The chat room. A relic of the internet’s past. Once upon a time, chat rooms swarmed the mighty cyber plains like digital buffalo, robust and unmissable. There were chat rooms for every topic imaginable. They were like a furious, real-time group text among strangers who came together to talk about Babylon 5, the Gulf War, or sex. Lots of sex.

There aren’t so many chat rooms left anymore but their legacy and history survives. As do some of the weird secrets they left in their wake. 

10. Celebrities Like Marlon Brando and Halle Berry Used to Frequent Chat Rooms 

Much of the chatroom landscape was entirely anonymous, and you’d sign up for AOL or Yahoo and call yourself CyberDude69 and that was how the world would know you. Then you’d dive into the endless scroll of 115 other people’s random thoughts and say things in the hope someone could pick your thoughts out of a crowd. Or you’d troll.

Trolling was not the exclusive purview of social malcontents in basements as many people have claimed. Thanks to the veil of anonymity, even celebrities got in on this action only to publicly reveal their shenanigans later.

Marlon Brando was one of the most notable celebrity chat room trolls of the era. He admitted to hanging out in chat rooms towards the end of his life and cursing out strangers during political discussions if he didn’t like what they had to say. Some people who got on his good side became friends and were stunned to discover he actually was the real Marlon Brando and not just some crazed maniac.

Halle Berry also cruised chat rooms safe from prying eyes, just to engage in conversation without her fame clouding people’s opinions. Whenever she revealed who she was, no one believed her anyway.

9. Chat Room Software Can Identify Groomers and Adults Pretending to be Children

One thing you need to be aware of on the internet is that nothing you do is private and everything is being analyzed, sold, used and abused no matter how insignificant. Sometimes this is for mundane reasons like advertising metrics, sometimes it’s for nefarious reasons to steal your passwords or bank info and sometimes it’s actually for a good cause. For instance, chat rooms, especially ones used in video games, employ software that can identify people trying to groom children and even adults who were pretending to be kids. 

While old school chat rooms are all but gone, most online games keep chat functions, as do other things kids and teens are likely to use that have any kind of social feature. Identifying people trying to groom children is often an easy enough task based on things being said but it can be harder to identify an adult pretending to be a child. 

Systems have been developed that don’t just identify what is being said but how it’s being said. What parts of speech are being used and how, what emojis, links, punctuation and even numbers are included and how. The result is that adults pretending to be children can be detected with almost 100% accuracy. 

8. Sprite Paid Kids to Shill the Soda in Chat Rooms

Advertising to children has been a sticky wicket in the ad world for a long time. Companies like McDonalds have scaled back their advertising to children over the years as it’s seen as unethical and they’ve faced legal challenges because of it more than once. But the problem is that McDonalds is just a drop in the ocean of advertisers who want to wrangle kids because they’re a powerful force for moving parental dollars around.

While TV ads were the standby for decades, the computer age gave companies a new avenue for targeting the young ‘uns and chat rooms were seen as prime ad real estate by some. Like Sprite, for instance.

Sprite tried their hand at a subversive non-advertising scheme where they paid athletes and hip hop artists to just drink Sprite or be seen holding cans of it. When teens caught on to the scheme, they shifted focus and started paying kids to go into chat rooms and pretend to be huge fans of Sprite to talk it up to other kids. 

7. Serial Killer John Edward Robinson Met Victims in Chat Rooms

Nowadays we all know to be careful online because anyone we interact with could be the most dangerously insane maniac history has ever produced. All of us are cautioned to be on the lookout for these sorts of people all the time. But there was a time when that idea was new. That means there was also a time when someone was the first online maniac anyone had ever heard of and, for the most part, that dishonor goes to John Edward Robinson. 

Robinson is often considered the first internet serial killer, and he used chat rooms to find his victims. Back in the year 2000, after authorities got a search warrant to check out the property of the “church going family man” they discovered the bodies of two women he’d stashed in 85-pound drums. They found three more women stored elsewhere.

Robinson met women online and lured them to his home under the guise of wanting to have a sexual relationship. Not only did he kill them, he often stole and continued to live off of government checks or alimony payments for years after the fact. He even kidnapped the baby of one woman and sold the child to his brother, pretending to be an adoption broker. 

6. Munchausen by Internet Allowed People To Get Sympathy in Chat Rooms

You may have heard of a pair of conditions called Munchausen Syndrome and Munchausen Syndrome-by-Proxy. They’re also called factitious disorder sometimes, but the gist of it involves faking illnesses or, in the case of by proxy, faking them in someone else like a child. It’s a mental disorder and the afflicted will go to great lengths to fake sickness, including using poison to mimic symptoms. 

There’s a third Munchausen out there, one less commonly cited, and that is Munchausen by Internet. It sounds silly, and well, it is. This is a less involved version of the others and involves faking illness and injury online, in chat rooms. Trolling for sympathy might be another way to characterize it. Or money.

Famously, Belle Gibson pulled a Costanza and made up having brain cancer back in 2014, which rallied a whole online community around her. She parlayed that into 300,000 downloads of her app, a cookbook deal and more. Then a reveal that it was all fake.

As social media influence grows, so too do the signs of people with Munchausen, using things like Tik Tok to get sympathy for illnesses which may not even be real. And where did it start? Internet chat rooms that were formed as support groups for people with genuine illnesses, with fakers lapping up attention.

