A boutique hotel in Lewiston, Maine has begun taking reservations for a hotel room forged from the crypt of a Catholic priest who was buried there 1907.
The owner of the Inn at the Agora, a hotel in the former rectory of St. Patrick’s Church, has turned the former crypt of a Catholic priest buried in 1907 into a novelty lodging he is calling the Hotel Crypt.
"Nowhere else in the world can you rent an actual crypt for an evening," Andrew Knight, the hotel’s owner, told TheTravelPro.
The crypt, which is located in the neighboring chapel, was occupied for over 100 years by the builder and original priest of the church, Monsignor Thomas Wallace. His body was removed from the crypt and reinterred at nearby Mt. Hope Cemetery in 2009.
The chamber has since been converted into a macabre video-viewing room with an LCD TV, a selection of 60 classic horror films, antique furnishings in a gated sitting area, and a custom-built pine coffin large enough for two.
While guests may doze off in the crypt room (though I can’t imagine anyone being comfortable enough to do so), it is not available for overnight lodging. The room and its accoutrement are available for entertainment value only, must be paired with accommodations at the Inn at the Agora, and must be vacated by 2 a.m.
The inn’s owner said there is a market for unique experiences.
"Watching a scary movie and drinking a glass of wine in a coffin inside an authentic crypt is one-of-a-kind," Knight said. "It might be too creepy to attract actual customers, but if anyone uses it, it will be the adventurers and novelty-seekers."
Knight admitted he would not be among those to spend an evening in the crypt.
The opportunity to be the first living person or couple to spend an evening in the crypt is currently available on eBay. Reservations are being accepted for stays beginning August 1. An evening at the Hotel Crypt begins at $290 during low season (May-September and the month of November) and $410 in October, which is high season. The crypt is not open December through April.
Package deals include a "last meal" option. For an additional charge of $140, the hotel will cater what it calls an exquisite midnight meal for two including a bottle of wine. “We can cater a variety of [dietary] preferences … or -- to fit the theme of the crypt -- the juiciest, bloodiest steak you've ever eaten,” the hotel said on its website.
Other package deals include a tour of Stephen King's home in Bangor, about one and a half hours north of Lewiston.
More information is available on the hotel’s website, HotelCrypt.com.
Visit my main page at TheTravelPro.us for more news, reviews, and personal observations on the world of upmarket travel.
Follow @TheTravelProUS.
Photo courtesy Hotel Crypt
Click photo to view larger size
The owner of the Inn at the Agora, a hotel in the former rectory of St. Patrick’s Church, has turned the former crypt of a Catholic priest buried in 1907 into a novelty lodging he is calling the Hotel Crypt.
"Nowhere else in the world can you rent an actual crypt for an evening," Andrew Knight, the hotel’s owner, told TheTravelPro.
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| Hotel Crypt room |
The chamber has since been converted into a macabre video-viewing room with an LCD TV, a selection of 60 classic horror films, antique furnishings in a gated sitting area, and a custom-built pine coffin large enough for two.
While guests may doze off in the crypt room (though I can’t imagine anyone being comfortable enough to do so), it is not available for overnight lodging. The room and its accoutrement are available for entertainment value only, must be paired with accommodations at the Inn at the Agora, and must be vacated by 2 a.m.
The inn’s owner said there is a market for unique experiences.
"Watching a scary movie and drinking a glass of wine in a coffin inside an authentic crypt is one-of-a-kind," Knight said. "It might be too creepy to attract actual customers, but if anyone uses it, it will be the adventurers and novelty-seekers."
Knight admitted he would not be among those to spend an evening in the crypt.
The opportunity to be the first living person or couple to spend an evening in the crypt is currently available on eBay. Reservations are being accepted for stays beginning August 1. An evening at the Hotel Crypt begins at $290 during low season (May-September and the month of November) and $410 in October, which is high season. The crypt is not open December through April.
Package deals include a "last meal" option. For an additional charge of $140, the hotel will cater what it calls an exquisite midnight meal for two including a bottle of wine. “We can cater a variety of [dietary] preferences … or -- to fit the theme of the crypt -- the juiciest, bloodiest steak you've ever eaten,” the hotel said on its website.
Other package deals include a tour of Stephen King's home in Bangor, about one and a half hours north of Lewiston.
More information is available on the hotel’s website, HotelCrypt.com.
Visit my main page at TheTravelPro.us for more news, reviews, and personal observations on the world of upmarket travel.
Follow @TheTravelProUS.
Photo courtesy Hotel Crypt
Click photo to view larger size
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