After years of anticipation, planning, and painstaking restoration, Mirbeau Inn & Spa Beacon is preparing to open its doors this spring, marking a significant new chapter for both the luxury hospitality group and a storied Hudson Valley property. Rooms are currently available for booking and restaurant and spa reservations will open up this spring.
Located on the former Tioronda Estate, just south of Beacon’s downtown core, the 64-acre site centers on the restored Howland Mansion, a High Victorian Gothic landmark dating to 1859. For Mirbeau Inn & Spa, the Beacon project represents a first: the company’s inaugural resort built around a historic rehabilitation rather than ground-up construction.
“This was new territory for us,” says Mirbeau CEO Michael Dal Pos. “We had to fully immerse ourselves in state and federal historic preservation standards, while still delivering the level of comfort and experience guests expect from Mirbeau.”
A Destination Spa Resort
Founded more than 25 years ago, Mirbeau has built a reputation for destination spa resorts that draw loosely on French aesthetics and prioritize wellness, atmosphere, and a sense of escape. Its existing properties include Skaneateles, Plymouth, and Rhinebeck, each designed to reflect its surroundings. The Beacon location extends that approach, taking cues from the site’s rolling hills, waterways, and wooded landscape.
Mirbeau Beacon draws inspiration from a Loire Valley–style countryside estate, an aesthetic Dal Pos says felt appropriate for the property’s expansive natural setting. The grounds include ponds, meadows, forested areas, and dramatic waterfalls at the confluence of Fishkill Creek and the Hudson River—features that shaped both the site plan and the spa programming.
The estate’s name, Tioronda, is derived from a Native American word meaning “meeting of the waters,” a reference that underscores the site’s ecological significance. Mirbeau has incorporated hiking and walking trails throughout the property, inviting guests to engage directly with the landscape rather than treating it as a scenic backdrop.
At the heart of the experience is the Spa Mirbeau, housed in a newly constructed Spa Chateau designed to complement, rather than compete with, the historic mansion. Treatments reference the surrounding environment, with rituals that incorporate elements such as river stones, wooden sculpting tools, and botanical aromas meant to evoke the forest and waterways. The aim, Dal Pos explains, is immersion rather than indulgence for its own sake.
Preservation was central to the project. The Howland Mansion was designed by noted 19th-century architects Frederick Clarke Withers and Richard Morris Hunt, and many of its most significant features have been carefully restored. These include the Hunt Music Room and Terrace, as well as a massive 58-pipe organ built in 1873 by Johnson & Company. Interior finishes honor the mansion’s original dark woods and Gothic detailing, while modern amenities are discreetly integrated.
The mansion served for a time as the Craig House Sanitarium, the first licensed private psychiatric hospital when it opened in 1915. The hospital served the affluent and famous, including Rosemary Kennedy, Truman Capote, Zelda Fitzgerald, Frances Ford Seymour, and Jackie Gleason. It closed in 1999.
Shift to Restorative Experiences in Nature
Dal Pos sees Mirbeau Beacon as aligned with broader shifts in how people travel and seek respite, particularly in the post-pandemic era. “There’s a strong desire for restorative experiences in nature, for places that encourage people to slow down,” he says. “Beacon and the Hudson Valley are well positioned for that.”
Beyond tourism, Mirbeau is positioning itself as a local presence. The company emphasizes employment practices that prioritize work-life balance and wellness, and it plans to engage with local suppliers and businesses. Dal Pos frames the project not simply as a resort, but as part of Beacon’s broader social and economic ecosystem.
That philosophy extends to how Mirbeau defines luxury. Rather than spectacle or exclusivity, Dal Pos emphasizes atmosphere, service, and emotional experience. “Luxury, for us, is defined by feeling rather than flash,” he says. “It’s about creating a sanctuary—spaces that feel human, warm, and genuinely caring.”
Mirbeau Beacon is also designed to be accessible to the local community. Residents won’t need to book an overnight stay to use the spa, dine at the restaurant, or participate in wellness programming. A membership model offers ongoing access to spa facilities, a fitness center, and classes, positioning the property as a “third place” beyond home and work.
Looking ahead, Dal Pos measures success less in occupancy rates than in relationships. He points to Mirbeau Rhinebeck, where locals routinely celebrate milestones at its restaurant, Willow—from anniversaries to engagements—as a model. “We want Mirbeau Beacon to be woven into people’s lives,” he says, “a place people return to because it makes them feel restored and connected.”