5. A Married Couple Cheated on Each Other With Each Other in a Chat Room

Remember the pina colada song? The one about a guy who wants to cheat on his wife and uses a terribly boring personal ad about getting caught in the rain and yoga? Only the twist is that the woman who answers the ad is his wife because she’s trying to cheat on him, too? Hijinks! Turns out that actually happens in real life sometimes and where else could such a thing happen but a chat room?

It’s hard to verify the truthfulness of this tale, but it was at least reported that a Bosnian couple tried to cheat on one another and hooked up in the same chat room where they began an illicit affair, at least in spirit. They each told their prospective partners they were married, so each knew they were having an affair with a married person. Each knew the other was unhappy. So one day they met, and as the song established, hijinks.

According to the original tale from 2007 there wasn’t a happy ending here with the couple realizing they belonged together. They just got divorced. 

4. A German Cannibal Used Chat Rooms to Find a Voluntary Victim

Not everyone realizes that just because someone agrees to a thing, it’s not automatically okay. In 2001, German Armin Meiwes posted in some chat rooms he wanted to meet another man for the purpose of eating him. Meiwes wanted to try cannibalism. And a man named Bernd Brandes replied.

The details of exactly what happened are not something you want to hear unless you’ve had a drink or two but suffice it to say that the two men met and agreed on what would happen. And then it happened. Meiwes ended up killing, cooking and eating Brandes. He was later charged with manslaughter and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. 

Germany had no law on the books about cannibalism, so he couldn’t be charged with that. And murder was also off the table thanks to a video in which the victim is actively consenting to what happens. Manslaughter was the best they could do.

3. A Woman Used Chat Rooms to Potentially Arrange Her Own Murder

People use the internet to explore a lot of things that are creepier than what they’d admit to in mixed company and that includes fetishes. There are some people whose fetishes go beyond what can be considered acceptable, too. In 1996, two such people met in a chat room and that meeting ended in death. A death they both seemed to have agreed to.

Sharon Lopatka met Douglas Glass in a chat room where they shared extremely violent sexual fantasies. Glass talked about torturing and killing her. Lopatka went to meet him knowing that was what was in store. A few days after he picked her up at the train station she was dead, buried a short distance from his mobile home. 

Glass was initially charged with first degree murder but that was later reduced to manslaughter despite several other horrible crimes that went along with the charge. He claimed he never intended to murder her but her family didn’t believe it.

2. Wall Street Bankers Were Accused of Using Chat Rooms to Rig Prices

Wall Street has never had a reputation for being upright and honest and that was only bolstered by accusations that, from 2007 to 2015, banks were sharing secret information in chat rooms that allowed them to rig treasury market auctions and pad their own wallets. 

As far back as 2013 some of the bigger banks were already debating banning traders from chat rooms entirely because they realized they were being used for underhanded practices. 

The lawsuit was dismissed in 2022 when excerpts from chats and other evidence were brought to the court and a judge ruled they didn’t meet the standard of proving any sort of collusion. So maybe the chat rooms weren’t used to rig anything, they just did a good job of making it look like that’s what was happening.

1. A Teen Made Up a Bizarre Chat Room Scheme To Plan His Own Murder

We’re all online right now and we have some idea of just how horrible things can get on the internet. There are dark things going on in the creepy, hidden corners of this place and they are not good at all. In 2003, one of the darkest and most baffling tales of internet horror unfolded in a chat room and then rolled over in the real world. 

In June 2003 a 14-year-old boy was stabbed in the chest and the stomach. The stomach wound punctured his liver and kidney. His 16-year-old attacker was trying to kill him. The attempted murder was arranged in a chat room the night before when two people arranged for the hit: the would-be assassin and the 14-year-old himself, posing as someone else. He had arranged his own attempted murder. 

The would-be killer was not a hitman for hire in any traditional sense. The victim had tricked him, pretending to be a female British spy in the chat rooms and promising the assassin he was working on behalf of the government. He’d get to meet the Prime Minister, be paid a vast sum of money and get to have sex with the spy herself.

In the end the boy survived and both faced legal repercussions, though very limited given the bizarre circumstances.

Millions of people travel across the world to experience the beauty, grandeur, and heritage of some of the planet’s most popular landmarks. However, there is often more than meets the eye to many historic attractions, things most tourists will never realize are there. For example, many famous landmarks house hidden spaces you may not notice at first glance.

Here are ten secret places inside the world’s most famous landmarks. Some of them can be visited by those with sufficient funds or the right connections. Others are entirely off-limits.

10 Mount Rushmore
South Dakota, US

Mount Rushmore is easily one of the most recognizable landmarks in the United States, as it depicts four of the arguably most famous presidents in US history: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Yet, many people might not be aware that behind the chiseled sculpture of Abraham Lincoln is a hidden room, which is known as the Hall of Records. The secret room is roughly lined up with Lincoln’s forehead, and it contains text from some of America’s most important documents.

The designer of the famous political monument, Gutzon Borglum, originally wanted the room to serve as a vault for a selection of US documents. In fact, his vision was to install an 240-meter (800 ft) stairway that would lead to the grand hall, which would measure 24 meters by 30 meters (80 ft x 100 ft) and would be directly behind the US presidents’ sculpted faces. Inside the hall would be busts of great Americans from history, as well as a list of US contributions to industry, science, and the arts. Tragically, Borglum’s vision was halted due to his death in 1941. However, in 1998, monument officials chose to make Borglum’s dream a reality by maintaining records from American history in the secret hall.^[1]

9 The Eiffel Tower
Paris, France

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous landmarks in the world, which is why the city of Paris welcomes millions of tourists year after year. You might, however, be surprised to learn that the historic landmark features a secret apartment. Those who are lucky enough to visit the top of the structure will not only absorb the mesmerizing views of the French capital, but they might also enjoy a glimpse inside the secret apartment and office, which has only recently been opened to the public.

