A Modern Desert Retreat Built with Real Cedar and Intentionality

RESET in Joshua Tree

In the stark stillness of the California desert, just outside the otherworldly terrain of Joshua Tree National Park, a new kind of hotel has emerged—one built not just to host, but to harmonize. Reset, the first boutique hotel in Joshua Tree National Park, is the brainchild of designer, builder, and longtime Real Cedar advocate Ben Uyeda—a project four years in the making, now making headlines in the New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

More than a destination, Reset is a philosophy brought to life—one where modular construction meets local craftsmanship, and where materials like Western Red Cedar ground the experience in nature.

Uyeda’s relationship with Western Red Cedar is personal and long-standing. “I’ve been working with cedar for a long time,” he says. “I use it in my own home. I build furniture out of it. I love the way it smells. I even take the sawdust and put it into candles that I make myself—and they smell amazing.”

The Vision: Curated Emptiness and Ethical Design

Uyeda, whose background spans academia, publishing, and hands-on carpentry, began buying land in Joshua Tree in 2017 after noticing a compelling correlation: a spike in Instagram use and a parallel rise in visits to U.S. national parks.

“What I thought was really interesting is that the more we’re on screens, the more we also take the time to go out into nature,” he explains.

This duality—of digital life and natural escape—inspired the ethos behind Reset. Built on just 11 of the 180 acres Uyeda owns, the hotel was designed to provide access without encroachment.

At its heart, Reset is about subtraction. The hotel offers no loud programming, no “dude ranch” theming. Guests can take a yoga class—or not. Sit by the fire—or not. The point is presence.

The result is what Uyeda calls “curated emptiness.” Rooms open directly to uninterrupted desert views. “There’s a minimal amount of railings or anything in between,” he says. “You can walk from your room right into the national park.”

Photo Courtesy of Ben Uyeda

The Decks: Setting the stage for vastness 

If the architecture provides the shelter, it’s the Western Red Cedar decks that frame the experience. Every room opens onto a private outdoor Real Cedar platform—spacious, barefoot-friendly, and designed to elevate guests just slightly above the desert floor while still feeling grounded in place.

“People sit on the edge, nap on daybeds. It’s a place where people can sit on a private patio, watch the sunset, light a fire, have some tea, have some wine with a loved one,” Uyeda says. “That’s it. You actually don’t need more than that.”

More than a design feature, the decks are central to how guests connect to the landscape. “We actually think of the cedar decking as a type of furniture—it’s part of the living experience.”

For these private patios, Uyeda chose a beautiful knotty grade of Western Red Cedar—adding warmth, texture, and a beautiful counterbalance to the project’s steel and concrete elements.

“It softens the industrial materials and gives people an honest, tactile surface to connect with,” he says.

The same cedar was used for the communal patio, where 2×6 boards provide much-needed shade—an essential comfort under the relentless Joshua Tree sun. 

Sustainability scaled 

Reset was designed to exceed California’s notoriously rigorous environmental codes, but Uyeda and his team went a step even further. The hotel incorporates low-VOC materials, EV charging stations, passive cooling strategies, and a radically local approach to sourcing and fabrication.

“We didn’t import that much stuff from overseas,” he says. “We used North American products like Western Red Cedar.”

From a sustainability standpoint, Real Cedar checks all the boxes. Sourced from responsibly managed forests, it’s renewable, biodegradable, and naturally durable. Even more, as a natural material, Western Red Cedar sequesters carbon over its lifetime—helping fight climate change rather than contributing to it. It’s a choice Uyeda—and his guests—can feel good about.

A Cedar Story, Still Unfolding

Since opening in July, Reset has drawn national attention for its quiet ambition and soulful design—but Uyeda and his team are already looking to what’s next.

There’s plans underway for a large sauna, made of Real Cedar—continuing the design language of calm, connection, and craft.

In the context of its iconic desert location, Western Red Cedar just makes sense. It’s resilient, low-maintenance, and deeply expressive. “It’s a premium product, and it holds up really well even in the harsh conditions of Joshua Tree,” Uyeda says, noting the wood’s natural resistance to rot, decay, and insects.

But above all, he adds, “Cedar just looks gorgeous.”