You’re walking down a hallway that looks like a Spanish monastery, but then you turn a corner and suddenly you're in a Chinese pagoda. Or maybe a Mediterranean villa. Honestly, it’s a bit much. Most people head to Riverside, California, expecting a standard historical stay, but The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa isn't standard. It’s a sprawl. It’s a fever dream of Frank Miller, the man who spent roughly 30 years—from 1902 until he died in 1935—turning a humble 12-room adobe boarding house into a massive, city-block-sized castle.
It’s weird. It’s glorious.
The place is technically a National Historic Landmark, but it feels more like a living museum of one man's expensive, global shopping habit. Miller traveled the world and just... brought things back. He didn't just buy souvenirs; he bought bells. Hundreds of them. He bought 10-foot tall Buddhas. He bought a 15-foot high mahogany altar from Mexico that dates back to the 18th century. When you stay at the Mission Inn, you aren't just booking a room; you’re sleeping inside a 439,000-square-foot collection of history that somehow managed to survive the wrecking ball.
The Architecture That Shouldn't Work (But Does)
Most buildings have a "style." Architects usually pick a lane. But the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa decided to drive in every lane at once. It’s Mission Revival, sure, but it’s also Gothic, Renaissance, and Orientalist. It’s got flying buttresses that belong in a Parisian cathedral right next to wrought-iron balconies that look like they were ripped out of Seville.
Miller hired some big names, like Arthur B. Benton and Myron Hunt, to make sense of his visions. They built the place in four distinct phases: the Mission Wing, the Cloister Wing, the Spanish Wing, and the International Wing. It’s why the floor plans feel like a labyrinth. You’ll find yourself on a spiral staircase that leads to a "court of the birds" and then suddenly you're looking at a 100-year-old pipe organ in the St. Francis Chapel.
The Rayas Altar in that chapel? It’s covered in 18-karat gold leaf. It’s probably the most breathtaking thing in the whole complex, yet it sits in a room used for local weddings every weekend. That’s the vibe here. High art meets functional hospitality.
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Presidents, Aviators, and the Hollywood Connection
The Mission Inn isn't just famous because it’s pretty; it’s famous because everyone who was anyone in the early 20th century stopped here. We’re talking ten U.S. Presidents. Teddy Roosevelt stayed here. Richard and Pat Nixon got married here—literally in the Presidential Suite. Ronald and Nancy Reagan spent their honeymoon here.
It was the original "influencer" destination before the internet existed.
Miller was a marketing genius. He knew that if he built a "fantasy" of old California, the wealthy elite from the East Coast would flock to the sunshine. And they did. Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and Henry Ford all walked these tiles. There’s even a massive "Presidential Chair" custom-built for William Howard Taft because, well, he was a large man and didn't fit in the standard furniture. You can still see it. It’s huge.
But it wasn't just politicians. The "Flyers' Wall" in the St. Francis Atrium contains copper wings signed by famous aviators, including Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh. It’s a weirdly personal touch in such a grand hotel. It reminds you that for a long time, this was the social center of Southern California.
The Dark Years and the $50 Million Rescue
It wasn't always grand. By the 1960s and 70s, the Mission Inn was falling apart. It was a giant, drafty, expensive-to-maintain relic. At one point, it was converted into apartments just to keep the lights on. It almost became a parking lot.
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Imagine that. This entire block of history, nearly razed.
In 1985, a massive renovation began, but the company went bankrupt. It sat empty for years, fenced off, looking like a haunted mansion. It took Duane Roberts, a local businessman who made his fortune in the frozen burrito industry (true story), to buy it in 1992 and sink millions into a restoration. He saved it. Without Roberts, the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa would be a memory.
Today, the Kelly’s Spa at the hotel is a nod to that modern luxury. It’s one of the top-rated spas in the country, but it’s tucked inside these ancient-feeling stone walls. It’s a bizarre contrast to get a high-tech facial in a building where the basement has "catacombs" (which are actually just storage tunnels and quirky hallways Miller used to display his art).
What to Actually Do When You Visit
If you’re just going for a photo, you’re missing the point. The Mission Inn is best experienced through its hidden corners.
- Take the Docent Tour: Honestly, you’ll get lost otherwise. The Mission Inn Foundation runs these tours, and the guides are obsessed with the history. They’ll show you the "Raincross" symbol—the double-barred cross Miller designed that eventually became the official symbol of the City of Riverside.
- The Festival of Lights: If you come between late November and early January, prepare for chaos. Over five million lights. Hundreds of animated figures. It’s one of the largest holiday light displays in the world. It’s crowded, yes, but seeing the Spanish Wing glowing under millions of LEDs is something you have to do once.
- Dining at Duane’s: It’s an old-school Prime Steaks and Seafood spot. It’s expensive. It’s formal. But the wine list is incredible, and the atmosphere is pure 1920s opulence.
- The Bells: Look up. There are bells everywhere. Miller’s collection is one of the largest in the world. The oldest one dates back to 1247. Let that sink in. A bell from the 13th century hanging in a California hotel.
The "Catacombs" and Other Myths
People love to talk about the "catacombs" beneath the hotel. It sounds spooky. It sounds like there are secret tunnels to the courthouse or hidden graves.
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The reality? They’re basically just basement hallways. Miller used them to store his overflow of international treasures and as a way for staff to move around without disturbing the guests. They aren't haunted—at least not officially—but they are definitely creepy if the lights are low. They are packed with tile work and architectural fragments that didn't fit anywhere else.
Also, despite what some tour guides might hint at, the hotel isn't "Mission" in the sense of the California Missions built by Junipero Serra. It’s "Mission Revival." It was built to look like history, not to be the original history. Miller was selling an experience, a romanticized version of the Spanish colonial past.
Why It Still Matters in 2026
In an era of cookie-cutter Marriott and Hilton blocks, the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa is an outlier. It’s an argument for eccentric architecture. It shouldn't exist in a suburban city like Riverside, yet it dominates the skyline.
It’s a reminder that sometimes, one person’s obsession can create something that lasts for centuries. Miller wasn't an architect; he was a visionary with a checkbook and a lot of frequent traveler miles. He created a space that feels like it belongs in Europe but could only exist in California.
If you’re planning a trip, don't just stay for the night. Spend a few hours just walking the perimeter. Look at the carvings. Notice the way the light hits the rotunda in the afternoon. It’s a sensory overload in the best way possible.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Visit
- Book the "Author’s" or "Presidential" suites if you want the real history, but be prepared for quirky layouts. These aren't modern, square rooms.
- The Mission Inn Museum is a separate entity from the hotel; visit it first to get the context of why the Rayas Altar is so significant.
- Check the wedding calendar. If there’s a big wedding (which there usually is), access to the St. Francis Chapel might be restricted. Call ahead if that's your main reason for visiting.
- Park in the city structures nearby if you’re just visiting for dinner; the valet can get backed up for 30+ minutes during peak season.
- Look for the Macaws. Miller loved exotic birds, and the hotel still keeps the tradition alive with resident birds in the courtyard.
Experience the scale of the place. Walk the spiral staircase in the Rotunda Wing. It’s six stories of open-air Mediterranean architecture that makes you feel like you’ve stepped out of California and into a different century entirely.