Gustave Eiffel, the structure’s engineer, built a private apartment for himself inside the landmark in 1889, and only he had access to this hidden room throughout his lifetime. In fact, many Parisians offered to rent the apartment for one night only, but he always refused, wanting to keep the space all to himself and the occasional guest. Visitors can now finally take a step inside the private apartment, which has been restored to its original condition. They can also view mannequins of Gustave, his daughter, and Thomas Edison, who he regularly entertained at the apartment.^[2]

8 Waldorf Astoria
New York City, US

The Waldorf Astoria is deemed one of the most luxurious hotels in New York. While many more modern hotels have emerged over the ensuing decades, it has continued to welcome every sitting US president, from Hoover to Obama. Many people might, however, be unaware that there is a secret train station located below the hotel, as the secluded platform was introduced to help President Franklin D. Roosevelt to inconspicuously travel from the presidential suite to Hyde Park, which was his childhood home. Track 61 was an integral mode of transportation during World War II, as the president’s private railway car could pull up inside the station, and he could take an elevator to gain direct access to the hotel. It is also believed that FDR used the train to hide his paralysis from the public.

The platform remains in use today, and it can be reached within minutes from JFK Airport. The Secret Service has been sworn to secrecy regarding some of its features. While the platform is still in working order, FDR’s custom locomotive now sits abandoned under the hotel.^[3]

7 The Statue Of Liberty
New York City, US

Millions of people visit the Statue of Liberty every year, with many tourists stepping inside the structure’s crown to enjoy beautiful views of New York City. Yet, many people might be unaware that it is possible to climb higher within the structure. Until June 30, 1916, tourists were able to enter a room located inside the Statue of Liberty’s torch, which offered breathtaking panoramic views of the city.

However, access was denied to the public when the pier between Jersey City and Black Tom Island was blown up by German agents. Sadly, the explosion ripped through various buildings nearby, which caused serious or fatal injuries for hundreds of people. Debris from the explosion became embedded within the Statue of Liberty’s arm, which made the route to the panoramic room unsafe for the public. The arm was repaired, but only National Park Service staff can enter the torch, and they must climb a narrow 12-meter (40 ft) ladder to gain access to the torch and maintain the floodlights.^[4]

6 Leonardo Da Vinci Statue
Rome, Italy

Travelers are welcomed into Rome by the Leonardo da Vinci statue located at Fiumicino-Leonardo da Vinci Airport. Yet, there is more to the structure than you might realize at first glance. Despite the 18-meter (60 ft) bronze statue being unveiled in 1960, the hidden hatch located halfway up the structure was not found until its renovation in 2006.

Workers found two parchments inside the statue. One parchment detailed the area’s history in classical Latin, while the other listed the attendees from the opening ceremony. It is believed both the hatch and parchments were the brainchild of Assen Peikov, the Bulgarian artist who won the competition to design the work of art.^[5]

5 Disneyland
Anaheim, California, US

You will not find a drop of alcohol in Disneyland unless you step inside the exclusive Club 33. It would be easy to walk past the club, as it sits behind an unmarked door in New Orleans Square. It was originally created as a place for Walt Disney to entertain his guests and business associates. Unfortunately, he died five months before Club 33 was officially opened.

Only those who become a member can now step inside the club, which offers both a restaurant and jazz lounge, known as Le Salon Nouveau, as well as access to the 1901 Lounge in California Adventure. Membership is not cheap; depending on the level of membership, the initiation fee reportedly costs between $25,000 and $100,000, followed by a $12,500 to $30,000 annual fee. The waiting list is reportedly years long.^[6]

4 Niagara Falls
New York, US

Niagara Falls is the umbrella name of the three waterfalls located along the international border between the state of New York and the province Ontario. Located a stone’s throw away from Niagara Falls is Devil’s Hole State Park, which many people visit to experience the beauty of the waterfalls. A cave inside the park was given the nickname “the Cave of the Evil Spirit” by the Seneca due to their belief that an evil spirit was trapped inside. It was believed that only warriors who were ready for battle would enter the cave.

The Devil’s Hole Massacre was a battle that took place between the Seneca and British soldiers in 1763.^[7] After the Seneca won the battle, they warned the British of the cave to prevent them from trespassing on the land. There is also a superstition that anyone who steals a rock from the cave will experience bad luck.

3 Empire State Building
New York City, US

The Empire State Building has been a tourist hot spot for nearly a century, as visitors have been enjoying the New York skyline since 1931. While most people can view the city from the observation deck on the 86th floor and the top deck on the 102nd floor, you might be surprised to learn that some visitors can experience an even better view on the private 103rd floor.^[8]

The secret deck offers only a knee-high ledge with a low railing, and visitors need to take a series of escalators to reach it. The elevator ride alone will be a unique experience, as visitors will pass the inner workings of the building on their journey up to the secret floor. It is an experience often only available to VIP guests, such as celebrities and dignitaries. For example, Taylor Swift had the pleasure of experiencing the VIP observation deck back in 2014.

2 Colosseum
Rome, Italy

The Colosseum welcomes four million tourists annually, who visit the landmark to view the Flavian Amphitheatre, which dates back to AD 80. Yet, many people might not realize that there is a network of (now exposed) underground tunnels below street level, called the Hypogeum, which were used to house various animals, such as lions and bears, which were then lifted into the gladiator arena via a pulley.^[9]

The maze was hailed as a superb archaeological discovery when it was initially uncovered. The Hypogeum is now open to the public, but tours are limited to a maximum of 25 people each time. Archaeologists have, however, criticized the tours, as they believe they could put the structure at risk.

