The architecture of the tower was inspired by multiple Southern California landmarks, such as the Biltmore Hotel and the Mission Inn. The building features 27,000 roof tiles. The outdoor queue area features the songs “Inside” by Fats Waller and “Mood Indigo” by Duke Ellington.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios is based on the fictional Hollywood Tower Hotel, but its architectural design is a "love letter" to several real-world Los Angeles landmarks. Imagineers drew heavy inspiration from the Chateau Marmont and the Mission Inn Hotel in Riverside, California, particularly for the Spanish Colonial Revival style characterized by red-tile roofs, arches, and weathered stucco. The hotel's "Golden Age of Hollywood" aesthetic (circa 1939) is meant to evoke the glamour of the Biltmore Hotel. While the Hollywood Tower Hotel itself is a made-up entity within the Twilight Zone narrative, the attention to detail in the 2026 version of the ride—including the "pueblo deco" lobby and overgrown Mediterranean gardens—is so authentic that many guests mistakenly believe it was a real hotel that suffered a tragic lightning strike on Halloween night.