Overnight Stay Booking Required
Overnight stay at the Padre Hotel
Book a room in Bakersfield's eight-story 1928 Spanish Revival hotel, restored and reopened in 2010. Featured on Travel Channel's Portals to Hell.
- Duration:
- 12 hr
No photograph
on file
Est. 1928on file
HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
- 01Children's voices and giggling
- 02Unexplained handprint preserved under varnish
- 03Cold spots
- 04Sense of presence
Haunted Hotel / Inn
The Padre Hotel
Bakersfield's 1928 Spanish Revival landmark
1702 18th Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301
Wheelchair Accessible
Research-Backed · 4 sources
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Boutique hotel with restaurant, bar, and event spaces. Lobby and public spaces are accessible to non-guests during regular hours.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Standard hotel access
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1928 · 1928 Spanish Revival architecture · Tallest building in Bakersfield at opening · John M. Cooper design
The Padre Hotel opened on April 12, 1928, named in honor of Padre Francisco Garces, one of the first European missionaries to visit the Bakersfield area in the eighteenth century. Designed by Los Angeles architect John M. Cooper in the Spanish Revival style and built for approximately $600,000 on the former estate of Judge Benjamin Brundage, the eight-story hotel offered 196 rooms, a banquet hall, and a coffee shop, and was the tallest building in Bakersfield.
The Padre quickly became the social hub of downtown Bakersfield and was promoted as the 'finest hotel west of the Rockies,' drawing notable guests including Clark Gable and Carole Lombard during the late 1920s and 1930s. In 1954 the hotel was purchased by Milton 'Spartacus' Miller, whose decades-long public disputes with city officials over code enforcement became Bakersfield civic legend. After Miller's era and years of decline, the building underwent extensive renovation and reopened in 2010 as the boutique hotel that operates today.
The hotel was featured on Travel Channel's Portals to Hell paranormal series and is profiled in Kern County tourism and ghost-tour writing as one of the city's most documented historic landmarks.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padre_Hotel
- https://www.thepadrehotel.com/historical
- https://www.courthousenews.com/the-haunting-tale-of-bakersfields-padre-hotel/
- https://www.kget.com/community/ricks-reviews/bakersfields-padre-hotel-part-of-portals-to-hell/
Children's voices and gigglingUnexplained handprint preserved under varnishCold spotsSense of presence
Paranormal accounts at the Padre Hotel cluster around tragedies that occurred during the building's middle decades. Local tradition holds that a 1950s fire on the seventh floor caused multiple deaths including children, and the building's early years recorded several deaths from the roof during a period before later safety modifications. The 1952 Kern County earthquake, which damaged much of downtown Bakersfield, is cited locally as the rough start of paranormal reports at the building.
Guests report hearing children's voices and giggles on the upper floors, and a small child's handprint is preserved under the varnish on a wooden pillar in the coffee shop and is regularly pointed out to visitors. A cranky-presence story is often attributed to former owner Milton 'Spartacus' Miller, who battled the City of Bakersfield over the building for more than four decades and is said by some staff to disapprove of the 2010 renovation. The hotel's paranormal reputation was explored in the Travel Channel series Portals to Hell.
Notable Entities
Milton 'Spartacus' Miller (alleged)
Media Appearances
- Portals to Hell (Travel Channel)
Plan Your Visit
2 ways to experience Dinner
Dinner or drinks at the hotel restaurants
Eat at the Padre's Belvedere Room or Brimstone bar without booking a room. Ask staff about the seventh-floor history and the handprint preserved under the varnish on a wooden pillar in the coffee shop.
- Duration:
- 1.5 hr
Book a room at The Padre Hotel
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Sources & Further Reading
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Padre Hotel family-friendly?
The hotel itself is family-appropriate, but the building's haunted history includes tragedies (a 1950s fire that killed children and historic suicides from the roof) that families may want to discuss before sharing with younger kids. Overall family fit: Moderate.
How much does it cost to visit The Padre Hotel?
Boutique hotel with restaurant, bar, and event spaces. Lobby and public spaces are accessible to non-guests during regular hours.
Do I need to book in advance?
No advance booking is required, but checking availability is recommended.
Is The Padre Hotel wheelchair accessible?
Yes, The Padre Hotel is wheelchair accessible. Terrain: Standard hotel access.