1 Trafalgar Square
London, England

Trafalgar Square might be well-regarded for its remarkable architecture and beautiful fountains, but it also features a hidden room you could easily miss. The public square is the home of Britain’s smallest police station, which is located on the southeast corner of Trafalgar Square.

The tiny station was built in 1926 to serve as a watch post, as the square was often the location of many protests, riots, and marches. It therefore only offers enough space for one police officer or two prisoners. The box is no longer in use by the police and is now simply used as a broom closet for Westminster Council cleaners.^[10]

Elisabeth Sedgwick is An English freelance writer. You can view her growing portfolio at clippings.me/elisabethsedgwick.

All hotels are temporary spaces—a constant revolving door of guests coming and going. Consider the sheer number of people who will go to bed in just one hotel room over time. Now consider how many of those may never wake up again. The Eagles neatly summed it up in “Hotel California” with the line:

“You can check-in any time you like, but you can never leave”.

Here are 10 rooms that became the final resting place for their guests. Sleep well.

10 Horrifying Facts About H. H. Holmes’ Hotel

10 Room 1046, President Hotel

When Roland T Owen arrived at the President Hotel in Kansas City in January 1935, it was the start of mystery that is still unsolved today.

The strange occurrences began after Owen checked into Room 1046 and a maid spotted a note left for man named “Don”. The next day Owen was overheard on the phone talking to “Don” insisting he didn’t want to go out to eat.

A maid bringing towels to the room, heard two male voices inside. She knocked and one man gruffly told her they didn’t need anything. Later, Reception noticed the phone in Room 1046 was off the hook and sent a bell boy to investigate. He had to return to the darkened room twice more to replace the receiver.

On his final visit, the boy turned on the lights to see the bed and walls splashed with blood and Owen naked, cowering in the corner with multiple stab wounds, a punctured lung and a fractured skull. There was evidence of torture and when asked who was responsible, Owen murmured “No one”. He died without saying another word.

Police found that the room had been stripped of all clothing and personal items and no one called Roland T Owen had ever existed. A pauper’s funeral in an unmarked grave was arranged but at the last minute an anonymous cash donation mysteriously arrived to pay for the cost of a service and burial.

Years later, a woman named Ruby Ogletree spotted a photograph of the corpse and claimed it was her missing son, Artemis. This has never been confirmed and the identities of Roland T Owen and “Don” are still unknown.

9 Suite 352, Swissotel Nai Lert Park

David Carradine, 72 was a veteran actor who found fame in the 1970s TV show “Kung fu” and later in two “Kill Bill” films.

He arrived in Bangkok in May 2009 to shoot a film. Days later, a maid entered Suite 352 of the Swissotel Nai Lert Park to find his dead body hanging in the closet. Suicide was ruled out after a rope was found tied around his neck, wrist and genitals. Thai investigators ruled his death was due to auto-erotic asphyxiation.

His family believed he was a victim of foul play, but CCTV showed no one had entered his room during the crucial time frame. Graphic photos of the death scene were published in a Thai newspaper.

When his body was returned to the US, a pathologist agreed with the findings of the Thai autopsy.

8 Room 100, Chelsea Hotel

Nancy Spungen was the American girlfriend of Sid Vicious, the bassist in British punk group the Sex Pistols. They met in London in 1977 and began a turbulent drug fuelled affair. The band broke up in 1978 and the couple moved into Room 100 of the Chelsea Hotel in New York.

Early on 12 October 1978, guests heard “female moans” coming from Room 100. Vicious phoned Reception asking for help and staff entered the room to find Spungen lying in the bathroom. She had bled to death after being knifed in the stomach.

Vicious was found dazed in the hotel corridor and was arrested after confessing to her murder. Later, he changed his story and said he was asleep at the time. Vicious was released on bail and subsequently died of a heroin overdose in February 1979.

Spungen’s murder investigation ended there. Years later, associates of the couple still believe that Spungen was killed in a robbery by drug dealer Rockets Redglare who had visited Room 100 on the night of her death and then swiftly disappeared.

7 Room 5, Lake Quinnault Inn

Lyle Stevik checked into Room 5 at Lake Quinnault Inn, Washington on Friday 14 September 2001. The young man had no luggage and gave his home address as Meridian, Idaho.

Stevik was spotted wandering along the highway and a maid noticed his only possessions were a toothbrush and a pen.

On Monday morning, he was found dead inside the motel closet, a belt around his neck. The mystery guest had killed himself leaving $160 inside a note that read “For the room”. Another crumpled note simply read: “Suicide”.

Police discovered the name Lyle Stevik was a character from a Joyce Carol Oates novel who had attempted suicide by hanging. The dead man had used the name as an alias and the address he gave in Idaho was a Best Western Hotel.

There were no missing persons reports matching his description and no further clues. Lyle Stevik became just another John Doe on a list of unidentified bodies.

2006 saw a rise in popularity of online chatrooms and an emerging interest in true crime. Stevik’s photo from a missing persons list caught the attention of one amateur sleuth who formed a Reddit community dedicated to finding him.

Many speculated that as his death had occurred so soon after 9/11, he could have been involved in the terrorist attacks. Others placed adverts in local newspapers with an age progressed photograph of Stevik.

The mystery was solved in 2018 when the DNA Doe Project asked the local Coroner’s Office for access to Stevik’s stored DNA in order to trace family members.

