You’re Going to Love Palm Springs

Did you know Palm Springs might just be the short-term rental capital of the world? We’re talking well over a thousand vacation rental homes packed into one gorgeous little desert city — which, when you think about it, makes total sense. This town practically invented the modernist getaway house, and people from all over the globe come to enjoy the unique vibe of Palm Springs, even if only for a long weekend.

And it’s not just the architecture pulling them in. Coachella turns the whole valley into a music-lover’s pilgrimage every spring. Modernism Week fills every mid-century vacation rental house, hotel bar, and design tour with people who get genuinely excited over a good breeze block wall. XOXO Fest brings its own crowd of creatives and culture lovers. Add golf getaways, girls’ trips, big birthday milestones, and multi-generational family reunions, and you’ve got a town that’s basically built for the group vacation rental.

Which is exactly why we put together this guide to help you make it stress-free and fully enjoyable. These are our family’s rules when we share our Palm Springs home with others.

Sharing a house with a group of friends, family, whoever, is a wonderful thing until it isn’t. So let’s walk through the 20 things every group should talk about and agree on before they book, so everyone comes home just as close (or closer!) than when they left.

1. Pick Your Organizer — and Let Them Have the Best Room

Every group trip needs one person who actually books the house, wrangles the group chat chaos, and keeps everyone on schedule. That person is doing unpaid emotional labor for the whole crew, so here’s the deal: whoever organizes the trip gets first pick of the primary suite. Not the oldest person in the group. Not whoever called it first. The organizer. They earned it.

2. Book a House That Actually Fits Your Group

This sounds obvious, but it’s the rule a lot of groups break. Don’t cram six adults into a two-bedroom because it was $200 cheaper. A house with the right bedroom-to-bathroom ratio for your crew changes everything about how the week feels. Case in point: we’re a little biased, but our genuine, fully restored Meiselman original right here in Palm Springs is the perfect destination for up to six guests. Three couples splitting a week? Ideal. Grandparents, their adult kids, and a gaggle of grandkids? Perfect, and no one has to sleep on the couch. It’s got just enough separation to give everyone a little breathing room, and just enough shared space to keep the trip feeling like a trip and not a hotel stay.

3. Work With a Property Manager Who Actually Answers the Phone

A great rental is only as good as the person managing it. We work with Acme House Company to manage our property, and they are fabulous. If you’ve ever had an issue during vacation, like a broken AC unit or a lockbox that won’t cooperate, you know exactly why this matters. A responsive property manager available 24/7 isn’t a luxury — it’s the difference between a hiccup and a ruined afternoon.

4. Read the House Rules Before You Book — Especially the Noise Ones

Here’s something a lot of first-time renters don’t realize: Palm Springs takes its Good Neighbor Policy seriously. This isn’t a suggestion — it’s how the city keeps neighborhoods feeling like actual neighborhoods for the year-round residents who live here, not just party backdrops for out-of-towners. Before your group books anything, read the rules together and pay close attention to the outdoor music policy. The short version: play whatever you want inside the house, but once you step outside, it’s human voices only — no speakers, no amplified sound of any kind, even softly. Get everyone on the same page before you land so nobody’s surprised by it poolside on night one.

5. Divvy Up Bedrooms Like Adults

Once the organizer has their pick, talk through the rest of the rooms honestly. Who needs the room closest to the bathroom or farthest from the early risers? Who’s a light sleeper? Who genuinely doesn’t care and just wants a bed? Sort it out before you land so nobody’s awkwardly hovering in a doorway with a suitcase.

6. Set a Bathroom Rotation for Busy Mornings

Two bathrooms, six adults and kids, one activity you don’t want to be late for — you do the math. A loose morning rotation (even an unofficial one) saves everyone from the awkward hallway shuffle.

7. Build in “Together Time” and “Separate-Time” On Purpose

Not every group activity needs full attendance. Plan a couple of trips or dinners where everyone’s expected to show up, but leave plenty of open blocks of time for people to nap, read by the pool, or wander off to explore Palm Springs or hike in Joshua Tree National Park on their own without guilt.

