This California hotel room is so haunted, it’s a ghost hunter mecca

Frank Miller’s Haunted Mission Inn in Riverside

The Mission Inn in Riverside started small but grew into a ghost hunter’s dream spot. In 1876, it was just a tiny adobe boarding house with 12 rooms.

Then Frank Miller bought it in 1880 and spent 55 years turning it into a grand hotel filled with global treasures.

Now guests report seeing Frank and his sister Alice haunting their old rooms on the fourth floor. Cold spots, pushed guests, and monk spirits in the catacombs add to the lore.

The once-crumbling hotel got new life after a $50 million makeover in 1992 and still draws those brave enough to walk its haunted halls.

Joaquin Miller Builds a Small Boarding House

Joaquin Miller built a simple 12-room adobe boarding house in 1876, naming it Glenwood Cottage. This basic building sat in what later became downtown Riverside during California’s early citrus boom.

The small structure looked nothing like the sprawling hotel it would become, but its foundation started what many now think is one of America’s most haunted places.

No one back then could have guessed this plain cottage would turn into a ghost hotspot that draws ghost hunters from all over.

Frank Miller Transforms His Father’s Simple Inn

Frank Augustus Miller bought the property from his father in 1880 and started thinking bigger. He began growing the original building with bold plans beyond a typical hotel.

Frank wanted to create something special that would attract visitors worldwide. His ideas mixed many building styles, focusing on Spanish Colonial Revival elements.

This began a 55-year growth that turned a simple boarding house into a maze of rooms where ghosts now supposedly roam.

Spanish Gothic Elements Rise From The Desert

The first big growth started with the Mission Wing in 1902, adding dramatic Spanish Gothic features, flying buttresses, and religious designs throughout the property.

Frank traveled across Europe and Asia, bringing back countless treasures to fill the growing hotel’s hallways and rooms.

These items included religious objects, artwork, and odd things from faraway lands. Many guests now see shadowy figures near these treasures, mostly at night.

Arched Walkways Welcome Celebrities And Spirits

Between 1910 and 1920, Frank added the Cloister Wing with its signature arches and garden spaces.

During this golden time, the hotel became a fancy spot that drew wealthy guests, movie stars, and even presidents. Frank kept hunting for global treasures, filling the hotel with more religious items, artwork, and antiques.

Today, the Cloister Wing has the most ghost activity, with guests and workers reporting strange footsteps, whispers, and cold spots that follow visitors through the arched hallways.

Hidden Passageways Lead To Otherworldly Encounters

The final building phases from 1920 to 1931 included the Spanish Wing and the impressive International Rotunda.

The five-story rotunda showed off fancy domes, detailed ironwork, and exotic design elements that made the hotel truly special. Frank also added secret catacombs and hidden passages throughout the property.

These underground spaces now create the most intense ghost reports, with visitors claiming to see monk ghosts and hear chanting voices echoing through the dark tunnels.

The Siblings Who Never Really Left

Frank Miller ran the hotel until he died in 1935, while his sister Alice lived in her southeast corner suite for many years.

Both siblings loved the property deeply, creating strong personal bonds that seemed to last beyond death.

Workers often meet Frank’s ghost near his old rooms on the fourth floor. Alice shows up through beautiful singing and sudden cold spots in her old suite.

Guests often ask about “the woman in the old-fashioned dress” without knowing about Alice’s history.

Mission Inn Creeps With Unexplained Sounds

After decades of success, the hotel hit hard times in the 1960s and 1970s. The once-grand property broke down and parts of it sat empty.

Local people walking past the hotel at night saw strange lights in windows of empty rooms and spooky music playing when no one was there.

Security guards quit after weird experiences, and rumors spread about the hotel being haunted.

These stories grew as the empty building fell apart, with many believing the ghosts of past guests and staff stayed behind.

Renovation Crews Awaken Sleeping Spirits

A huge $50 million fix-up project saved the crumbling landmark in the 1980s. Duane Roberts bought the property in 1992 and worked to bring back its historic charm.

During the big renovations, workers reported many strange events.

Tools moved overnight, lights turned on and off by themselves, and some workers refused to go into certain areas alone.

Many thought the construction bothered ghosts who had gotten used to the quiet, empty spaces, causing more ghost activity that continues today.

Fourth Floor Rooms Host Otherworldly Reunions

The most common ghost sightings involve Frank and Alice Miller themselves.

Hotel workers talk about seeing Frank’s ghost walking the hallways near his old rooms, often looking like he’s checking on the property he loved so much.

Alice’s ghost sings in her fourth-floor suite, making pretty songs that float through the halls.

Guests who stay in these rooms report items moving by themselves, doors opening and closing, and feeling someone sitting on their beds in the middle of the night.

The Bridal Suite Holds Dark Secrets

The fancy Bridal Suite has become known for its ghost activity.

Many guests report being pushed while walking down the suite’s spiral staircase, with some getting minor injuries from these unseen shoves.

Hotel staff find objects moved around in the morning, and electronic equipment often breaks without reason. Wedding parties who stay in the suite sometimes catch strange orbs and misty figures in their photos.

Some brides have even seen a woman in old-fashioned clothes standing beside them in mirrors, only to turn and find no one there.

Monks Wander Through Corridor Chambers

The underground catacombs, partially confirmed through recent excavations, generate the most intense paranormal reports at the Mission Inn.

Visitors on ghost tours describe seeing shadowy figures in monk-like robes that vanish when approached. Security cameras occasionally capture unexplained light anomalies moving through these spaces.

EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) recordings have picked up Latin phrases and prayers in areas where no one was present.

These underground spaces have become the focus of numerous paranormal investigations, with ghost hunters considering the Mission Inn one of California’s most reliably haunted locations.

Visiting Mission Inn, Riverside

You can explore the Mission Inn’s haunted history at 3649 Mission Inn Avenue in Riverside.

The hotel runs seasonal spooky tours from September 4 through November 2 on Thursday-Sunday nights. Regular tours cost $55 at 6pm and 8pm, while VIP experiences are $65 at 10pm.

The Mission Inn Museum at 3750 Market Street offers year-round downtown walking haunted tours that include Alice’s Room and other spooky spots throughout the historic property.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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