The article you posted about the angry landlord who threw non paying tenants in a trunk and dropped them off in the desert seems like it would be an under-reaction in this case.   

Desert Hot Springs, Indio and Palm Springs are other locations you could also look to STR. 

Fresh desert landscaping in front yard with mature palm trees; all landscaping on an auto-timed sprinkler system.

I spoke to him about desert water concerns and he believes there is too much existing technology that hasn't been tapped in the US yet.

Below are what comes to mind with some potential drawbacks:Ski Resorts: High dollar and low inventoryHawaii: Great year round occupancy, but expensive and some unfriendly regulations CA Desert (Palm Springs, JT, La Quinta etc): Certainly has a decent amount of economical properties, but seems to be getting saturated and over-regulated. . ..

The roof looks good but I need it checked, and I will also need 2 large trees removed and desert landscaping done front and back. 

No ideas specifically on Indio, but we get a ton of questions on that general area (SoCal desert).

Investment Info:Condo buy & hold investment in Palm Desert.

I am not familiar with intricacies of desert construction but I don't see that being used for tile walls.

In general though, Twentynine Palms attracts more party-people than the other high desert towns and can be good or bad depending on what kind of guests you are marketing to.