The Mission Inn Hotel and Spa, Riverside

My fiancee proposed to me in our hotel room at The Mission Inn on December 15, 2011, and due to the sentimental value, we decided to do our wedding here. First off—let me say that this location is AMAZING in general. Just the scenery and the downtown area across the street is enough to make you go “WOW!” at it's beauty. We were lucky enough to be there on vacation during the Festival of Lights, where the Mission Inn is completely decked out in Christmas decor and lights. The rooms are majestic in themselves. If you haven't been there yet, it is definitely worth a couple night stay. They also have a Spanish restaurant, a Steak restaurant, and I think another place connected to the hotel, and all have wonderful food. Not to mention a wine bar and activities like afternoon tea. They offer amazing wedding packages with wonderful food choices, and their wedding vendor list is amazing. Without going into much detail, let me just say that I have had no unpleasant experiences with the people that work there or the people they recommend for wedding things (they provide you with a list of 2-4 companies for each vendor). What is really amazing with the list is that everyone on the list has worked together at some point in time, so they are all familiar with each other and know each other's flow, which is super reassuring when you are the bride and choosing vendors. For the day of the wedding, the hotel provided beautiful and picturesque locations for my husband, family, friends, and I to be photographed. The photographer we chose (Curtis with Enchanted Portraiture) knows the ins and outs of The Mission Inn, and even with all of his experience there, he still tried a few new things with us. The coordinators made the whole day stress free as they were familiar with the time line and generally assumed we were brain-dead (which we were) and just told us what to do and where to go. With these super-skilled folks, I am pretty sure you could forget everything you had planned for the year before, and they would make it look like you knew exactly what you were doing. My wedding was stress free and perfect for my guests, the wedding party, my family, and my husband and I because these folks are so knowledgeable on how to run a wedding. Because of our multiple wonderful experiences at The Mission Inn, we will be coming back there often as somewhat of a Christmas/wedding tradition. Thanks, Mission Inn, for making my wedding perfect!

The hotel is absolutely beautiful, & the Sunday Brunch is wonderful & I would highly recommend it. BUT, the Friday night Seafood Buffet was very dissapointing. There was some lettuce & tomatoes for the salad, then some shrimp cocktail along with cold snow crab which didnt taste good at all. The gentleman making the shrimp scampi overcooked the shrimp so much that is was actually tough. The service was not good either, as they were too busy taking care of the customers out on the patio that were ordering off of the menu. Too bad that it's not anywhere close to being as nice as the Sunday Brunch.

It was like going back in time. Everything is an origional piece of histrory. VERY good customer service. Nice getway if you live in the local or nearby area. Best time to go is during the Holidays for the Festival of Lights.

I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel. Every nook and cranny of this hotel was thoughtfully designed and appointed. You could walk around for days and not see everything. While enjoying the backdrop of the hotel I completely forgot that I was in California...I could have been in Spain somewhere! This hotel boasts a rich history and is definitely worth every penny. What I LOVED: --The $12 tour of the hotel was wonderful, its a must do --The mexican restaurant and the Mission Restaurant on site were great --My room was very spacious and had windows that opened to let in a breeze --The pool was large and had ample chairs --The bell station and front desk staff were friendly and knowledgable What needs IMPROVEMENT: --The gym was very very small and had only two treadmills, which didn't face the television --The gift shop has mainly high end spa products and clothing. I wished they had more Mission Inn merchandise --Housekeeping was not the best - they didn't empty my trash cans throughout my 3 day visit --The bed was very firm as well as the pillows. Standard hotel bedding leaves something to be desired. All in all I had a very pleasant experience at the Mission Inn and would definitely go back. HINT: The spanish wing of the hotel is much more unique and well-appointed than the original Mission wing. The photos you see with the fireplaces in the rooms are of the Spanish wing. I believe the deluxe rooms are the same price, so request a room in the Spanish Wing!

