Taco Bell created a buzz in the hospitality industry when it slyly announced plans to open a pop-up hotel in Palm Springs this summer. Junkets & Jaunts has gleaned that the Mexican fast-food-chain juggernaut will take over the V Palm Springs from August 8-12.
The identity of the property that would temporarily become The Bell: A Taco Bell Hotel & Resort has been a mystery. However, the information appears to have accidentally leaked out on Facebook and on the V Palm Springs’ website.
I telephoned the V Palm Springs after noticing a post on a Taco Bell Super Fan Facebook page that tagged the hotel. A call to the South Palm Springs property was answered by a clerk who said the hotel was completely booked for the August 9 weekend. The person on the phone said a popular, citywide electronic-music pool party was likely the reason for the sell-out.
Then I happened to click on V Palm Springs’ “Press” page. It showed an image promoting The Bell Hotel and listed the date of 8-9-2019. I called the hotel back and got the same person on the phone. The staffer checked the website and said, “Hmm, I guess it’s out there now. They had told me not to say anything yet.”
The unidentified person on the phone didn’t know when reservations will open for stays at The Bell, but said that the hotel would not be the entity taking reservations.
A few minutes later, the notice was taken down from the hotel’s Press page.
TACO BELL HOTEL UPDATE
A Taco Bell spokesperson would not confirm or deny that The Bell was coming to V Palm Springs. An email stated that “the hotel location will be revealed in a few weeks.”
A recent travel assignment for another Palm Springs story initially piqued my interest in the Taco Bell hotel promotion. According to a press release from Taco Bell, which is owned by Yum! Brands, The Bell hotel will be “inspired by tacos and fueled by fans…Everything from guest rooms to breakfast and poolside cocktails will be infused with a taco Bell twist, making this the flavor-filled getaway of 2019.”
The hotel will unveil new menu surprises, and is slated to include a gift shop selling Taco Bell merchandise, as well as a salon that will include restaurant-themed nail packages. J&J