8. Agree on the Eating Arrangements Before You Arrive

Palm Springs has many fabulous restaurants, but eating out for every meal can get expensive. Agree on a meal plan with your group before everyone arrives. Food logistics are often the most stressful part of a group trip if nobody discusses them in advance. Are you eating out for every meal, or alternating between home-cooked dinners and nights on the town? If you’re stocking the kitchen, will you need groceries for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks too — and if so, who’s actually doing the shopping and the cooking? And when it comes time to pay the bill, are you splitting everything evenly, alternating hosting meals, or are you hosting everything? There is no right or wrong answer. All that matters is that you have them settled before your group walks in the door. A quick conversation now saves a week of awkward “wait, who’s paying for this?” moments and silent resentment later.

9. Respect Closed Doors

If a bedroom or bathroom door is shut, knock. This should go without saying, but somehow it’s the rule that trips up the most groups.

10. Claim Shared Spaces Without Hogging Them

The living room, the patio, the firepit, the outdoor play area, the pool loungers — these belong to everyone. Enjoy your morning coffee spot, but don’t turn it into a permanent land grab that leaves nowhere for anyone else.

11. Ask Before You Post

Not everyone wants their vacation face plastered across Instagram or Facebook before they’ve even seen the photo. A quick “mind if I post this?” goes a long way.

12. Talk Pool Rules — and Whether to Splurge on Heat

No beach out here, but we’ve got something arguably better: a private pool right off the living room glass wall, MCM-style. So talk it through as a group: is everyone in on paying a little extra to heat the pool, especially if you’re visiting in the cooler months? It’s the kind of small splurge that can make the whole trip. And a friendly reminder while you’re poolside — this is prime time to remember Rule 4: music inside is great, but keep it to voices and laughter once you’re out by the water.

13. Match Energy Levels for Day Trips

Not everyone wants to do the same hike, take the tram ride, or gallery crawl at the same pace. Let the go-getters go get, and let the loungers lounge, and reconvene for dinner without anyone feeling either dragged along or left out.

14. Communicate Real Arrival and Departure Times

“Friday afternoon” is not a plan. Nail down actual windows so the person managing check-in (see Rule 3) isn’t left guessing.

15. Handle Disagreements Like Grown-Ups, in the Moment

Little frustrations compound fast in shared quarters. Say the thing kindly and early, rather than letting it simmer until the last night of the trip.

16. Keep Quiet Hours Actually Quiet

Palm Springs neighborhoods are wonderfully calm, and your neighbors would like to keep it that way. Respect quiet hours both for your housemates, who may go to bed early, and for the house next door.

17. Be Fair About Wi-Fi and Screen Time

If someone’s trying to work remotely for a couple of hours, that’s a real thing, not a vacation crime. Give each other a little space when needed.

18. Bring Your Own Basics

Chargers, sunscreen, toothpaste — pack your own rather than assuming someone else has you covered. Most short-term rental homes in Palm Springs come with soap, shampoo, and bodywash, but nothing else. Everyone needs to bring their own sundries and personal items. It keeps small logistics from becoming small resentments.

19. Do a Quick Daily Reset, Not Just an End-of-Trip Scramble

A five-minute group tidy-up each evening (dishes done, common areas reset) helps keeps the house feeling good the whole week, instead of hitting a wall of clutter on day three.

20. Leave It Like You Found It

Most rental homes in Palm Springs are professionally managed, so there is no need to strip the beds, load the dishwasher, or take out the trash. Just read the list of services included in your stay. But your hosts and the rental manager would certainly appreciate it if you tidy up before you leave. Just agree in advance on who will be responsible (hopefully a group effort), so it doesn’t fall on just one person.

At the end of the day, a group vacation rental works best when a few simple things are in place: the right house, the right manager, and a little bit of grace between the people you love. If you’re eyeing Palm Springs for your next group trip, 606 N. Monterey Road and the team at Acme House Company would be happy to have you — three bedrooms, two baths, one seriously gorgeous slice of midcentury desert living, built for exactly the kind of crew that knows how to do a group trip right.

Follow along for more Meiselman history, home tours, and Palm Springs life at meiselmanregistry.org and on Instagram @meiselmanregistry.