Our Story
Hope Springs began as a modest desert spa in 1963, originally created by two visionary women drawn to the natural mineral waters of Desert Hot Springs. Like many properties in the area at the time, it was built around a simple idea: that the water itself was the destination.
Originally known as La Bella Sari, the property evolved over the years—later becoming Cactus Springs—before taking on its current identity as Hope Springs Resort.
Set within the historic Spa Zone, the hotel reflects a time when small, independently owned mineral spring motels defined the area—places rooted in simplicity, healing water, and a slower pace of life.
The building retains its midcentury modern character, blending clean lines with the surrounding desert landscape. At its core, one thing has remained unchanged: the natural hot mineral water, still flowing into the pools and spa today.
By 1999, the property had shifted into use as low-income apartments before being purchased by Steve Samiof, founder and editor of the influential alternative magazine Slash and a notable figure in the Los Angeles punk scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. His background documenting the rise of bands like The Dead Kennedys, X, and The Go-Go’s brought a distinctly independent, creative energy back to the property.
In the years that followed, Hope Springs was stewarded by a series of owners, including those balancing careers in film and creative industries, adding another layer to its identity as a quiet desert retreat shaped by people drawn to both privacy and creative life.
Today, Hope Springs is owned by four lifelong friends from the East Coast, continuing that lineage—bringing their own perspective while preserving what has always made the property special.
What exists now is not a reinvention, but a continuation—a place shaped over time by different hands, grounded in the same idea: step away, slow down, and let the environment do the rest.
Henry Hope: The New Mascot of Hope Springs