The Story of The Good House: More Than a Boutique Hotel
Every hotel has owners.
Few have caretakers.
The story of The Good House isn’t about one person or one moment in time. It’s about a place that has continually evolved while holding onto the same purpose: creating a peaceful retreat where people can slow down, reconnect and experience the healing waters of Desert Hot Springs.
A Desert Oasis Takes Root
Long before it became The Good House, this property was known as the Hacienda Hot Springs Inn.
Originally built in 1957, the site sat quietly on Miracle Hill, home to some of the world’s most remarkable natural mineral hot springs. Fed by naturally heated, odorless mineral water that rises from deep beneath the earth, the property offered visitors something increasingly rare: silence, stillness and time.
That potential was fully realized in 2003 when Los Angeles rare book dealer and publisher William “Bill” Dailey purchased what had become a tired roadside motel. Inspired by a lifelong love affair with the desert, Bill didn’t simply renovate the property. He reimagined it from the ground up, creating a boutique retreat where thoughtful design, natural beauty and genuine hospitality existed in perfect harmony.
His vision was simple. Build a place where people could disconnect from the noise of everyday life and reconnect with themselves.
Bill Dailey’s Vision
Bill Dailey was more than a hotel owner. He was a nationally respected rare book dealer, publisher, collector and preservationist whose curiosity extended far beyond the pages of the books he sold.
That same appreciation for craftsmanship found its way into every corner of the Hacienda. Rooms were thoughtfully furnished with antiques, books, artwork and vintage pieces collected over decades. Music drifted from vinyl records. Conversation flowed naturally between guests. Authors, musicians, artists and filmmakers often found themselves gathered around the property, creating an atmosphere that felt less like a hotel and more like a friend’s desert home.
Bill’s love for Desert Hot Springs quickly grew beyond the property itself. He became an unofficial historian of the city, collecting vintage postcards, historic photographs, geological surveys and stories from longtime residents. He believed the history of Desert Hot Springs was worth preserving just as much as its remarkable mineral water.
Guests came for the hot springs but often left talking about the feeling the Hacienda created. Days were intentionally unhurried. Guests soaked in the 94-degree mineral pool beneath towering palms and mesquite trees, relaxed with massages, napped in the desert breeze and gathered for dinners under star-filled skies prepared by visiting chefs. It was a place where creativity and community naturally flourished.
Designed to Belong to the Desert
According to The Good House archives, he commissioned celebrated landscape designer, naturalist and organic farmer Bettina Birch to create gardens that honored the surrounding desert rather than competing with it. Birch was known for designing landscapes that blended terrain, stonework, flowing water and native plant life into environments that felt completely natural. Her philosophy centered on sustainability and creating spaces that belonged to their surroundings.
Today, mature palms, mesquite trees, winding pathways and peaceful gardens continue to define the arrival experience at The Good House, carrying forward Birch’s original vision of a true desert oasis.
A New Name, The Same Soul
Following Bill’s passing in 2017, the property entered a new chapter.
In 2019, New Zealand singer-songwriter Gin Wigmore instantly fell in love with the intimate seven-room hotel and purchased the property, introducing it to the world as The Good House.
Gin saw what so many guests had seen before her. Beneath the mature trees and peaceful mineral pools was a place with soul.
She refreshed the property with an eclectic California cowboy aesthetic, layering vintage furnishings, bohemian details, poetic storytelling and playful touches throughout the guest experience. Straw hats for guests, a relaxed dog-friendly atmosphere and an unmistakable sense of warmth gave The Good House its own distinct personality while honoring everything that had come before it.
The name changed. The feeling never did.
A Place Where Everyone Belongs
Like many hospitality businesses, The Good House faced extraordinary challenges during the pandemic. In 2020, the property began another chapter when Brian Edson and David Shaker became its new caretakers.
Every owner has added something meaningful to this special place. Brian and David chose to build upon its legacy by making The Good House more welcoming than ever.
Today, The Good House is proudly one of the few Black-owned boutique hotels in the greater Palm Springs region. It has become a destination where inclusivity is more than a value. It's part of everyday life. Guests of all backgrounds, identities and walks of life are welcomed with genuine warmth and encouraged to arrive exactly as they are.
Their vision has expanded wellness through The Spa. They have elevated the culinary program under Chef Van's leadership and strengthened The Good House's commitment to sustainability by earning an international Green Key 4-Key Certification. They have also built partnerships with local businesses like Temalpakh Farm and through Kind Traveler's Every Stay Gives Back program. Every stay supports the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert.
The Good House continues to honor its past while thoughtfully evolving for the future. It isn't simply a place to stay. It's a place to belong.
The Water That Started It All
While the buildings have evolved and each owner has left their own mark, one thing has remained unchanged. The water.
The Good House sits within Desert Hot Springs’ protected Miracle Hill district where two underground aquifers, one hot and one cold, create some of the purest naturally heated mineral water in the world.
Our water emerges naturally at nearly 160 degrees before being cooled to comfortable soaking temperatures. Rich in sulfate, sodium, bicarbonate, calcium, silica and magnesium, these mineral waters have attracted visitors seeking rest, healing and renewal for generations.
Unlike many geothermal destinations, Desert Hot Springs mineral water is naturally odorless, making long, peaceful soaks as enjoyable as they are restorative.
It’s the same water that welcomed guests in 1957.
The same water that inspired Bill Dailey.
The same water Gin Wigmore fell in love with.
The same water Brian Edson and David Shaker continue to share with every guest who walks through our gates.
Our Story Continues
The Good House has worn different names and welcomed different caretakers over the years.
Each has left something behind. A vision. A garden. A tradition. 1,000 story. Together, those chapters have created something that cannot be manufactured or replicated.
Today, when you walk through our gates, you’re not simply checking into a boutique hotel. You’re becoming part of nearly seventy years of history shaped by artists, dreamers, preservationists, musicians, entrepreneurs and countless guests who found exactly what they were looking for in the quiet of the desert.
We can’t wait to welcome you into the next chapter.
Further Reading & Sources:
Antiquarian Booksellers' Association of America. (2018). In memoriam: William Dailey. https://www.abaa.org/articles/in-memoriam-william-dailey
Booktryst. (2019, January). A Bodhisattva of the Book: William Dailey. https://www.booktryst.com/2019/01/a-bodhisattva-of-book-william-dailey.html
Legacy.com. (2017). William Dailey obituary. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/william-dailey-obituary
Palm Springs Life. Palm Springs Life. https://www.palmspringslife.com
Rare Book Hub. (2018). William Dailey: Known by the Friends That He Kept. https://www.rarebookhub.com/articles/2357
The Desert Sun. The Desert Sun. https://www.desertsun.com
Visit Greater Palm Springs. (n.d.). A natural wellness gem: The Good House Hotel & Spa. https://www.visitgreaterpalmsprings.com/blog/post/a-natural-wellness-gem-the-good-house-hotel-and-spa/
WEHOville. (2017, December). Bill Dailey, long prominent on L.A.'s book scene, has died. https://wehoonline.com/bill-dailey-long-prominent-l-s-book-scene-died/
Wayback Machine. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://web.archive.org
Green Key Global – Learn about the Green Key sustainability certification program for hotels.
https://www.greenkey.global/ Kind Traveler – Every Stay Gives Back – Learn how every stay supports local nonprofit organizations through Kind Traveler's community impact program.
https://www.kindtraveler.com/content/about-every-stay-gives-back The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert – Official website.
https://www.thecentercv.org/Temalpakh Farm. (n.d.). Temalpakh Farm. https://www.temalpakhfarm.com
