Pounce on the $2.9M Retro-Themed Cheetah Hotel in Palm Springs

After a sassy makeover by a local designer Tracy Turkothe Cheetah Hotel in Palm Springs, CA, is on the prowl for a new owner.

The 12-room, 12-bath inn, built in 1954, wants $2.95 million. That’s a discount of $450,000 from when it came on the market in June (and then again in September) at $3.4 million.

Turco snapped up the vintage building in October 2021 for $2 million. Then she quickly redesigned it—mainly wrapping it in everything cheetah, from wallpaper to bedspreads.

The refresh was mostly a change of spots.

“She comes in and puts her own thing [on it],” says the listing agent Adam Gilbert, of The Firm Commercial, about Turco’s design projects. “She changed the billboard and did some interior cosmetic work. It was in pretty good condition when she bought it.”

Palm Springs properties

Turco is also selling two other Palm Springs buildings she’s redesigned: The gorgeously restored Tiki House, built in 1962, is a popular vacation rental and is asking $1.15 million.

There’s also the fun and funky Art Hotel, which was listed for $2.5 million in July. The price has since been reduced to $1.6 million.

All three of Turco’s projects feature a retro, midcentury modern aesthetic. And if you like them all, you can take the trio for a flat $7 million.

As for the Cheetah Hotel, everything is included behind its canary-yellow doors—”all of the furniture and the trademarks and intellectual property,” says Gilbert—so the next owner can continue the cheetah-themed business.

The tourist spot is currently a short-term rental for groups. The property also includes a restaurant, bar and outdoor pool with a fire pit. Nine of the 12 rooms come with a private kitchenette, and each room features a bath.

The retro property was previously known as the Avanti Hotel and has changed hands seven times since 2001.

With Palm Springs cracking down on short-term rentals through sites such as Airbnb, the Cheetah Hotel would be the perfect opportunity for someone who wants in on the resort town’s tourism dollars.

“If you’re a commercially zoned property, you can rent it out every night,” Gilbert says.

And for those flocking to the desert for a retro retreat, the Cheetah Hotel is the ultimate oasis.

___

Watch: Time Travel Back to the Wild West With This Old Town Square in Colorado