Three boutique hotels near the heart of downtown Palm Springs are under new ownership. Kirkwood Collection, co-owner of the Palm Springs Hotel at 2135 N. Palm Canyon Drive, has purchased the La Serena Villas, Del Marcos Hotel and The Three Fifty Hotel for just under $29 million.

The three properties are a stones-throw away from each other near the corner of South Belardo Road and West Baristo Road. Built between 1933 and 1950, each hotel has fewer than 20 rooms and promises an intimate experience.

What are the hotels like?

La Serena Villas — 339 S. Belardo Road / laserenavillas.com

This 18-room hotel features a spa, restaurant, saltwater pool and rooftop bar. Originally built in 1933, the hotel was renovated in 2016 to deliver a more luxury experience, according to Kirkwood. Its on-site restaurant, Azúcar, serves what the hotel company calls “modern contemporary cuisine” — a fairly standard mix of upscale California fare, according to the menu —  while the “Sugar High Rooftop Lounge” serves speciality cocktails with views of the San Jacinto Mountains.

The Del Marco Hotel — 225 W. Baristo Road / delmarcoshotel.com

This 17-room mid-century modern property was designated a Class I historic site by the Palm Springs City Council in 2012. Designed in 1947, this property was noted architect William F. Cody’s first independent commission, and helped kickstart his career in the desert.

The Three Fifty Hotel — 350 S. Belardo Road / thethreefiftyhotel.com

This 10-room hotel sports a modern, minimalist look that’s heavy on the white (walls, furniture, sheets, etc.). Built in 1950, the property was renovated in 2017 and offers a classic Palm Springs pool getaway with each room situated around a heated pool.

How did we get here?

Kirkwood Collection traces its beginnings to the 2012 acquisition of a private home at 97 Lakeshore Drive in Rancho Mirage, which it rents on short-term rental platform Vrbo, although business license records indicate the company was formally incorporated in 2016. Affiliates of the group acquired the Palm Springs Hotel the following year with the company’s portfolio growing to include several other boutique hotels throughout California in locations such as Santa Barbara and Pacific Grove in the years following.

The three recently-purchased downtown Palm Springs hotels were owned by hoteliers Lars and Kelly Viklund, who had acquired and operated them over roughly the last two decades. Kirkwood Collection bought all three from the couple.

What changes are in store for the properties?

Relatively few for the time being.

A Kirkwood representative told The Desert Sun that the company is “exploring upgrades to the properties, but in the meantime, will be integrating the offerings they do across all properties, which include champagne at check-in, and contactless and text concierge services.”

James B. Cutchin covers business in the Coachella Valley. Reach him at james.cutchin@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Beverly Hills group buys three Palm Springs hotels: What to know