Name: Daniel Rodriguez

Position: Assistant Food & Beverage Operations Manager at The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage

Favorite Ritz-Carlton memory: “We bonded with a couple of young visitors, Drew and Max, during their stay with us. They told us that they wanted to come back every year until they were old enough to work on the property. On their last night, we reserved a patio table in front of the fire pit at State Fare for them to do a private s’mores session, as the communal fire pit was busy with adults. We had two s’mores kits displayed on trays for them as well as The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage nametags to make them honorary members of the family. We are eagerly anticipating their next arrival so we can create the next memory.”         

Must-dos while in Rancho Mirage: “Explore our local hiking trails. The Coachella valley is known for its natural hot spring but not every visitor — or even local — knows that there are also three waterfalls here in Palm Springs. The Indian Canyon trail is the longest distance with the best trail leading to a treat of a waterfall at the end. You begin with a trail over a soft sand terrain and after 10 minutes you find yourself entering canyons with a stream running down the center surrounded by palm trees. It’s a true oasis.”