The Sydell Group acquired the hotel in mid 2011 with a plan to fully renovate the property into a resort celebrating the natural desert surroundings of Palm Springs. The hotel is near Sydell's first Palm Springs project, the Ace Hotel. On the heels of their successful launch of the Saguaro Scottsdale, Sydell assembled the same team of creative partners to help re-launch this hotel, also named The Saguaro [suh-warh-oh], after the iconic cactus of the Sonoran Desert.
Architects Peter Stamberg and Paul Aferiat were brought in to infuse local color into the property. The team, known for their bold use of color, advocated recreating The Saguaro around a palette of 12 vibrant tones found in native desert wildflowers.