The Hollywood Tower Hotel beckons one and all.
Click here for a much larger version of this picture
(561 X 750, 85,120 bytes)

LaughingPlace Invites You to Share a Sneak Peek at the Hollywood Tower Hotel

The long awaited opening of the Hollywood Tower Hotel is just around the corner. Right now there’s still a lot of mystery surrounding just what’s going on inside. A group of LaughingPlace staffers recently toured the Hotel. Here’s what they found out.

The architectural style of the Hotel is “Pueblo Deco.�? It is characterized by clean, geometric shapes, with elements from southwestern Native American art (such as sunbursts, arrowheads, and thunderbird motifs.) Since the hotel was “built�? in 1928, the same year Mickey Mouse made his debut, the style, also seen in such Southern California landmarks as the Los Angeles City Hall is most appropriate. The grounds have been designed to represent a typical upscale hotel in California in the 30’s. Chinese flame trees, magnolias, and palms create a true period feel.

The Hotel features Disney’s FastPass. The distribution center is conveniently placed in the trolley stop across the street from the grounds. The end of the street is barred by a massive gate, which carries a faded sign advertising the hotel’s glamorous past.

Although the Hollywood Tower has been abandoned since the mysterious events of October 31, 1939, daring visitors may still enter the long neglected lobby. Inside, all has been left just as it was when horrified guests fled into the night. Luggage is stacked in the corners, a card game remains unfinished, and the front desk still guards keys and mail.

Around the corner, elevator doors bulge and crack, hinting at the mysterious forces that carried five guests into another dimension. But present day adventurers must first make their way through the Library, and into the Hotel’s vast, complex, boiler room.

This massive, two-story space still hints at the activity that once took place there. Work benches stand silent; chalked notices on the wall are left in place. After passing through the gloom, guests find themselves facing a bank of service elevators.

Once inside, a memorable trip is in store. Visitors familiar with the Hollywood Tower Hotel in Florida will be surprised by a few new twists. Without going into details, watch yourself when Rod Serling advises you to “wave goodbye.�? Your fate is hinted at by a group of mysterious “guests�? who appear in a hallway, beckoning you to share their fate. And then there’s that 13th floor…

After your successful trip into the Fifth Dimension (assuming your trip is successful), you will find yourself in the Hotel’s back-stairs service areas. But eventually you will make your way into the public areas. Show windows offer goods that may be familiar to regular viewers of Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone. Among them are a kind of a stopwatch, a thimble purchased on the ninth floor by a confused lady, a most unusual camera, and a toy telephone with unusual powers.

Of course, every Hotel has a gift shop, and the Hollywood Tower is no exception. Disney is offering three specific lines of merchandise for the Tower of Terror. The Hotel logo line includes bathrobes, slippers and knick knacks, emblazoned with the “HTH�? crest. The character line places Disney stars inside all the excitement. A more youth oriented line offers edgy graphics and the warning: condemned.

The Hollywood Tower Hotel officially reopens its doors to the world on May 5, 2004. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.