saying that i love the location and décor of this hotel. The only thing that put a bad taste in my mouth is the way i was treated. When you walk into the hotel you are greeted by beautiful desert style rustic décor and as soon as you open the doors to the lobby this amazing aroma hits you. The staff is always friendly and helpful & the Premium room, which is the one i always stay in is beautiful & spacious. I come here often just to get away and relax.
Last weekend i stayed there for two nights and my first night was great, very relaxing (Saturday) but i happened to have been staying there during Superbowl weekend (Sunday) On my second night i was having a conversation with someone while my kids were playing and i heard this super aggressive banging coming from the floor, (i was on the 3^rd floor) I ignored it the first 4 times but after the 5^th time i was already upset. I called front desk and asked them to please check up on whatever was going on downstairs.
About 20 minutes later, a security guard shows up and i was thinking he was going to tell me that the issue was resolved, no worries but that was not it. The first thing out of his mouth was” watching the Superbowl are we” i am 28 years old with 2 small children and my 60 year old mom so no we were definitely not watching the Superbowl. I opened up my door so that he could see that the TV was off to begin with and he proceeded to tell me that he received several complaints that there was noise coming from my floor. So i asked him again, what noise, my tv was off, i had no music on and my kids were playing on the floor with their toys. He told me there was loud stomping and yelling which stomping ok i can accept but yelling absolutely not. The funny thing is that i had my balcony door open and i my self could hear a loud party where there was yelling and loud noise coming from a different room due to the game going on so i continued to open the door wide open and the discussions was going no where. I assured him that i was the one who called security due to loud noises and that there was no noise coming from my room and that i could hear it coming from somewhere else. The security guard had a attitude and his facial expressions were of someone who was irritated by me counteracting his claim that it was us. I am a heavier person than most so he was insinuating that because i was heavy that just by me walking i was bothering those downstairs which was so offensive, between this and his attitude i became frustrated quickly so I asked him what did he want me to do about the situation and he told me to just figure it out. It was not only what he said but in the manner that he said it which led me to say goodbye and i closed the door. How upsetting is it to be on a getaway and be offended and harassed by a security guard leading you to feel unwelcome. I no longer wanted to stay because i would not be able to even make a move to the bathroom without feeling like it wouldn’t bother anyone. I called front desk explained the situation, the manager was apologetic and issued me a refund and i left.
Very inconvenient to have to leave the hotel at 8pm for a 2.5 hour drive just because the security guard handled the situation in the wrong way, it’s called customer service– do not offend the guest is rule #1, #2 learn how to carefully speak to people and #3 don’t assume.
The noises were never coming from my room as i am sure they later found out when they continued to hear the noises from the party that was going on in one of the rooms.
So sad that my getaway spot is tarnished now.
I received a call from a manager named Patricia a few days later in a voicemail. I called her back the following day and they said she wouldn’t be back until friday. Waited for the phone call and i never received a phone call back from the message i left with front desk — very disappointed.

We recently stayed the Westin Desert Villas for two nights with the rest of my sons baseball team. It was fantastic! Beautiful rooms, huge fully stocked kitchens, outdoor kitchens and tons of play space for the baseball boys and siblings to run around. The front desk tried to get all of us together too! Only one family was in a different buildings, which was a bummer, but we were grateful for what we had. The staff was unbelievably helpful and just lovely really. Honestly, the cost per room/​per night was pennies for all that was offered! So worth it!
Any complaints? A few…
1) The coffee maker! The handle is wonky and cannot hold a full pot of coffee, so I suggest holding the pot with a towel or pot holder so you don’t drop it when the handle breaks, like I did! And the pour spout is on the side so you have to open the lid to pour it. Just weird.
2) the quiet curfew was 10 or 10:30 as usual, but our boys were kicked out of the pool area early, whilst we were all there supervising, because one woman wanted quiet at 8pm. She yelled at them directly, called them names and then went to the front desk. Yes, they were a bit loud, as you’d expect eleven 13 year old boys would be in a pool, but not at all disrespectful and treated her kindly even when she was freaking out. All she had to do was close her triple pane windows and she wouldn’t have heard a peep! Everyone else commented on how awesome and polite the boys were and that they thought it was great they were enjoying the facility to it’s fullest.
3) 4 other boys (probably about 10 – 11 years old) from another group were left to wander the property (around building 4, the Garden Pool area) at night without supervision. They tried to harass our boys, tried to pick a fight, which our boys ignored. So, to get their attention, they stole my sons shoes… we only found one! He spent the weekend in his cleats. Not the Westin’s fault, but just had to call them out just in case their parents read this :) If so, they owe us $ 50 for shoes.
If you need a place in Palm Desert, i highly recommend the Westin! I’d go back in a heartbeat.

