HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Scottish artist Gordon Coutts built this Moroccan-styled villa in 1924; today a boutique hotel where guests report cold spots and clothing moved by the 'Lady in Red.'
257 S Patencio Rd, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Overnight guest rates vary by season; hotel check-in required for access to grounds
Access
Limited Access
Courtyard and pool areas; some uneven stone surfaces
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1924 · Built by Scottish painter Gordon Coutts as his Moroccan-styled desert studio retreat · Early gathering place for Hollywood figures and California modernist painters · One of the oldest surviving historic villas in Palm Springs
Gordon Coutts, a Scottish-born painter and member of the Bohemian Club, arrived in Palm Springs in the early 1920s seeking the dry desert air for a bronchial condition. In 1924 he completed Dar Marroc — Arabic for 'house of Morocco' — at 257 S Patencio Road, a Moorish-style compound featuring towers, arched doorways, and courtyard fountains that recreated the aesthetic of his years living and working in Tangier.
Coutts was a well-connected figure in early Hollywood and fine-art circles. His guest list included actors Rudolph Valentino and Errol Flynn, as well as fellow painters John Lavery, Agnes Pelton, Nicolai Fechin, and Grant Wood. It is also rumored — though unconfirmed — that Winston Churchill painted in the villa's studio during a visit. Coutts died in 1937.
After Coutts's death the property changed hands several times. At various points it served as apartments and fell into disrepair. A separate adjacent Mediterranean villa built in the 1930s by actor J. Carrol Naish later became part of the compound. In the late 1990s new owners acquired both structures, undertook extensive restoration, and opened the combined property as the Korakia Pensione boutique hotel. The hotel is listed on the Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels directory and remains an active lodging property as of 2026.
Sources
The haunting associated with Korakia centers on a figure called the Lady in Red. According to the Coachella Valley Weekly account of the legend, a woman at a party on the property drank too much and wandered out onto dark Patencio Road, where an oncoming driver struck and killed her. She is said to return most often in summer, the season of the original incident.
Guests have reported encountering cold spots anomalous to the desert heat and finding clothing or personal items moved from where they were left. Some say they have seen the Lady up close. The Coachella Valley Weekly article that documented the legend notes explicitly that the story is not corroborated by the city of Palm Springs or by the current owners of the hotel, and that no verified record of the woman's identity or death has been located. The 'Gertrude' name sometimes attached to the legend is unsubstantiated. The ghost tour circuit in Palm Springs includes the property as a stop, which has amplified the legend in recent years.
Notable Entities
Book a room in the 1924 Moroccan-styled villa built by Scottish painter Gordon Coutts. The property, once a salon for artists and Hollywood figures, is where the Lady in Red legend originates.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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