The cost was funded by well-wishers from around the world and a DNA match was found in California.

The story ended abruptly when the family refused any publicity. In 17 years, they had never reported him as missing as they believed he was still alive. Stevik’s identity remains a mystery.

6 Room 302, Hotel del Coronado

On Thanksgiving 1892, Lottie A Bernard arrived at the Hotel del Coronado, San Diego and checked into Room 302. Over the next few days, she roamed the hotel corridors asking if her brother had arrived yet. She was found dead on stairs leading to the beach, shot in the head and still holding the gun. Her real name was Kate Morgan and police believe her “brother” was her estranged husband or a lover she was waiting for.

Guests began to complain of strange activity in Room 302 such as lights blinking, cold breezes and mysterious footsteps. News travelled and the hotel became a mecca for paranormal investigators.

In 1992, parapsychologist Christopher Chacon studied the hotel using specialist equipment and found 37 abnormalities in another room. Room 3502 belonged to the maid who attended to Morgan in Room 302, only to disappear after the shooting. Chacon’s research inspired Stephen King’s story about a haunted hotel room which went onto become the film “1408”.

Room 302 is still the most requested room at the hotel. Although the door number has been changed to 3312, guests still report the eerie presence of its former resident.

5 Room 607, Lake Seminole Hard Rock Hotel

Anna Nicole Smith was a former Playmate turned actress whose private life was played out in the tabloid press. Smith was locked in a legal battle over the estate of her late husband, J.Howard Marshall III – an 89-year-old billionaire. In 2006, her 20-year-old son Daniel died from an overdose.

In February 2007, a grief-stricken Smith and her lawyer husband Howard K. Stern checked into Room 607 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Florida. Smith stayed hidden in her room, suffering from stomach flu and pneumonia with a fever of 105F but too afraid of the paparazzi lurking outside the hotel to leave for hospital.

Her only relief came from slurping on a bottle of chloral hydrate – a powerful sedative and taking up to nine prescription drugs a day.

Stern left the star alone to buy a boat for the couple on 8 February and Smith was discovered unconscious by her bodyguard’s wife. After attempting CPR, she called an ambulance, but Smith was pronounced dead.

Her death was ruled to be non-suspicious, but her bodyguard claims she died of a broken heart.

4 Bungalow 3, Chateau Marmont

John Belushi was a comic actor who shot to fame in the 1970s TV show “Saturday Night Live”. He went onto star in hit films “National Lampoon’s Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers”.

On February 28th, 1982, Belushi checked into Bungalow 3 at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in LA to work on a screen play. Already a long-term cocaine addict, Belushi went on a drugs and alcohol binge, lasting days.

Belushi’s celebrity friends, Robert de Niro and Robin Williams dropped by the bungalow one night to find Belushi surrounded by smashed furniture, discarded food and piles of filthy clothes. Also in residence was a woman named Cathy Smith, a backing singer and supplier of Belushi’s drugs.

On the morning of 5 March 1980, a waiter delivered breakfast to the room which Smith signed for and then promptly left.

Belushi’s bodyguard arrived around noon to deliver a typewriter and found him unresponsive. An ambulance was called but Belushi was dead.

Smith fled to Canada and was arrested in 1986 after admitting injecting Belushi with 11 “speedballs” – a combination of heroin and cocaine, causing his death. She served 15 months for involuntary manslaughter.

3 Penthouse, DuPont Circle Hotel

Mikhail Lesin was a close adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin and worked with the Kremlin to launch state-controlled TV stations. After allegedly falling out with Putin, Lesin moved to the US in 2014. He spent a few weeks in a Washington DC hotel, drinking alone in his room before taking a cab across town to the DuPont Circle Hotel. He paid $1200 cash for one night in the 9th floor penthouse and made several trips out before returning with loaded grocery bags.

On 5 November 2015, a welfare check on the room found Lesin dead, face down on the floor surrounded by empty alcohol bottles and dollar bills.

The official cause of death was blunt force injuries of head, neck and torso from falling whilst drunk and the case was closed. However, staff noticed that around 10 hours of footage from security cameras outside his room were missing.

News website RFE/RL filed a lawsuit to gain access to the autopsy and redacted police statements which revealed Lesin had a fractured neck bone – consistent with manual strangulation. The case remains closed.

2 Samarkand Hotel

In 1970, Jimi Hendrix was a global rock star famed for his guitar work on tracks including “Purple Haze” and “Hey Joe”. Constant touring and drug abuse had taken their toll on Hendrix. He retreated to London with his German girlfriend of a few weeks, Monika Dannemann who was staying at the Samarkand Hotel.

Wracked with insomnia, Hendrix accepted a handful of sleeping pills from Dannemann, and he never woke up. Dannemann has given varied accounts of the events of September 18, 1970, and couldn’t remember how many pills he had taken. Before phoning an ambulance, friends were called to help clean up the room, including Hendrix’s roadie who was seen burying drugs in nearby gardens.

Doctors found unusually large amounts of wine in Hendrix’s lungs, but his death certificate lists inhalation of vomit as the cause of death.

In 1975, Dannemann claimed Hendrix was killed by the mafia, and he was rumoured to be on a secret CIA list.

1 Room 434, Beverly Hilton Hotel

It was the weekend of the Grammy Awards in February 2012 and Whitney Houston checked into Room 434 of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The star had battled years of addiction but was planning a comeback. Houston was in town to attend the annual pre-awards party of her former mentor, Clive Davis.

