In the heart of Palm Desert, with a spectacular mountain backdrop, is a year-round vacation oasis designed for both families and golfers alike: The beautiful, comfortable and upscale Marriott Shadow Ridge resort. The 312 acre lush Marriott Vacation Club property features elegant and well-appointed villas, beautiful pools, innovative water play areas, an eighteen-hole Nick Faldo-designed championship golf course, the Faldo Golf Institute, a water slide, tennis courts and childrens’ activities center….all within an easy drive from the Greater Los Angeles area. Welcome to Palm Desert. The perfect vacation awaits.
Beyond Expectations
Much more than a simple hotel room, Marriott Shadow Ridge distinguishes itself as a home away from home with its beautifully-decorated one and two bedroom vacation villas designed to meet every need. Rolling fairways, breathtaking mountains, and glittering pools are seen from many of the villas, all of which have comfortable balconies or terraces for complete relaxation. Marriott Vacation Club resort has left no stone unturned for those pursuing the ultimate in vacations.
Separate Living / Eating Areas
The villas accentuate their uniqueness with:
• Gorgeous, fully equipped kitchens with tile floors
• Separate living and dining areas
• Luxurious beds with mattress toppers, 300 count thread sheets and down comforters
• Multiple flat screen televisions with DVD players
• Wi-Fi internet access
• Washers/dryers
• Gas fireplaces
• Eye-catching décor throughout
From families seeking adventure, individuals looking to just relax or avid golfers wanting to try their hand at a Faldo-designed course, Marriott Shadow Ridge fulfills every need.
Family Fun
Families will find no lack of things to do at Marriott’s Shadow Ridge. The family-oriented pools excite kids with a fun water slide and water play area, complete with water-dumping buckets, animal-shaped squirt guns and a faux beach entry. Comfortable lounge chairs and cabanas beckon adults, and families can enjoy movies while floating in the pool. Water aerobics and a fully-equipped exercise room and sauna help fitness-minded individuals stay healthy, and there is an “adult” pool for complete relaxation and quiet.
The indoor activity room keeps kids and teens busy with an arcade, games, crafts and a mini movie theater, as well as an outdoor playground. There is no need to even leave the resort to eat. On property is Nick Faldo’s Bar and Grill, Chuckwalla Pool Grill, Snakebites Bar & Grill, The Marketplace Store and Deli, and Cielo’s Pizza delivery. The resort also sports barbeque grills for fun cookouts.
In close proximity to the resort are restaurants, fast food, big box retailers, and movie theaters, in addition to well-known family excursions such as the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Knott’s Soak City Water Park, Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert, The Rapids Water Slide and the Palm Springs Air Museum. There is always something to do in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area.
Golfing Extraordinaire
With 350 days of sunshine a year, the Nick Faldo designed championship golf course is ready whenever visitors are. The 18-hole course is beautifully maintained and showcases spectacular views of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Lakes and sand lots are interspersed with the greens, and the gorgeous clubhouse offers a pro shop. To improve your game, the Faldo Golf Institute serves up the latest in golf instruction.
Nick Faldo-Designed Golf Course
The New and The Innovative
The Marriott Shadow Ridge unveiled their latest design with their 73 two bedroom, two bath villas averaging a generous 1,320 square feet. The new additions are stylishly decorated with granite countertops, custom cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, as well as luxurious bedding, flat-panel TVs, DVD players, gas fireplaces, and private balconies.
The newest feature is a unique “lock off” function that allows the villas in essence to become two completely separate units (read more about the new lock offs in our interview with Marriott’s Ed Kinney, below). Each gorgeous unit has its own living area, bedroom, bathroom, balcony, and full kitchen or kitchenette, perfect for large families or those with teens.
Full Kitchen with Gorgeous Styling
Guests and owners hail the new villas as “contemporary” and “high end”. They describe the ambience as having an “uplifting” feeling. Elements of this new layout and design are also being implemented at three Florida-area Marriot Vacation Club resorts currently under development.
