Introduction TLDR: Not so much on the luxury factor at Avalon. The grounds are quite pretty, and the hotel structures are old school/historic PS. But the overall hotel - particularly hard product, but extending to service and clientele vibes as well - are just not up to snuff, not nearly commensurate with current rates.SOME CAVIATS:--I booked the second-to-lowest class room: a King Guestroom within the hotel's main, front structures. The villas and larger suites look wonderful (at least from the outside). Maybe those accomodations are nicer (at scale) than mine were. The rest of the common areas will be the same, of course.--I paid for this stay myself. Most of my 'luxury travel' happens for business - ergo on the client's dime - so I guess that puts some more pressure on. At least subconsciously.SOME MITIGATING FACTORS:--I was traveling solo. No wife, no kids. I'm a pretty undemanding 'luxury' traveler within this particular format. My needs are very few.--This stay at Avalong represented the final two days of an 8-day, cross-country, NYC-L.A. roadtrip in a vintage muscle car (1968 Pontiac Firebird Convertible). This is hardly the most comfortable/relaxing way to get across a continent. Avalo9n was meant to be a soothing balm after 7 nights spent in various Hampton Inns/Courtyards/Best Westerns across America. So... this place could have been the W in Philadelphia (what i see as the worst hotel in the US that bills itself as 'luxury') and it might not have felt like more of a letdown. Check In A stupednously average to dismal operation.Valet was about the only thing that ran effeciently and with any amount of grace.Note: This property doesn't have any 'lobby' to speak of.Just a smallish room and check-in desk.I happen to be a big fan of lotel lobbies. Large, open, indoor communal space with sitting areas.A place where the vibe of the entire property is introduced and fairly emblemized - via furniture, fixtures, music, scent, architecture, whatever.I'm not going to ding this hotel for not having one, per se, just noting that it doesn't have one at all. The check-in room leads directly into the (tiny) hotel bar/restaurant.3 parties in front of me on check-in line, all w luggage. Did i mention it's a small, square chamber?One person behind the counter on a Saturday afternoon at 4pm.That person is a very nice, well-dressed 20-something gentleman behind the counter,I do note that he's dealing quite well with one obnoxiously entitled anddemanding couple in front of me - themselves 20-something but not very nice and not at all very well-dressed.When it's my turn, same single check-in agent and i exchange a knowing glance about the previous loud couple, but he ignores my MB status as well as the benefits that come with my Chase Sapphire Reserve booking..I have to remind him of the first, and i'm actually still waiting for the 100$ food credit refund due me thru CSR, as i totally forgot about it during my stay. (I didn't ask for early check-in or late check-out, but there was no welcome amenity either).It was actually a fairly complicated walk to my second level room, several corners turned and doors opened, but he simply pointed lethargically and quickly explained the journey to me.When I actually got to the room, the key he gave me would not open the room door. I called down and 5 minutes later someone came up to let me in.So, yeah, not a particularly flawless check in. Room Tiny.A king bed. A tv on the wall.An in-wall closet. (possibly the best feauture of this room).A smallish bathroom that hovers somewhere between the worlds of 'cute bed-and-breakfast' style and '1990's vintage Ramada Inn'Not a balcony, a shared second second level walkway (motel-style). This looks down on the un-notable street in front of the hotel.Some fairly beat upchairs and table out on this walkway.I've now described the room in full. That's It. Yes, it's near base-level, but at 500 per night.... Nope.As for style, like the rest of the hotel, everything feels extremely dated. And, worse, worn. Not that this property was ever retrofitted properly, originally. The add-on build quality feels awful throughout - thin plywood doors, cheap windows, etc.. But it feels like they haven't even kept up or properly cleaned what's already here.They tell me this hotel was among the early Kelly Wearstler designs/retrofits. Either the Avalon just hasn't touched her original design or someone else has kept it up, but it looks nothing like her more recent designs at Thompson and Proper.It feels very early aughts, and what's there feels stained, frayed, worn. Service Didn't require much. Had a cocktail at the hotel's teensy bar, and the barkeep was extremely nice. Dining Did not eat on property.The restaurant is mostly outdoor (indoor space is quite small).Probably a nice restaurant for the hotel itself, didn't strike me as a place people come for from elsewhere much. Location Off the main strip. Fairly quiet. The location itself is excellent for those wanting to be near the urban action that PS has on offer, but not right on the main drag.The property itself is fairly quiet. Overall Can't really recommend at all, at pricepoint.This does not rate with other 'luxury' hotels in Palm Springs, and I'd say it doesn't rate with several of the 'upscale' (next category down?) hotels i've stayed at in town either.As in my 'room' section comments, it just hasn't kept up. It's one of these grand old Palm Springs properties that saw it's heydey with hollywood stars and organized crime a half-century ago.It simply hasn't been updated/retrofitted as well as some of the other similar former estates in Palm Springs.Or it may have once been 'cool' again, in the 90's or aughts, perhaps, but hasn't kept up.It's filled with a much 'younger' crowd. They advertise 'three pools', but in reality, all three are pretty tiny. All three were ridiculously crowded when i was there, zero shot at getting a chaise or even sitting cross-legged next to the pool.Filled with day-partiers, spring break types, 'young professionals', and one extremely loud and obnoxious bachelorette party of about 12 young ladies. They have one pool designated as a 'family' pool, but it was the exact same party scene happening there too.About the best thing i can say for the hotel is that the grounds and gardens are beautiful. And fairly well kept. Even with the hipsters, you can find quiet places to sit.Also, my car looked nice sitting in front of it.Of hotels I've visited in PS, I'd recommend just about any of them over the Avalon.Parker, Quinta, Kimpton, even the Ace.