Hours before the event, Houston was found dead by her assistant, face down in the hotel bathtub under 12 inches of scalding hot water. An autopsy ruled that she died from drowning, cocaine use and heart disease.

After her death, the hotel was bombarded with requests from fans hoping to book the infamous Room 434. Some even managed to sneak photos of themselves in the bathtub where Houston was found.

The room has now been re-numbered to confuse any ghoulish occupants seeking to recreate her final hours.

10 Unusual Hotels Around The World

A place that has seen a lot of bloodshed can sometimes become a haunted space. And around the world, many of these locations have a bloody history and are now said to be haunted. In this list are the top ten most haunted rooms in the world.

Related: 10 Most Haunted Buildings In New York City And Their Backstories

10 Room One—Vulcan Hotel
New Zealand

The Vulcan Hotel is a New Zealand historical institution. It was built in the 19th century in Central Otago during the gold mining boom in the area. Now it is a popular spot for ghost hunters and those interested in the paranormal.

This is because Vulcan Hotel’s Room One has quite a dark history. It is said to be the home of the spirit Rose, a prostitute who was strangled in the room’s bed in the late 19th century.

There have been reports of flickering lights, cold spots, doors creaking, phantom footsteps, groaning sounds, appliances turning on by themselves, and doors locking.

But the strange thing is, Rose is said to only haunt men. Perhaps due to the gender of her murderer, she now seeks revenge on all men. Men who stay in Room One have reported waking up in the middle of the night with the feeling of someone pressing down on them and fingers wrapping around their throat.^[1]

9 Cell 17—Old Melbourne Gaol
Melbourne

Old Melbourne Gaol served as a prison for eighty years, where it saw tens of thousands of prisoners incarcerated and over a hundred executions.

The most haunted cell in this prison is the infamous Cell 17, which has been called the epicenter of the supernatural presence in this place. There have been reports of people who have entered the cell being overcome with the feeling of someone grabbing their throat and being unable to breathe. Others have reported the feeling of being stroked, having their clothes pulled and tugged, and being scratched.

One harrowing experience comes from a woman who was curious about the haunted legacy of cell 17, so she shut herself in there by herself during a tour of the prison. After a while, she turned to leave as nothing paranormal had happened, but when she went to reach for the door, she felt herself being tugged back by the neck. Looking down, she discovered that her necklace’s chain had been snapped in two.^[2]

The prison has a very dark history with people as young as ten being sent there for criminal behavior. Some prisoners committed suicide within the prison’s walls due to very harsh and poor conditions.

8 Basement—Newton House
Wales

If horror movies have taught us anything, it is that the spooky ghost or monster is always lurking in the basement. And this rings true for the Newton House, often called one of the most haunted houses in Britain.

The servants’ basement is seen as one of the most haunted spots in the house, with numerous reported paranormal sightings. One ghost, in particular, has been sighted several times, that being Walter the Butler, who used to work in the Newton House. People report smelling tobacco in the basement, hearing voices, and the lights flickering by themselves.

The house was also the scene of a grizzly murder in the 18th century when Lady Elinor Cavendish, the cousin of the Lady of Newton house, was strangled to death by a rejected lover. She is said to haunt Newton House as well. A film crew member in the 1980s reported feeling strangled when he went into Lady Elinor Cavendish’s old room.^[3]

7 The Gothic Library—Felbrigg Hall
North Norfolk, England

Felbrigg Hall is a stately home built in the 17th century within the beautiful parklands of North Norfolk. But hidden within all that beauty is a rather dark past.

The library is said to be haunted by William Windham, who lived in Felbrigg Hall. William had a deep passion for books and spent a lot of his time in this beautiful library designed by Thomas Paine, the famous English philosopher.

One night, in 1809, he was riding home to discover that a nearby home of a friend was on fire. He remembered that his friend had a valuable book collection and rushed to help save the books. But as he was aiding his friend, he fell on his hip, bruising it. This bruise ended up becoming a tumor, which he ultimately died from when they tried to operate on it—as operations were even riskier back in the day.

His body was buried near Felbrigg Hall at Felbrigg church. It is reported by some that his ghost can be seen haunting the shadows of the Gothic Library late at night. Most often, he can be seen standing by the table with his favorite books laid out or by the fireplace.^[4]

6 Room 410—Queen Anne Hotel
San Francisco

One of the most haunted places in San Francisco is the Queen Anne Hotel. In the late 19th century, it was once a girl’s boarding school and home to a Miss Mary Lake. Mary was the headmistress of the school. A rumor started that she was having an affair with James Fair, a local senator, a story that persisted even after her death.

Her old office was room 410, and this is said to be the hotspot for hauntings from what many think is Mary Lake’s restless spirit despite her body being buried around 3,000 miles away from the old school. One guest reported waking up on the floor with bedsheets tucked around them after staying in Room 410. Other guests have reported hearing someone singing to them as they try to sleep, being tucked into bed, and having their suitcases unpacked. Mary, it appears, is a rather benevolent and helpful ghost.^[5]

5 Room 314—Omni Mount Washington
New Hampshire, USA

In 1900, the Mount Washington Hotel was built by Joseph Stickney. But after opening the doors to the public, Joseph, unfortunately, fell ill and died within a very short time of its grand opening. His widow, Carolyn, ended up remarrying a European prince, but she always returned to her late husband’s hotel every year. She stayed in the same room every time. Room 314. In 1936, Carolyn passed away, and afterward, strange things started to occur at the Mount Washington Hotel.

People reported seeing a woman floating through the hotel at night, lights would flicker, and a strange woman would appear in the background of many people’s photos taken at the hotel.