Very beautiful property! I own here and it is a smaller resort. However, same quality. Not as many activities, but we were not looking for a lot to do but relax. Staff is very friendly! I would come again. Very peaceful

We have stayed at a lot of these Westin villas and own in Maui, and while this one is really nice, the quality doesn’t seem to be the same. I have never heard a sound from another villa (other than furniture being moved), yet here, I can hear the people in the next room having sex. Granted, they are really loud. I just think this place is built to more hotel standards.
That’s really the only con. Gorgeous landscaping, great space (roomy), easy parking, and a great price. The construction noise is a bit annoying but it’s not terrible and we knew in advance. The pools are nice. Nothing amazing, but totally adequate.
Good value for sure. Just not the same quality as some of the other Westin properties.

I loved our recent two nights’ stay at the Westin Desert Willow Villas. First off, the grounds are spotless and well manicured. The set up of the «residences» as they are called, are evenly spaced and feel like more like a resort in their set up than a standard hotel. The reception area is beautiful and welcoming as are the staff that will greet you and check you you in.
Rooms — Well equipped with full kitchenettes which are fully stocked (we cooked breakfast every morning), a stack-​able washer-​dryer, a large bathroom, large patio, and a perfect «master» bedroom. My only complaint is that on my last day here while bending down to pick up my shoes I found toenail clippings near the base of the bed! Ewwww make sure to vacuum better housekeeping!
Pool — The main pool area is open 24 hours — seriously I swam in a completely empty pool my first night there and just stared at the stars. During the day there is a three story water slide, multiple kid friendly pools and activities on an hourly basis to keep your little rugrat busy while you enjoy fruity drinks and just lounge. My daughter participated in a tie dye workshop, a water slide contest, coloring, etc. Happy hour is in full effect everyday from 4 to 6 and the bartenders do NOT have a light hand pouring. I saw staff on a regular basis cleaning up after messy guests, keeping the area clean and tidy (which I love).
Staff — Every single person that I came into contact with was friendly and pleasant in a truly genuine way. From the housekeeping staff, to the staff who would prowl the grounds in their golf carts looking to pick you up and save you from walking to the pool, to the front gate staff. Special shout out to Joe the pool side bartender who was friendly and efficient without being fake.
This is the kind of hotel that I stay at with my family and I think to myself, «Hey we need to add this to our annual small getaway rotation,» (which currently only consists of Avila Beach every March). «Hey let’s do an annual October Palm Desert Westin Getaway,» I said to my fiancé and our daughter this past weekend after our first day night here. They both shook their head in agreement.
A great, family friendly hotel.

This hotel is great… well actually awesome.
When you drive to the lobby you feel like you’re on vacation, which is great. The staff was great and super helpful with everything at the check in. We went to our room and we were so happy. Spacious, lots of room. We had my sister, brother in law and nephew and there was enough room for all.
Pools, AWESOME!
4 stars? The rooms seems to be a little thin, we could hear a baby crying next door and I could hear a lot of the doors slamming from downstairs.
Other than that, I’m sure I’ll be back when I’m in Palm Desert.

