Our Story - La Quinta Resort & Club

La Quinta Resort & Club, the original desert hideaway, stands out as a storied escape that embodies the romance of classic California within an oasis primed for relaxation and renewal.

Children celebrating a birthday with a bunny toy outdoors at La Quinta Resort.

Historic golf tournament at La Quinta Resort & Club with spectators and scenic mountain views.

1920s

the Queen of the Desert

1926

Walter H. Morgan opens the La Quinta Hotel on 29 December 1926. Across 1,400 acres of land, the retreat features 20 guest casitas, an open-air glassed dining room and three courtyards.

Golf in the Valley

1926

Morgan brings the golf industry to the Coachella Valley, and the hotel grounds include the area’s first nine-hole course. The course is open to the public for a daily green fee of $1.

Hollywood’s Playground

1926-1930

The resort enjoys a successful first season, and word of the luxury escape spreads to Hollywood. Soon Greta Garbo, Clark Gable and Shirley Temple are escaping to La Quinta.

1930s

The end of an Era

1931

In April 1931, Walter H. Morgan dies, leaving behind his legacy and luxury resort. Attorney and La Quinta Hotel investor, B.J. Barder, takes ownership.

Capra’s Writing Paradise

1934

Movie director, Frank Capra, and co-writer Robert Riskin pen ‘It Happened One Night’ at the hotel. Thereafter, Capra returned frequently to his ‘Shangri-La for scriptwriting’.

The Perfect Serve

1937

The hotel adds six tennis courts and a pro shop. The first pro tennis coach is Fred Renker, training legends including Gary Cooper, Lana Turner and Jane Wyman.

1940s

Doors Close on the Desert Retreat

1942-1945

Gas and tire rationing contribute to the hotel’s closure in the spring of 1942 for the duration of World War II. The cottages were locked and the pool was drained.

La Quinta’s Fire Reignites

1945-1946

Chicago hotelier Arnold S. Kirkeby purchases the hotel, selling it three months later to John Balaban. The Hollywood elite return, and a private airstrip is installed on the grounds.

1950s

An elite escape

1953

Other celebrities discover the desert hideaway – thanks to the advancements in air travel. Ginger Rogers marries Jacques Bergerac in front of the resort’s waterfall.

Golf Returns to La Quinta

Mid-1950s

Balaban sells the hotel to Chicago attorney Leonard Ettleson, who plays a pivotal role in the golf course expansion. The entire hotel is painted pink, Ettleson’s wife’s favorite color.

Tee time

1957

Ettleson and his associates develop La Quinta Country Club golf course. The course is a hit with golfers and celebrities, including President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

1960s

Presidential seal of approval

1960

The Eisenhowers’ make many visits to La Quinta Hotel and enjoy the La Quinta Country Club, where President Eisenhower’s brother maintained a residence.

1970s

Golf expansion

1972

Ettleson contracts with golf professionals Ernie Vossler and Joe Walser Jr. of Landmark Land Co. to advise him on the creation of another golf course behind the hotel.

A new beginning

1977

In July 1977, Landmark Land Co. purchase the hotel from Ettleson, with interest in the potential of the undeveloped land stretching from the hotel to the hillsides.

1980s

The most challenging desert course

1980

La Quinta Hotel Golf Club opens with two 18-hole championship courses designed by Pete Resort Mountain Course and La Quinta Resort Dunes Course.

Guests of honor

1980-1984

The former home of Dorothy Arzner is renovated, and The Frank Capra Banquet Room and The Eisenhower Suite are named after their former guests. During this time, the resort is one of only two hotels on the west coast to be honored with a city’s name; the City of La Quinta.

The western home of golf in america

1986-1987

PGA West opens Pete Dye’s TPC Stadium Golf Course, followed by the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Courses. The resort continues its tradition of hosting major golf tournaments.

1990s

New name, same legacy

1993

La Quinta Hotel Golf & Tennis Club is renamed La Quinta Resort & Club. Though the name is changed, the exclusive culture of the resort remains.

Spa services

1998

The resort adds Spa La Quinta, a 23,000-square-foot retreat with 37 treatment rooms. The Spa Villas are also built, bringing the total number of guest rooms to approximately 800.

Staying the course

1999

The addition of another PGA West course – the Greg Norman Course – gives La Quinta Resort & Club guests 90 holes of championship play, each with challenging, but fair design.

2000

Birthday milestones

2006

Celebrating its 80th birthday, the legendary La Quinta Resort & Club is considered one of the top resorts in the world and an oasis for relaxation in the lush Coachella Valley.

Iconic eatery

2009

Originally built as The Dining Room in 1927, Morgan’s in the Desert – La Quinta’s signature restaurant, opens in January.

New restaurants are on the menu

2009

The year ends on a high as Ernie’s Bar & Grill opens its doors. The restaurant offers relaxed dining, complemented by views of the Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course.

La Quinta Resort & Club: Then and Now

Historic La Quinta Resort & Club building in desert setting, capturing early 20th-century architectu.

Aerial view of La Quinta Resort & Club gardens with lush greenery and pathways.

History of La Quinta Resort & Club

1920s

1926

1926

1926-1930

La Quinta Resort & Club: Then and Now

Architecture & Design:

Our Preservation of Spanish Colonial Revival