Room 314, the Princess Suite, is seen as the epicenter of the paranormal activity in the Omni Mount Washington. People have reported waking up and seeing a woman at the end of the bed. She is sometimes simply just sitting quietly; other times, she is slowly unpinning her long hair. Others have woken up and smelled a sweet floral scent throughout the room. The four-poster bed in Room 314 is Carolyn’s original bed. Perhaps she still has some attachment to it,

Paranormal enthusiasts line up for the chance to see the lovely Carolyn by staying in Room 314.^[6]

4 Room 333—Langham Hotel
London

Often called London’s most haunted hotel, the Langham Hotel is said to be haunted not by one ghost but by several.

And perhaps the most haunted room in the hotel is Room 333.

Reports claim that a doctor murdered his wife in Room 333 before taking his own life. And now he remains, haunting people who stay the night in the cursed room. One report from a guest said that he awoke to see a glowing orb that materialized into a man without legs. The legless apparition started to make its way toward the guest, who fled the room in terror. Others have reported the taps turning on by themselves and a malevolent feeling that suffocates as you enter the room.^[7]

A myriad of other ghosts may also haunt the halls of the Langham. For example, a butler who tries to help people on the third floor, still trying to carry out his butler duties even in death; a ghost with a hole in their face who wanders the halls; and most interestingly of all, the spirit of Napoleon III, who once stayed at the Langham, now is said to haunt the hotel’s basement.

3 Room 8—Russell Hotel
Sydney

Said to be one of the most haunted hotels in Sydney, the Russell Hotel has a dark history etched into its very foundation. The hotel itself was built in 1887, but its foundations were once a convicts’ hospital where many people lost their lives, some to a bubonic plague outbreak that battered the area in the 18th century. It was also a house for sailors and is rumored to have once been a brothel.

Its past is also soaked in blood, with murders having taken place within its walls. A sailor was killed by a prostitute in the 19th century, and Senior Constable Henry Murrow met his end while within the hotel. People staying at the hotel have reported hearing footsteps at night, seeing the lights turn off and on by themselves, feeling sudden drops in the temperature, and hearing screams coming from empty rooms.

Though the entire hotel is believed to be haunted, Room 8 has become a hotspot for paranormal activity in this hotel. This was the room where the sailor was murdered. Guests have reported waking up and seeing the slain sailor standing at the foot of their bed. He only appears to lone female guests, though. (Link nine) ^[8]

2 The Lost Dungeon—Leap Castle
Ireland

Leap Castle in Ireland was built in 1250 (though some sources state the early 1500s) and has been the site of much death over its long history. One spot in the castle, in particular, has seen a lot of misery—the secret dungeon.

A small secret dungeon was discovered under the Bloody Chapel. Accessible through a small trap door, it is hypothesized that prisoners would be dropped inside through the door and left there to die from starvation. This type of dungeon was known as an oubliette, which comes from the French word oublier (to forget). Hundreds of people spent their last moments within this dark space, judging by 150 individual skeletal remains found within the dungeon upon excavation in the early 1900s.

The Bloody Chapel above the dungeon is said to be haunted as well. Namely by an old priest who was murdered by his own brother within the chapel. It is said he now haunts the staircase by the chapel, and people have reported seeing the chapel window’s blazing with bright lights in the dead of night, without anyone inside (link ten). ^[9]

Leap Castle is often called the most haunted castle in Ireland, and the brave can wander through the Bloody Chapel during their visit if they wish.

1 Torture Chamber—Chillngham Castle
England

Dating back to the 1300s, this notorious castle has an extremely bloody history, and a lot of that blood was shed in its very own Torture Chamber. Running this torture chamber was perhaps one of the most notorious torturers, John Sage. A sadistic man who is said to have gleefully tortured and killed thousands of Scots for the English during his days running chamber in Chillingham Castle. He even invented his own torture devices to use on his victims.

You can visit today and wander around this dark spot in history. The original torture implements are still housed here, including the rack, the barrel (where people were placed in a barrel that had nails sticking out and rolled down the hill), and an Iron Maiden. It is definitely not for the faint of heart.

And stories go that John Sage never left his chamber. Sage’s malevolent spirit is said to still remain within this dark location. Guests report feelings of evil and malice when exploring the chamber. An overwhelming feeling that someone wants to hurt them. People have also reported hearing screams; perhaps the victims of Sage who remain are haunting the place they were tortured in. It is said that Sage was killed by a group of Scots, taking revenge on all he did to their people by hanging him from a tree.^[10]

Traveling is one of the most fun and educational things a person can do. The best part of travel is getting out, seeing the country, meeting new people, and taking in new cultures. That is, if you’re an extrovert. If you’re an introvert like so many are, the energy required to launch yourself into so many unfamiliar situations means frequent retreats back to the hotel room. There, in your mini forward operating base, you can recharge and reset for the next barrage of novelty. And it helps if the hotel room isn’t grey and lifeless.

While some hotel rooms look like interrogation cells in Guantanamo and some like Queen Elizabeth’s personal spa, there exists a third type that is simply something else. These hotel rooms are wildly unique in shape or decor, or even redefine the whole concept of living spaces. Here are ten of those hotel rooms, who can best be described as out of this world.

10 Igloos at Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort, Finland

Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort is located in Finland’s Lapland region, the coldest, northernmost region in the country. Its iconic- and plentiful- snowfields and pine forests have helped make the area a worldwide mecca for Christmas enthusiasts. Many local businesses have adopted Christmas themes and events into their seasonal business models. In short, it’s almost as close to the North Pole as you can get, metaphorically (and somewhat literally; there’s not much civilization above that latitude). Kakslauttanen plays heavily into this concept and offers a huge range of wintertime activities and arctic-themed accommodations.

