Known as a hideaway for celebrities and fashionistas, the Parker Palm Springs welcomes meetings and events with 10,000 square feet of stylish function space—including a freestanding conference hall.

Convenient to the Palm Springs International Airport, the California desert oasis hosts business gatherings for up to 400 guests. The conference hall’s 1,856-square-foot marble and oak foyer leads to a 3,800-square-foot ballroom adorned with starburst chandeliers and antique mirrors. A wall of windows and neutral colors create a light and airy setting, divisible into two sections of 2,200 and 1,600 square feet respectively.

The eight additional meeting rooms around the property—many flooded with natural light—include five breakout rooms, two boardrooms, and the 1,100- square-foot Garden Suite, perfect for a 70-person dinner or a 100-person reception.

Every business venue benefits from comprehensive audiovisual services and wireless Internet capability. Participants also have free wireless access in the 144 accommodations, which range from rooms, suites, and villas to the home of a famous former owner of the property, Gene Autry. The guest rooms feature deluxe comforts such as featherbeds, 400-thread-count sheets, top-of-the-line bath products, and DVD-CD-MP3 players.

High tech meets low stress in the 16,500-square-foot spa, named to Condé Nast Traveler’s 2006 Hot List. Known as PSYC, short for the Palm Springs Yacht Club, the facility provides indoor and outdoor treatments, steam rooms and saunas, private men’s and women’s indoor swimming pools, and a 24-hour fitness center.

On breaks, attendees can also play croquet or petanque, face off on four clay tennis courts, sway in luxurious hammocks, and lounge around two pools nestled below the San Jacinto Mountains. Golfers can take part in shotgun tournaments on more than 130 18- hole courses nearby.

Then, after evening cocktails at the pool pavilion, participants can celebrate with catered banquets or visit “mister parker’s,” a hip hangout with sultry jazz and French bistro fare. For breakfast and lunch, Norma’s, of New York City fame, serves a stylish diner menu. As another alternative for meals, a uniformed staff on bicycles will deliver room service anytime of day or night. The hotel’s motto: Five-star service—no attitude.

In fact, exceptional service remains this desert resort’s signature feature—from complimentary valet parking to an on-site helipad, from in-room Moroccan tea on arrival to coffee wake-up calls. To receive immediate attention, attendees need only dial “O” for any request. The result: Old World etiquette and New World surroundings that take meetings, conferences, and special events over the top.