With the latest villa additions, this gem in the desert has 497 total units. Upon final build-out, the resort is proposed to have 984 luxurious villas.
Because everything is offered at the resort, it is a completely relaxing experience. Kids can swim while grownups relax, families can spend time together playing, parents golf while kids mingle in the activities area. The grounds are stunning with tall, proud palm trees flanking amazing mountains. Fresh air, clear blue skies and a near-perfect climate much of year make the Marriott Shadow Ridge in Palm Desert the absolute perfect getaway.
Staying at Marriott’s Shadow Ridge
A mere 10 minute drive from Palm Springs International Airport, and only a two hour drive from Los Angeles, Marriott’s Shadow Ridge is one of 51 Marriott Vacation Club resorts worldwide. Marriott Vacation Club is celebrating 25 years of quality vacations and is the recognized leader in the timeshare industry. Vacationers can stay at the Marriott Shadow Ridge as part of their widely used vacation ownership program (www.marriott-vacations.com) or as nightly rentals (www.marriott.com). You can also check Marriott Weeks Resale Listings for other locations and opportunities.
The Birth of a New Concept
LATP Talks to Ed Kinney, vice president of corporate affairs and brand awareness for Marriott Vacation Club International, about their newly developed villas, how they arrived at the concept and what goes on behind the scenes.
LA’s the Place: How did the innovative concept of the new “lock off” come about?
Ed Kinney: The new villa design at Marriott’s Shadow Ridge was a combination of us being an industry leader and innovator while also getting feedback from our owner base. Research was conducted to gain insight into customer opinion and a model villa was built on-site to get owner’s feedback on the layout, flow, utility and use of space. Elements in the new villa design were viewed as upgrades and appealed to a broader range of customers; especially to families traveling with children.
The new deluxe lock-off concept features an open and flexible design with two completely separate living rooms, balconies and a kitchen and kitchenette, allowing guests to divide villas into two separate accommodations. Each spacious villa ranges from approximately 1,110 to 1,330 square feet and includes a fully equipped kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and custom cabinets; generous living and dining areas; luxurious bedding; multiple flat-panel televisions with DVD players; private balcony; washer/dryer and Wi-Fi internet access. We expect to implement elements of this design at future Marriott Vacation Club resorts, worldwide.
LATP: How much of the new concept was design experts versus owner/guest input?
EK: The design of the new villas at Marriott’s Shadow Ridge was a balanced contribution of owner and guest input and the expertise of our designers. We anticipated how a few changes in the current villa design could maximize the space and flow and we then asked our owners for their input on several occasions and incorporated changes which resulted in the final new villa design.
LATP: The units are so complete in and of themselves, with every need anticipated. Is that something that has evolved along the way based on guest input, or were those little touches (like complete kitchen ware, dish soap, etc.) included in your plans from the beginning?
EK: The villa amenities at Marriott’s Shadow Ridge represent our brand standards across all of our Marriott Vacation Club resorts. With 25 years of delivering unforgettable vacations under our belt, we have a great understanding of what our guests need.
LATP: The Shadow Ridge property has amenities and recreational activities for every age (afternoon movies, games, arcade, water aerobics, crafts, in-pool entertainment). Is that something that’s exclusive to this particular property, or is this standard across all MVC properties?
EK: All of our Marriott Vacation Club resorts feature on-site activities for all ages. At each resort, scheduled activities are reflective of the destination and range from learning how to make a fresh-flower lei in Hawaii, to stargazing and learning the Salsa in Aruba.
LATP: How has the property been received by the “hotel guests” who are not used to such high-quality rooms and amenities?
EK: Our villas are not meant to be a comparison to a typical hotel room. Our resorts present a unique vacation environment that caters most to families going on vacation. Although we often offer more villa and resort amenities, that is balanced by less service-oriented amenities such as valet parking, comprehensive room service, etc.
