Palm Springs desert resorts put on trendy hat for new generation of visitors: resorts, spas, retro chic and Indian gaming draw diverse groups.

Whether you're heading to Palm Springs on the 1-10 or the 60 freeways, it's easy to see how fast the area is growing along the way. Off the 1-10 in Cabazon, a towering new resort hotel has sprung from the desert--the Morongo Casino Resort--at what was once just a bingo parlor along a dusty road to the desert communities.

Now it's a destination. Morongo has the largest casino floor west of Las Vegas, a luxury health spa, convention facilities and a penthouse restaurants and lounges.

This area embodies the dramatic changes that have taken place in Palm Springs over the past several years. The bottom line: it's not your father's Palm Springs any more. Now, it's New Age, new Hollywood, newly retro and newly hip.

The Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism unashamedly touts these facts, along with its 350 days a year of good weather and the presence of Indian gaming to bring in more visitors.

"Our competition is Las Vegas, so we can sell our destination with gaming," said Jeff Hocker, director of communications for the Bureau of Tourism.

Hocker pointed to the Agua Caliente Casino as the catalyst for some of the new growth.

"It raised the bar for others," he said.

"They wanted it to be a showcase."

That the tribe commissioned the same architects who designed the Venetian in Las Vegas didn't hurt.

Now, Morongo, the Spa Resort Casino in downtown Palm Springs, and the new Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio help draw visitors to the area, including many Southern Californians on weekend getaways.

CALIFORNIANS COME FOR RESORTS, GAMING

There are about 22 million people within a day's drive of the area, and both the Convention & Visitors Authority and the Bureau of Tourism are keenly aware that they make up roughly half of the 3.5 million visitors to the desert resorts each year.

According to a recent survey by Orlando marketing firm Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell (YPB&R), weekend vacations of four days or less now represent 56% of all vacations taken by Americans. But California still ranks No. 2 (behind Florida) as a place about 35% of Americans want to visit.

To that end, the Palm Springs Desert Resorts are in luck. Their own research indicates that the average length of stay in the area in 5.7 nights--higher than many surrounding areas.

Nevertheless, the Bureau of Tourism also markets heavily to the U.K. and is now beginning to target more European countries, given the current strength of the Euro against the dollar.

"Europeans get more vacation time than Americans and travel at times that are (otherwise) slow for us," Hocker said.

"And they don't mind the heat."

About 42% of Americans believe they don't get enough vacation time, according to the YPB&R survey.

But casinos, weather and new spas aren't the only things that draw people to the desert today.

"We're selling it as a year-round destination," Hocker said.

Like much of California, there's cultural diversity in the Coachella Valley, made up of eight cities. Much of it is devoted to the desert's Indian heritage that plays out today in tours to the Indian Canyons, Indian gaming, the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum and Native arts and crafts.

The area's first residents were the ancestors of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians who inhabited the Indian Canyons. By the mid-1800s, government surveyors had mapped the area and taken note of the natural hot springs where the Spa Resort Casino now sits. A wagon route and the first inn weren't far behind. The Cahuilla today own almost half the land in the Coachella Valley.

Palm Springs had its heyday in the '50s when it was the playground of the stars like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Jack Benny and Clark Gable. Gene Autry owned a home there, as did Walt Disney. But later it fell on hard times as air travelers headed to more exotic places and destinations within driving distance--like Las Vegas--made an effort to lure more visitors of their own.

Now, many of the long-time resorts and spas have been restored, new resorts and spas are springing up and the airport has grown to serve 17 destinations, including Sacramento, Denver, Houston, Atlanta and some Canadian markets.

Today the eight-city area boasts 16,000 total hotel rooms in roughly 215 hotels, 24 of which are considered convention hotels. It has 115 golf courses--more golf per capital than anywhere else in the U.S--600 tennis courts, 30,000 swimming pools and 600 restaurants.

If anyone wants to count, it's said the valley has 10,000 palm trees, and a host of native birds, mammals and vegetation.

OUTDOOR OPTIONS PLENTIFUL

Visitors of an earlier era came for the sun, the golf and the entertainment.

Today, they come to explore the desert and Indian canyons, the 8,500-foot high Mt. San Jacinto State Park--accessible by the Palm Springs tramway--off-road vehicles or hiking trails.

They come to shop along Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, El Paseo in Palm Desert or The River in Rancho Mirage. They come for family entertainment at places like Knott's Soak City Water Park and for spas at places like Miramonte Resort, the Lodge at Rancho Mirage, Hyatt Grand Champions, the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort or the new Le Parker Meridien.

Some, however, come for the nostalgia of the '50s kitsch again evident in some restored landmarks in town--including the Bureau of Tourism's visitor center in a restored '50s-era gas station. Only today, the '50s look is mixed with boutique hotels and expansive resorts. And each desert community has a niche of its own.

