Small Hotels in Palm Springs Say No to Spring Break

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While West Coast Spring Breakers are hesitating about going across the border to Mexico this year, they may find themselves not welcome in their own backyard—at least not in the more exclusive accommodations. A recent poll of small hoteliers in Palm Springs, CA, shows they are against the idea of bringing Spring Break back to the city.

In the destination that practically invented Spring Break, a poll of 16 hotel operators in the area shows that 13 are against it, Small Hotels of Palm Springs President Craig Blau said. Two more are "maybes" and the last is a "yes," said Blau, who owns the Chase Hotel.

The Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism is sending out a total of 110,000 text messages to people ages 18 to 27 in the Southern California area, encouraging them to come to Palm Springs. The last round of 55,000 messages is going out this week.

While merchants and large hotel operators are looking forward to the possible influx of people in town, the small hoteliers say they are already full and don't need any extra help filling their rooms, Blau said. They have loyal clientele and the possibility of the rowdy days of Spring Break isn't worth it, he said.

A crackdown in the 1980s meant to tame wild behavior in Palm Springs ended up driving Spring Breakers south of the border, where anything goes. This year, due to increasing drug violence, the State Department is warning college students to stay away from parts of Mexico—creating an opportunity for Palm Springs to reclaim the partygoers.