In the middle of a deep Californian valley, nestled beneath the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountain range, there’s a cheerful little suburban town strewn with sand colored one-story buildings and neat, square blocks. It is, demonstrably, a town like any many others in America: with a tidy downtown and wide streets; neighborhoods with picket fences and yawning golf resorts peppered in the upper-class areas; teenagers looping giddily on bikes; strip malls and daycares and schools and community colleges. However, Indio is not known for the banal universality of its infrastructure. Indio, California, is known for its capacity for deliverance. 

Indio is a place that tears into the individual, a fever that swelters inside any casual visitor in the months or years following their tenure in the town. Perhaps it is the heat, the mirage at the cusp on the horizon, the purpling mountains presiding over the vast ground—the place of Indio precedes any thing that it may contain. And, whether a traveler might be visiting for a certain commercially successful music festival that shall not be named, or to venture into the desert for sculptural art, it is helpful to spend one’s time in Indio inside of an institution that has been predicated on the same sort of spirit upon which Indio has been constructed—place, nature, spirit, all combining to give the human interloper a strange (albeit pleasant) transcendental experience. 

Like, for example, the Saint Boniface Hotel. Saint Boniface Hotel is a collection of spacious, private casitas complete with a full kitchen, living room, bedroom, and large bathroom. It’s perfect for couples, families, friend groups, or individuals and artists looking to stay somewhere that offers a balance of privacy and access to the expansive opportunities for adventure in the local town of Indio. While yes, each casita is stocked with one’s basic living luxuries (in home-away-from-home style, there is a TV, coffee maker, stocked kitchen, Hermès soap, etc) the attention to detail and interiority is what makes this space a special stay. Each casita is uniquely designed, as if materialized out of some Southern California vintage dream. It’s a culmination of Hollywood, beauty, and rock-n-roll. Its exteriors include a private outdoor sitting area, with the addition of the hotel’s shared pool that’s surrounded by comfortable cabanas. 

So, who is the woman who made this place possible? Who created a space for like-minded individuals to come to rest, restore, party if they want to, enjoy alone time or the company of new faces. We speak with Jane St. Boniface, who opened the hotel officially in 2023 and who, thankfully, created a sanctuary, an escape of comforts, in Indio, CA. 

Why did you get into hospitality? Tell us a bit about the beginnings of/your inspirations to open the Saint Boniface Hotel. 

I’ve been blessed with an international lifestyle. In my 20s and 30s, I was a groupie, traveling the world and following musicians. That experience allowed me to see cities and communities through a completely different lens.

But it was traveling as a single mother that I truly fell in love with hospitality. My sons and I stayed in everything from ashrams and treehouses in India, to châteaux in the south of France, to luxury eco-hotels at Machu Picchu. Each stay was an adventure that left its mark on me.

One summer, I took my boys to see the lavender fields of Luberon, France. We stayed in a charming, family-owned hotel where every member of the family played a role: the daughter worked the front desk, the mother cooked, the father tended the grounds, the grandmother ran housekeeping, and the brother carried our bags. I remember writing to my friends saying, “One day I’ll build a little hotel (in the middle of nowhere) where my musician and artist friends can stay whenever they pass through.” Of course, Indio isn’t exactly in the middle of nowhere, but it is a place that draws people with a plan.

From 2014 to 2019, I ran a beautiful Airbnb apartment out of my Brooklyn brownstone. I loved it. I loved spoiling my guests, anticipating their needs, sharing my library, and creating a home away from home. I was proud to be a five-star Superhost, and it was during those years that I realized I was ready to create a little hotel of my own. In 2018, I purchased the property on Oasis Street, and by the fall of 2019, I began renovations on the casitas. Then the pandemic hit in 2020, forcing everything to pause. After much patience and perseverance, we finally had our soft opening in 2022 and our grand opening in 2023. Like all of my projects, the Saint Boniface Hotel has been a true labor of love, born from my travels, my passion for caring for people, and my dream of building a place where art, hospitality, and community could thrive together.

