Hotel Wren, a meticulously reimagined 1940s roadside motel, is now open in Twentynine Palms, offering a design-driven stay at the gateway to Joshua Tree’s north entrance. Designed by Jessica Pell, founder of Los Angeles-based Manola Studio, the 12-room hideaway blends historic motel culture with modern craftsmanship, embracing the rugged beauty and quiet magnetism of California’s high desert.
Set just 10 minutes from Joshua Tree National Park, Hotel Wren is more than a place to stay – it’s a space designed for stillness, where the vastness of the desert meets a considered, intimate retreat. Here, architecture and landscape exist in quiet conversation, inviting guests to slow down, take in the shifting desert light, and experience a place that feels both timeless and deeply connected to its surroundings.
“Hotel Wren is my love letter to the desert, a place that still recenters me every time I return,” Pell says. “Joshua Tree has a way of making you feel both small and completely at home – its ancient rock formations shaped by time, the endless horizon, the sky burning gold before deepening into a field of stars. It quiets the noise and makes you listen. I wanted Wren to reflect that stillness, a space where architecture and landscape exist in quiet conversation, where every material and every detail is chosen with care and intention.”
Once a 1940s roadside lodge, Hotel Wren has been reimagined with care and restraint, preserving its original layout, restoring steel casement windows and architectural character, while introducing timeless materials and custom craftsmanship. The property balances rustic warmth with refined simplicity – where hand-troweled plaster meets custom terracotta floors, carved woodwork, and hand-painted tiles inspired by the high desert’s flora and fauna.
The interiors mirror the desert’s shifting hues – cream, sand, sage, adobe pink, rust, and deep ochre – colors that evolve with the changing light. Santa Barbara-style plaster coats the walls inside and out, while Saltillo tile and fossilized flagstone ground the space in a distinctly Californian vernacular.
At the heart of the hotel, the lobby serves as a welcome space and a living room, where guests gather, linger, and take in the mountains that cradle fabled Joshua Tree National Park. A fireplace, framed by warm custom millwork with hand-carved motifs by Nik Gelormino, anchors the space, celebrating the rhythms of nature. Above, a mural by artist Kim Swift stretches across the walls in homage to the surrounding landscape. Custom metal and glass doors frame the view, while vaulted ceilings create an airiness that lets the desert light in. The space is layered with a curated mix of vintage, custom, and locally sourced pieces, and bookshelves, hand-selected by Pell, hold volumes on astronomy, geology, hiking, birding, philosophy, and nature—an invitation to engage more deeply with the land and sky.
Each suite-style guestroom is designed to feel like a private residence, a space to unwind, reset, and take in the stillness of the desert. King or Queen beds are dressed in Parachute linens, and rooms are stocked with Wonder Valley bath products, a yoga mat, a meditation blanket, and a pantry of artisanal teas and Canyon Coffee—small luxuries designed to encourage ritual and rest.
Half of the rooms face the western desert, with bathtubs and private patios that open directly to the vast landscape. The remaining rooms offer enclosed patios and showers, creating a more secluded, intimate retreat. All feature built-in banquettes and gas fireplaces, inviting guests to sink in and stay awhile.
In keeping with the hotel’s commitment to reflection and presence, rooms are designed without televisions, offering a rare chance to unplug. Hotel Wren is also a 21+ property, fostering an environment of quiet connection to nature, to self, and to one another.
More than a shop, Windsong is an extension of Hotel Wren’s ethos – offering provisions, handcrafted wares, and objects that deepen a connection to place. Located just off the lobby, this carefully curated bodega blends desert essentials with keepsakes that carry the feeling of this landscape beyond the stay.
Long known as the quieter gateway to Joshua Tree National Park, Twentynine Palms has always been a haven for artists, adventurers, and those drawn to the raw beauty of the high desert. Now, a new energy is taking root, as a wave of design-forward stays, eclectic gathering spaces, and locally-driven businesses are reshaping the town’s identity.
Historic spots such as 29 Palms Inn, a beloved adobe retreat from the 1920s, remain at the heart of the town, while Kitchen in the Desert, Out There Bar, and Mas o Menos have created new gathering places for artists, musicians, and travelers. The dusty 1930s and ’40s motels, old adobes, and scattered homesteads that define the town’s architectural landscape are now being carefully restored or reimagined, blending raw, utilitarian charm with a more refined, design-driven sensibility.
As part of its commitment to environmental stewardship, Hotel Wren embraces and contributes to this evolving landscape, pledging a portion of proceeds to local organizations focused on land conservation, habitat restoration, and ecological preservation. More than just a place to stay, Hotel Wren reflects the spirit of Twentynine Palms – where history, design, and desert magic converge.
Photos: Ethan Jones