I wish I could give this place more stars! Other than a few little problems on the first day of our stay, we had the best time here and LOVED the entire resort.
Check in was easy and Manuel was super friendly and helpful. The first problem happened when we drove over to our room and our key cards wouldn’t work. It was 111 degrees at that time and I was not happy about standing outside in the heat. The elevator had also stopped working right after we used it so we had the choice of standing there or going down 3 flights of stairs with our luggage, so we chose to stay. We used the house phone to call for help but by the time an employee came by, the keys worked and we were inside. A few minutes later, the electricity went out. Apparently it was a planned outage but it was supposed to end by 2:00 pm and it was well past 4:00 pm by then but luckily, it was only out for 20 minutes. The last issue happened around 9:30 that night, when someone knocked really loudly on our door and said he was there to «reset all the clocks.» Well, the only clocks that actually needed resetting was the stove and microwave and I had done that myself 4 hours earlier. We thought it was kind of weird and little rude to do that at 9:30 at night so we sent him way.
On the good side, our room was awesome. The kitchen was modern with a full sized stove and refrigerator with an ice maker, fully stocked with dishes, pots, pans, dishwasher, etc. They also provided placemats, towels, pot holders, dish soap, sponge and coffee set-​up. There was a counter area with barstools and a large dinning room table with seating for 6. The washer and dryer was handy but SUPER tiny and really, really loud.
The living room was comfortable, nicely decorated with a sliding door leading to a pretty large patio with table and chairs. We obviously didn’t use the fireplace but it looked nice, lol.
The bathroom was great. tons of counter space, a huge shower with a rainfall shower head and big jacuzzi tub. The lighting could have been better and I looked like a ghoul every time I used the big mirror but everything else was so nice, I just moved to the bedroom, which had great light.
The bedroom was decent size with a SUPER comfy bed, ceiling fan and fairly big closet.
The grounds of the resort are so nice, with willow trees everywhere. We were totally impressed with the employees who actually stopped their carts to ask if we needed water or a ride, pretty much every time were were out walking. There are BBQ areas near every building, an outdoor pool table and even a small park near the pool in our area. The pool area was fantastic, clean and plenty of lounge chairs and pool towels. The pool was very clean and the temperature was perfect. The wading pool for the kids was a really great idea, even thought we didn’t have any kids with us.
All in all, a really nice, well maintained, modern resort and we will definitely be back.

Since I can’t give 4.5 stars on Unilocal,I’m going to rate a full five based upon the excellence of Westin’s overall staff at the resort. This is coming from a non-​timeshare resident, but rather — a visiting guest. We came down with five of our kids and their children. From a family stand-​point in this price-​point, you won’t find much better. The exterior landscaping at this resort is extremely well done. The landscape architect is truly an artist. The rooms are very well appointed, new and very clean. No odors, stains, water damage, etc.
The kitchen was very well-​equipped. Service for four with just about anything that you would need if you wanted to prepare your own meals. Serving dishes, colander, skillets, sauce pans, casserole dishes, wine glasses, linen place mats. Apartment-​sized fridge, dishwasher, and built-​in microwave/​range hood. There is even a stacking washer & dryer.
The king-​sized bed was very comfortable. Feather pillows, higher-​end linens with feather comforter, etc. All were very clean.
Higher end shower/​tub plumbing trim set-​up including overhead rain-​style shower head and body-​wash hand held.
The main pool was very clean (the water does get a bit cloudy by the end of the day like all hot weather resorts), the bar and pool-​side staff very friendly and attentive. Golf-​cart shuttles operate constantly to pick you up to and fro. Aside from one older gentleman, every single one of their drivers were very friendly and went out of their way to ask you if you needed a ride. If you have a family with children under the age of 5, the Palo Verde pool is terrific. There’s a wading pool with a huge sail covering overhead offering tons of shade.
If you have children aged 5 – 15, the main pool — along with the kid’s club activities should certainly occupy their time. The large pool slide was a big hit for all of our family’s children.
The little negatives to us would be:
1. With extremely hot weather, less than 5% of the guests are interested in laying or sitting on chaise lounges under direct sun. I would strongly urge management to put out an add’l 20 – 30 umbrellas.
2. The kitchen designer placed the cooktop range on the far side of the sink with the only electrical outlet available for usage of the provided blender, toaster, coffee maker. This means that you have to place those small appliances on top of the cooktop for power. If you were planning on using the cooktop, you wouldn’t be able to use the small appliances.
3. I think Desert WIllow’s Agave Bar & Grille would do better by offering Mexican food cuisine.
Having said that — their hamburgers were delicious.
4. There was major construction work ongoing across the way from our private patio. This made enjoying the quietness of the quaint patio impossible on two of the mornings. We should have been told that. The patios are very nice to sit out and enjoy the desert. We had a family of three road runners walk by one of the mornings, and one of them came within five feet of our table! Hummingbirds, desert wrens, dove, etc.