Cathedral City is known as the hub of entertainment, with its Big League Dreams Sports Park, Cimarron Golf Resort and dozens of theaters.

Desert Hot Springs has twice as many spa resorts as any of the other cities.

Indian Wells--the smallest city of the eight--is the site of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, a 16,000-seat structure where the Pacific Life Open Tennis Series is held each year.

Indio--the oldest and largest city--is the date capital of the world, but is known as the 'city of festivals' for its eclectic rock festival, tamale and salsa festival and Southwest arts festival.

La Quinta--named for a Hollywood hide-away where filmmaker Frank Capra wrote some of his best work--is where the PGA WEST and Skins Game are held each year.

Palm Desert is a haven for shoppers with Westfield Shoppingtown, El Paseo and Desert Crossing as well as 25 private and public golf courses.

Palm Springs is known for its '50s architecture and furnishings, while Rancho Mirage is the playground of the stars--both old and new--as well as former presidents like Gerald Ford.

Like other visitor destinations, the Coachella Valley keeps reinventing itself to keep interest high.

This year, the former Estrella resort has been converted to The Viceroy--a sister property to the Kor Group's Santa Monica Viceroy. The 74-room compound also has a small conference center and has attracted the entertainment and fashion set--the same folks who might frequent West Hollywood in L.A.

Fantasy Springs Resort in Indio is the newest casino entry at the east end of the valley and La Quinta will welcome a new 146-room Embassy Suites Sept. 15.

MORE CHANGES ON HORIZON

In May, new owners announced plans for the former Marquis Resort in downtown Palm Springs. Its new incarnation will be as a hip, modern hotel call Zoso--a name that reflects the opposite ends of the spectrum of life. The 162-room hotel will include a contemporary spa, restaurant and other amenities.

Though the Coachella Valley's hotel occupancy was down from 76% to 71% for the first four months of 2005, the average room rate was up to $159 for the same period.

"Despite the rains, (future) hotel bookings are up this year and we're looking at strong business for fall when the convention center is complete," said Mark Graves, media relations manager for the Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention and Visitors Authority.

The $33 million expansion will bring its total square footage to 261,000, including a 94,000-square-foot exhibit area and a 2,000-square-foot ballroom.

Last year, the area drew about 75,000 meeting attendees, with Indian Wells gaining an edge as a meetings destination.

Planners say the improved air access, plenty of golf and spas and upgraded resorts make the area attractive.

"We're taking 500 people to La Quinta next February," said Bret Jarvis, partner in Laguna Beach-based International Site Alliance.

"All the resorts are stepping up their level to a more luxury product, which is nice for medical meetings (that we produce)," he said. Miramonte Resort, Hyatt Grand Champions. the JW Marriott and other destinations have all upgraded in the past couple of years, and each has its own niche, whether that be at the pool, in the spa or in the guestrooms.

UNIQUE ACTIVITIES FOR GROUPS

Group planners looking for unique events might consider the Night Discovery Tour that allows participants a glimpse of nocturnal critters through night vision goggles, the Hummer H2 desert tour, a celebrity tour that showcases homes of the stars, or the Desert Adventures Jeep Ecotours, which transport your group to an old Indian Village for a special dinner.

The desert resorts still have remnants of their rural past in the Living Desert Museum--part zoo, part botanical garden--in Palm Desert where you can explore native plants. commune with the animals or take off on solitary hikes. There's also a Palm Springs Desert Museum and the nearby Joshua Tree National Park that provide ample opportunity for special events or teambuilding sessions.

One favorite for planners is the Palm Springs Air Museum, where World War II vintage planes are on display and available for limited use for parties.

Nightlife is plentiful, ranging from headline entertainment and piano bars to sports pubs, jazz and high-energy dance clubs like Costas at Desert Springs.

Top-rated restaurants are plentiful, too, and include the likes of The Card at the Lodge at Rancho Mirage, Le Vallauris in Palm Springs and Wally's Desert Turtle in Rancho Mirage all with four-diamond ratings and the ability to host groups of more than 100.

New on the dining scene: Copley's on Palm Canyon, which boasts an executive chef who last year won kudos for his work in Hawaii; and the new Boscoso--a modern Italian restaurant by the owners of Wang's in the Desert. The Boscoso lounge also has a "real vibe" at night, Hocker said.

Of course Palm Springs doesn't forget its start-studded past, hosting two major film festivals each year that are again beginning to draw Hollywood's "A" list, officials say.

Whether you veg out at the spa or pool or shop your heart out, when you're ready to leave the Coachella Valley, you might take a long trek up Route 395--itself a scenic gem--to Death Valley and visit with the folks at Furnace Creek Ranch, with resort, motel and RV lodging at the lowest spot in the Western hemisphere.

With your Southern California tour complete, head back to your airport for departure along the 1-10 or 1-15. Some might even keep heading north on 1-15 toward Las Vegas. But even if you do. Southern Californians are sure you'll be back here to explore more of the Golden State.