In your opinion, what kind of role does a boutique hotel play in its community? Or, what does a boutique hotel owe to the place that it exists in?   

I believe a boutique hotel has the flexibility to serve its community in new and sometimes unorthodox ways. Unlike large chains, we can respond directly to the needs and spirit of our neighborhood.

For example, I’d love to offer swimming lessons for pre-K students in our pool during the low season. There’s a child development center here in downtown Indio that I’d love to partner with—even though we’re normally an 18+ property, this would be a meaningful way to open our doors to the next generation.

I also dream of hosting an artist residency in collaboration with the Coachella Valley History Museum, which is literally right behind the hotel. How wonderful would it be to welcome a visiting artist who could not only create on site but also teach classes to young adults and others in the community?

We’re partnering with Tru Awakenings Studio to host a Women’s Retreat at Saint Boniface this winter. We’ll be announcing the exact date soon, but the idea is to create a space where local women can reconnect with themselves through practices like sound baths, outdoor yoga, talking circles, floating meditations, wellness brunch and cooking demos, tarot readings, massages, and more. It’s about reminding women, or introducing them for the first time, that self-care is essential, not a luxury.

In short, I believe a boutique hotel should look for ways to identify needs in its neighborhood and do what it can to meet them. And at the very least, if a business cannot provide a service, it still owes its community kindness, support, and positive energy in everything it does.

You were born in Palm Springs, and you’re also a member of the 29 Palms Band of Mission Indians. What about this place is special to you? What have you seen change?

Wow!  When I was a little girl growing up in downtown Palm Springs, it was nothing like the polished destination it is today. Back then, it was trailer parks, laundromats, dive bars, and wide stretches of open desert in between. My grandmothers would take us on long walks through that desert, where we’d pick up old colored glass, seashells, and pretty pebbles, collecting them in old wine jugs. They would talk to us about the earth and teach us to admire the “sisters”: red ant and black ant.

That world doesn’t really exist anymore in downtown Palm Springs. Today, it’s a beautifully manicured vision of how man conquered the desert. In many ways, it’s stunning but it’s also very different from the wild desert of my childhood.

If I may speak plainly, I resented growing up here at first. Before the Indian casinos, there were even fewer opportunities for work, education, or nightlife. For young people, the only way forward seemed to be leaving—and I was one of them. I still live full-time in New York City.

But the desert always calls me back. What I return to again and again is its stillness—the way it allows me to hear my own intuition. I come back for the detoxifying heat, the delicious Mexican food, the privacy, and the beauty of the Morning Star as night fades into day. The same reasons Hollywood loves the desert are the reasons I do too, except my people have been here since time immemorial.

I usually don’t speak much about my heritage, because I see myself as a citizen of the world. I don’t want the Saint Boniface to be known as a “Native” hotel, but as an unconventional property and brand. That said, I am proud of my blood, and if my little hotel inspires even one other Indian to travel, to create, and to dream, then I am very happy.

In addition to this property, you also own two in Barcelona. What do you find are the unexpected challenges of entrepreneurship in hospitality?

Yes, I have two lifestyle boutiques in Barcelona—one of which we’re in the process of converting into a wardrobe rental for production professionals, stylists, and photographers. They’re a lot of fun, and I’m fortunate to have a strong team there that manages everything when I’m away.

That said, opening two businesses at the same time, in two different countries, on two different continents—it was beyond challenging. Honestly, it nearly killed me. But at the time, it made perfect sense to my Scorpio nature. Then Covid hit, delaying everything, which only heightened my anxiety. I started to listen to my critics, letting the pressure push me toward opening too fast.

The truth is, unless someone has financed and completed a full commercial gut renovation—and then opened multiple brick-and-mortar businesses, much less in a foreign country—they can’t really understand the painstaking details and resources it takes to create something legitimate. It’s not easy. I bow to anyone who has opened a business on their own. Whether it’s a lotto kiosk or a shoe repair shop, it takes time, money, and a lot of grit. Thankfully, grit is something I have plenty of.