They wrote the wrong room number.
Looking for the room with my wife & 2 kids (3 years & 7 years) for 20 minutes.
The temperature was «108»
The manager didn’t say «Sorry»
One more thing…
Do not request early check in.
They gonna ignore your request.
Their check in time is 4PM.

Stayed for 2 nights with the family. The accommodations were immaculate and the grounds were well kept. They have 2 pools one is a 24 hr «party pool» and the other pool located at the other end of the property closes at 10pm. The room service was surprisingly good. Typically to
Service can be hit or miss but every dish we ordered was absolutely fantastic. As funny as this sounds we ended up ordering 3 of their garden salads because every ingredient they used was fresh. I highly recommend their champagne dressing. Will definitely stay again.

This resort is part of the Starwood Vacation Ownership timeshare program, of which I am an Elite member. (I own at Sheraton resorts in Myrtle Beach and Orlando.) While the resort itself it lovely, I must say for a Westin resort, my husband and I were disappointed in the quality of service we received.
Issues we experienced: We were told our room keys would work for both connecting units (my children were in a small 1BR, and my husband and I in the larger 1BR), but they only worked for one. I returned to the front desk for the keys to get re-​programmed, but they still didn’t work. I called Guest Services to ask for properly working keys to be delivered to us, and they finally were — at which point I gave the service man (from Security? not sure) a soiled towel that I found in the smaller 1BR bath tub (apparently Housekeeping missed that one).
The next day I noticed the coffee maker in the villa didn’t discharge properly. Someone from Housekeeping (who picked up our recycle container) figured out that the wrong carafe was placed with this coffee maker. He returned to our villa with a brand new machine and set it up for us, but in the meantime, knocked over the other glass carafe all over our kitchen floor. He was very apologetic, and we totally knew it was an accident, but it was still something we had to deal with on our first morning at the resort.
Shortly thereafter, I walked around the resort to take it in (really lovely surroundings), and wanted to check out the fitness center — but couldn’t find it. I asked for assistance and was showed where it was (kind of tucked away). The fitness center was well equipped and very nice.
My fam and I checked out the pool later that morning, and enjoyed the three small-​ish pools with the water slide. Since this day also happened to be July 4, the pool area was PACKED, and being that it was 109 degrees at mid-​day, the only place outside you wanted to be was either in a pool or in a shaded spot somewhere. My husband and I sat at the bar and took in their offerings (I must say their beer and wine choices were rather lacking, but the servers were nice). I inquired where the restrooms were and were told you had to walk across the pool area to either inside the Agave Grill & Bar, or across the other two pools, up the stairs, and next to the fitness center. To me, it makes no sense why this resort built a pool bar without a connecting (or nearby) restroom. You also needed a key card to get into the pool areas.
My family and I participated in some of the fun pool-​side activities, and joined in on a volleyball game in the pool. When we returned to our villa to cook dinner, my husband realized he must have left his brand new prescription sunglasses at the pool. He returned to where we were sitting and where he was playing volleyball, but no one seemed to have noticed any sunglasses. He inquired at the front desk, and was told they would check with Security and let us know if anyone turns anything in. We checked daily with the Front Desk and Housekeeping but no one ever called us to let us know if they found anything (after they assured us they would).
When we checked out, my husband expressed his disappointment in communication between Front Desk, Housekeeping and Elite SVO member. A little common courtesy («I’m so sorry but we’ve been checking everywhere and cannot find your glasses,» etc.) in a returned call was all we were asking for at that point. We realize the glasses were most likely stolen (and who would want to steal someone’s prescription glasses???) — but to not have at least a returned call was just sub-​par service in our opinion.
Otherwise, the villa was lovely and well stocked. The buildings, golf course and grounds were well maintained and kept clean. The scenery was beautiful. The food and mixed drinks we ordered from the pool bar (from Agave Grill or made there? don’t know) were delicious. Those were definitely a plus, and somewhat made up for the loss of the prescription sunglasses.
Given our experiences at other Starwood resorts (Colorado, SC and Florida), however, my husband and I have to give this resort just an «A-​OK» rating. Starwood Vacation Ownership needs to make some improvements with the amenities and staffing at this resort.

