Photo: Sands Hotel & Spa
The first (and typically rowdiest) weekend of Coachella has come to a close, and the second is quickly approaching. One wave of Instagram influencers has come and gone, and the next ready their cutoff denim shorts and designer fanny packs for wear. During the eye of the storm, Livabl sat down with Jason Perry, the Director of Hotel Operations at PRG Hospitality, to discuss how he prepares the four luxury boutique hotels he manages for festival season. With a portfolio that includes Holiday House Palm Springs, Sparrows Lodge and the Sands Hotel & Spa, Perry is no stranger to the craziness that is Coachella.
Livabl: How far in advance do festival goers book their accommodations at the boutique hotels you oversee?
Jason Perry: I believe that, in general, most Coachella guest book in early January close to when the lineup is released. Although there are always those that book last minute, they typically end up paying the highest price for their accommodations ($400 – $1,000).
Livabl: How do you decide what to charge for festival weekends? Do the headliners factor into it? Are guests willing to pay $1,000/night for Beyoncé, but only $800/night for Ariana Grande?
JP: Similar to most industries, we are always looking to do a letter better than the year before. Luckily for us, we have some very special properties that have been consistently sought after for private activations, and buyouts of the total property by fashion or media outlets. No matter who the headliners are or what genres they might be, the demand during Coachella is always very high.
Livabl: Hosting a Coachella #Brandchella party must be a huge undertaking — what goes into planning, and pulling off, these exclusive events?
JP: So much! These activations and events take months of planning and preparations. It can take a small city of production teams to transform a hotel into a unique space for the festival-goers to experience and enjoy.
Livabl: What’s the wildest thing that’s ever gone down at one of your properties during Coachella weekend?
JP: Coachella is such an electric time for Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley as a whole, I believe it truly creates a one of a kind atmosphere that needs to be experienced in person to get the full effect that Coachella has on the city. We call it elegant debauchery and I should leave it at that!