Gorgeous Hotel. Great location. Nothing else good to say. Overpriced smelly rooms. Noisey, too, especially from ceilng if you are on second floor (there are 3 floors.) At 4AM I was jolted awake by what I thought was an earthquake. Fell back asleep. About 4:20 I was reawakened and this time I figured it must be low-flying fighter jets -- there were 2 rolling thunder-like sounds from above. Later, front desk and housekeeping had no idea what it could be. Friends in other rooms also heard noises. Next day I heard it again in daytime -- sounded like hard-wheeled cart moving overhead on bummpy floor. So I went upstairs and counted my paces on the outside veranda with tile floor that acted as hallway. This area extends over the ceiling of the rooms below. So what was it? My guess is guests leaving with wheeled luggage being dragged over the large saltillo tiles with wide grout. I guess I was the first to hear the noises in 150 years... In the morning, if you want coffee, it's free in lobby untill 8AM. After that??? No maker in room. On Sunday morning, you can buy the $40++ brunch, but not a cup of coffee. We were out all day saturday and room wasn't made up at 4PM. (we weren't the only ones -- and no "please make up room" sign for door) First nite they turn down beds and leave chocolates. Second nite, no chocolates. The wedding we attended was fine -- the chapel is really special. Too bad the service is nowhere near as good as the facility. And the bottled water in the room is only $6!!!!

I understand the holidays have just ended and everyone is tired. However, I go to the spa to relax not to search around for toilet paper, tissue, toilet seat covers or a working toilet! The spa was less than satisfactory. I was very dissapointed and would not recommend this spa to someone unless of course this is your first spa experience than you may think it is nice because you certainly would not have anything to compare it too. The receptionist was less than friendly and could not even crack a smile, not even as we paid. My experience was definently disappointing as there are not many spas in the Inland Empire. Thank goodness the massage felt great and the therapist was very pleasant at least you may be able to count on that.......

My husband and I went for a weekend getaway and fell in love with the Mission Inn. We took a tour of the hotel (highly recommend) and spent a lot of time exploring the expansive areas the Hotel has to offer. We found lots of neat antique stores, museums and specialty stores within walking distance of the Hotel. We went for the Festival of Lights package and the lights were spectacular. Best of all the room was pristine and clean with great architecture. We also ate at the Mission Inn restaurant and it was also excellent. We encountered friendly staff who made us feel welcome and valued as a customer. The Mission Inn made Riverside a worthwhile destination for us.

This is like being in an European hotel. The courtyard restaurant is fantastic. We loved it...not tlike being in the typical southern California hotel.

This is a very unique hotel for being set in downtown Riverside. My stay was due to a trial at the courthouse and there were problems from the time I checked in. The valet staff were all standing around and it took a good 2 minutes before we were asked if we were checking in and even after I said "yes" they tried to convince me to self park. No assistance was offered to help with my luggage until a very helpful bellman saw me struggling down the walkway. He was very helpful and made sure I got my room and my luggage. The young man was very knowledgable and I asked him how long he had worked at the hotel. He said 5 years and I wondered why he was not in a higher position, he said the hotel does not promote from within and in fact look down on people with college degrees. I found this disconcerning and that seemed to stick out in my head. The hotel staff is hit or miss, some of them really care about you while others only seem to look out for themselves. For the price I paid for the room it seemed to be very small and the bed was uncomfortable. The elevator seemed to smell like vomit and when I asked what the smell was no one seemed to know. The front desk was very slow in checking me out and it seemed they had many new employees that did not have a clue what to do. This hotel has many young employees with little experience, it makes me wonder why no older experienced adults can comfort the guests needs. Hopefully in the future I wont have to rely on minimum wage working employees to ensure that my stay is worth the price I pay.

We were glad that we scheduled a tour of the Mission Inn. It was about 75 minutes long, but we learned a lot about the the Inn and its original owner. The service was excellent.The staff was cordial. The next time we will splurge on a more expensive room which faces the courtyard. We ventured out on a self-guided tour and found many quaint shops and inexpensive eating places within a 15 minute walk from the hotel. We will also try the spa when we return.