I can’t say enough GREAT things about this place! We are not owners but have come every year several times a year mostly during the summer with our kids!
The front desk: they do there best to accommodate us all the time as we always show up well before checkin.
Store: my favorite person who works there Ian!!! (Was a former pool staff).
Pool staff: these people do not get enough credit! My kids know them by first name all of them! Travis and Amanda especially they are lifeguards there and always make us feel so comfortable. They actually make there way at some point to come say hi to us.
Cocktail waiters: I know the rules are changing at the pool and we have always brought our own cocktails and sometimes food but the pool waiters Gabe and Blanca our favorites. We never feel at any point neglected. And they know 1^st cocktail we want bloody Mary’s and happy hour we are on!
Shuttles: they can use more drivers but I wouldn’t say that the wait was ever to excessive. Btw even the drivers were very nice.

Can’t wait to come back next month!
My ONLY negative thing to say is that sometimes I like to bbq lunch but they usually have the grills out for cleaning.

Though I’m from desert I stayed here with friend for mini vacation. I didn’t realize that it was more like time share then hotel but has great amenities.
Upon check in there wasn’t valet parking but at the end of the day nobody needs that actually. Staff at front counter were very nice and concierge was helpful as well.
Rooms were nice and the beds, sheets and pillows were all very good. Exercise room was nice with a good amount of equipment.
The pool has an awesome water slide. Staff at pool are all very friendly as well. We didn’t think there were enough of them but then discovered you can bring your own stuff so staff wasn’t really needed as much as of just a regular hotel.
I definitely recommend and would come back for sure!!!

Only one water slide and you have to be 48 inches to ride. My son is only 44″ so he was upset they wouldn’t let him on. At the other Westin they let me ride down with him and hold him. I guess it’s against the pool rules here… Staff was nice about it, but it was against the pool rules. They do have plenty of baby pools and shallow pools for kid, but they could use a water slide for smaller kids.
Hotel is beautiful, grounds are well kept. We had the jr villa. It’s plenty of room if your kids are younger. If they are teenagers you might want to opt for the full suite.
Staff was friendly, they shuttle around the property in golf carts so you don’t have to walk to far.
Great place to relax and enjoy time together. :)

Awesome Hotel for a family. Their small suites are very spacious. They offer full kitchens, dinning area and cozy living room with a nice fireplace. Bathrooms are state of the art, they include a large jet-​tub. Heavenly Bed to top it of!!!
Great social areas with gas BBQ grills for outdoor cooking. They have a kids-​friendly pool with some nice amenities. Definitely a nice hotel to consider when planing a family getaway.

Another great stay. Our 2^nd time here and 4^th time at a Westin Villa (we went two other times in their sister property about two miles away).
The kids love their slide here.
This time we stayed at the small unit (4 person table vs. 6 person, kitchenette instead of full kitchen with island, no spa bathtub). But it was still great. I have posted photos.
Their food at the restaurant and poolside are reasonably good. The staff service is fantastic.
they have poolside game of billiards, ping pong and in the game room next to pool they have foosball, air hockey, billiards, and game consoles (XBOX & Wii).