There were other challenges too. When I announced plans for the hotel, I experienced a kind of reverse snobbery. Some people assumed I was part of a big corporation and accused me of gentrifying. Others criticized the location, saying the neighborhood wasn’t desirable. What they didn’t realize is that I’m a homegirl—born and bred in this desert—and I was inspired by hoteliers like Cyril Aouizerate, who chose locations off the beaten path with vision and foresight.

 I had read Issy Sharp’s book in Prague and learned that something great can grow out of humility and hard work. 

A seed was planted when I read a Quentin Tarantino interview where he was asked if he could ever top Pulp Fiction. His answer was something like: maybe that was his last film, and instead he’d open a little movie theater in the middle of nowhere and show spaghetti westerns and art house films. That stuck with me.

So, the challenges I faced—the critics, the doubt, the grueling details—were all part of the road. A road that was divinely inspired, paved with grit, and shaped by the ideas of the greats.  I could not have done this without my family and my right hand Jesus Torrealba.

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What are your favorite details of Saint Boniface Hotel? 

I absolutely love the kitchens and little dining areas. I’m not much of a cook myself, but there’s something about a fully stocked kitchen that feels luxurious and welcoming. I also love the colorful sheers in the windows—the way they filter the light and cast vibrant hues into the room.

Another favorite detail is the mood lighting in the bedrooms. It seems so small, but the right light can completely shift the energy—cozy, romantic, or meditative. Maybe it goes back to my childhood—I adored my Lite-Brite, kaleidoscopes, and making shadow puppets. Light and color have always enchanted me, and I wanted to bring that same magic into the hotel.

And then there are the little surprises. Some rooms have projectors, perfect for watching films or casting light, while others feature outdoor bathtubs where guests can soak under the stars—or, as I like to say, become one themselves.

As a relatively new spot located in a historical getaway, what do you hope to see in the hotel’s future? 

Oh, I have so many dreams for Saint Boniface! I’d love to add a small indoor event space—nothing over the top, just the right size for a small wedding or an intimate celebration. I imagine a certified kitchen too, where we could finally host a proper brunch for the tennis crowd. A gift shop (Saint Boniface branded, of course) is also on my wish list, along with a tiny barre studio—just enough space for a private one-on-one mat Pilates session or even a private dance class for guests.

The truth is, I want to do it all right away, but it feels like the universe is pacing me—doling things out little by little instead of all at once. And that’s okay. In the meantime, I’ve acquired a new property in Palm Springs that will keep me busy (and dreaming up even more ideas).

In your travels, what is your first memory of falling in love with a place? How do you think travel changes a person for the better? 

I’ve had so many gorgeous moments in my travels that it’s hard to choose just one, but one memory that always comes to mind is a holiday in Sicily with my sons when they were about nine and ten. We drove from Palermo to Taormina and finished in Catania, with a stay on the island of Lipari where we took mud baths in Vulcano.

Back then, my boys still tolerated me picking out their clothes.  They were so cute in their little linen suits with coppolas. I remember packing a picnic of summer fruits, antipasti, and alici, and sitting on the beaches of Lipari while they swam. 

At one point, my youngest turned to me and sang, “Mommy, this is the best day ever.” It was one of those moments of pure peace and happiness that I’ll never forget.

Later on that trip, I introduced them to The Godfather trilogy. After that, they never complained about their little suits again—they wanted to be just like Michael Corleone. We even visited the town of Savoca, where the first Godfather was filmed, ate cannoli, and took photos at the church where Michael married Apollonia. It felt like we were walking inside history and cinema all at once.   It was unforgettable.

For me, travel will always be the best education—even before formal academics—to expand our minds. 

It cultivates empathy, tolerance, and a deeper desire to care for the planet. 

I honestly believe the greatest gift I ever gave my children was the chance to travel. Even when it wasn’t perfect... even when it was downright scary, we always found our way.

Travel reveals us to ourselves.