Opinion: Calm Down Over the Spa Hotel Being Torn Down

sledgeWednesday saw the beginning of the demolition of The Spa Hotel in downtown Palm Springs.  While the hotel was once the star attraction in the city of Palm Springs, the last few years it was really becoming kind of dumpy.

Unfortunately, too many people do not get that.

Of course, the local media had to do their thing:  KESQ found people “outraged” by the demolition. Meanwhile, The Desert Sun found people who were “irate“.  KMIR found only those who were just “upset“.

And while buzzwords like “outrage” and “irate” might get clicks on the internet, the real story is that, for the hotel, it was just time.  Yes, people surely have a lot of great memories there – but, much like the classic casinos in Vegas had to be torn down to be replaced with something more modern (and appealing to people who like to, you know, vacation), the time had come for The Spa to be replaced.  If it wasn’t, the tribe that owns it wouldn’t be tearing it down.

No one really knows what is coming next, but based on The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ past record with The Agua Caliente Resort, it should be very nice and create a lot of jobs and a lot of new memories.

If we are lucky, the new hotel will also create a lot of outraged, irate, and upset people when the time comes for it to be torn down for something better in 50 years.