(3.5−3.75) There are many nice things about this resort. The rooms are comfortable with just about all the amenities a family needs. There is a nicely equipped kitchen. The bed, including the pull out sofa bed, are comfortable.
The pools are very nice. The poolside food and drinks are good and not too expensive.
The only issues I had were these: (1) the room was not ready until after 3. (They did accommodate a room request so we could be near friends); (2) the kitchen was not clean and the fridge was filled with food from the prior guest; and (3) the 10 am checkout is ridiculously early.
About the checkout time: I was here for a nearby convention and brought my family. Because I had early convention commitments that did not involve my family, a late checkout was needed. They gave me till 11,
This is not an inexpensive resort. I travel quite a bit and can usually arrange for a late checkout — say 2 – 4 pm at hotels that are comparably priced.
BTW: The gold course looks very nice.
Otherwise, good experience. Not sure I would return, but not out of the question.

This is a beautiful, family-​friendly, golf resort in Palm Desert.
There are hundreds of suites situated in several multi-​story, river rock encrusted, sienna and sage green painted buildings. The larger suites are lovely, with a open-​plan gourmet kitchen-​dining area-​living room sort of set up. The bathrooms are huge and gorgeous with a deep jacuzzi style tub. The King size bed in the bedroom is super comfortable, and the thick curtains cut out the harsh desert light.
I think my favorite thing about this place us the desert landscaping. It’s just beautiful.
My second favorite thing are the activities. The adult ones, like yoga and power walking, are in the morning, but the whole afternoon is chock full of tie-​dye t-​shirts, bear workshops, pottery painting poolside and other kid friendly events. For a tired mom this is just heaven.
There are two pool areas. The main one includes a nice sized water slide, several pools for both children and adults, and a jacuzzi.
Another cool little amenity are the big gas grills located in little outdoor dining areas around the compound.
There are a few problems though. There was never enough hot water to fill up the gorgeous jacuzzi tubs for a nice warm soak, and I really took my fill of cold showers during my stay here. Housekeeping is just ok. Food delivery was often very slow. One night we waited over an hour for our dinner.
The complex is expanding as several more buildings and golfing areas are planned. This is mostly a time-​share, and it’s very focused on golf. The pool areas, though nice, are sort of an afterthought. You’re also a good thirty minute drive from civilization, so getting to the grocery store turns into a several hour event.
This would have been a 4 star review if it hadn’t been for the cold water and a few other problems. I’d say if you were a golfer you’d probably love it here, but I don’t golf so it’s not really for me.

11÷3÷14− Day 1: The bell man arrived picking food out of his teeth and then grabbed our car door handle. (Are you serious!) This already put a bad taste in our mouth. My husband then checked us in, while I was greeted by an amazing concierge named … We had a short drive to our building #5. Upon arrival to our building we noticed a sign on the elevator «elevator out of service» and we are on the 2^nd floor and not the 3^rd floor per our request. This is not going well at all!
Let’s see how day 2 goes. We were told the elevator would be working tomorrow.
We are here to celebrate our 24^th wedding anniversary and this girl is not happy!
11÷4÷14 Day 2: Elevator still not working.
11÷5÷15 Day 3: Elevator still not working. The resort did leave us a message offering 2 complimentary appetizers from the on site restaurant.

A great family hotel. Nice and clean, with plenty of amenities conveniently available. Next time we’ll plan on bringing some stuff to grill as they have plenty of grills available to use.
If you opt for skipping the daily cleaning, they give you a $ 5 credit which you can use in their little convenience store for a DVD rental, or other little snacks.
The only drawback is that it’s a bit of a drive from everything that we wanted to see, but that’s probably due to the fact that we didn’t quite know our way around Palm Springs/​Desert. Next time we’ll bring a lot of our own food to cook, so we won’t have to leave as often.