Most famous of all its attractions are the glass igloos. In a field all their own, amidst snow-covered pine trees, rows of igloos lie, each their own free-standing structure. The igloos are all one room, and each has an entire dome made of glass. This makes for some of the coziest sky-watching on the planet, and in particular, offers an astonishing view of the northern lights. Not to be a one-trick pony, Kakslauttanen also offers snow igloos, log cabins, and cabin-igloo hybrids, among others.

9 Giraffe Manor, Kenya

Giraffe Manor is located in Nairobi, Kenya, on a huge plot of private land that is used as a sanctuary for African wildlife. The building itself looks like typical colonizer opulence (as indeed, it used to be): a multi-storied mansion in stark contrast to the jungle and plains surrounding it. But the Manor has a higher calling than its antiquated fellows. It now functions as a breeding/rehabilitation program for a population of endangered Rothschild’s giraffes and as a hotel where guests can mingle freely with the giant mammals.

The giraffes are regulars around, and even in, the hotel. Like any animals, they go where the food is, and the Manor feeds them well. Windows are strategically placed around the building’s exterior to allow the giraffes to dip their heads in for treats and the occasional pet. The Manor’s actual rooms are exquisite, but the real draw is the acclimated, friendly giraffes that pop by to greet you as you dine or relax.

8 Space Room, Fantasyland Hotel, Canada

The Fantasyland Hotel is located within the enormous West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The mall is the largest in North America and boasts an impressive number of non-shopping-related attractions, such as the world’s second-largest indoor waterpark. The Fantasyland Hotel meets the expectations of its epic location with a series of elaborate theme rooms of surprisingly high production value. These include ancient Roman-, old western-, pirate-, and tropical Polynesian-themed rooms, among others. Possibly the coolest of them all is the space room.

The space room is modeled after the interior of a sci-fi spaceship, with cosmic paint throughout, a “porthole out into space,” neon LED lighting, buttons, and dials everywhere, and more. The coolest feature is the bunk beds, which legitimately look like sleeping pods aboard a futuristic star-cruiser. In lesser hands, the whole scene could look tacky, but Fantasyland did their job and made a room that looks authentic and fun.

7 Dog Bark Park Inn, U.S.

Located along Highway 95 in Cottonwood, Idaho, the Dog Bark Park Inn is a two-bedroom bed and breakfast with an odd design. The whole building is shaped like a giant beagle, who has gained the name, Sweet Willy. The owners refer to its design style as “barkitecture.”

Inside the beagle are two rooms available for rent, though the inn is perpetually booked months or years in advance. Both its rooms are chock-full of canine memorabilia, including a slew of dog-shaped wood-carvings made by one of the inn’s owners Dennis Sullivan. Dogs also cover the pillows, headboards, wall art, shelves, rugs, and more. I checked, and yes, they do allow cats.

6 Airplane Room at Hotel Costa Verde, Costa Rica

Hotel Costa Verde in Quepos, Costa Rica, is one of many upscale hotels that line the border of Manuel Antonio National Park. The park is small but beautiful and diverse, both geologically and biologically, making it a hot spot for ecotourists. Combined with the nearby beach and gentrified resort district makes the whole area a tourism goldmine. Costa Verde stands out by offering a unique lodging experience; one of its rooms is located within an actual refurbished Boeing 727 airplane.

The plane is propped up on a ledge so that it overlooks the beautiful coast and seems, at a glance, to be stuck in the thick canopy of the surrounding jungle. Oddly enough, the metal plane’s interior holds two bedrooms that are hyper-wooden. The walls, ceiling, floors, and furniture are almost entirely made of uniform dark wood. This makes for a cool contrast with the exterior, which looks like a set piece from Lost.

5 Utter Inn, Sweden

The Utter Inn is located on and in Lake Malaren in Vasteras, Sweden. I say ‘on and in’ because the entire hotel is two rooms- one floating in the middle of the lake and one attached directly beneath it.

The hotel is only accessible by boat (obviously) and looks, from the outside, like a tool shed or slightly oversized outhouse. A deck that doubles as a dock surrounds the building. Inside, the upper room has a trapdoor that leads down into the submerged room, whose windows are portholes that offer views of the murky, yellow lake-water around. It is somehow both one of the simplest places on this list and one of the strangest.

4 Treehotel, Sweden

The Treehotel is located in Edeforsvagen in the Swedish Lapland. It is an untraditional hotel made up of seven independent treehouses built throughout a forest in the Lule River valley. The treehouses are all one-room lodgings built around old-growth conifers and are raised off the ground by four to six meters, depending on the treehouse. Each of the seven houses was designed by a different Scandinavian architect, and it shows. Everyone is different from the last, and all of them are wild.

Some, like The Cabin and The Dragonfly, are relatively normal, with traditional, boxy exteriors and usual shapes. Some are not normal at all, like The UFO, which looks exactly like its namesake. The room is a large, chrome flying saucer propped up several trees with an ‘entrance ramp’ extending down to the ground below. The inside is one big circle, with tiny portholes looking out at the human world below.

3 Helga’s Folly, Sri Lanka

Helga’s Folly is a hotel in Kandy, Sri Lanka, that bills itself as an “anti-hotel,” and they mean it. The whole building- the exterior, common spaces, and all 17 rooms- is covered head-to-toe with an eclectic mishmash of art from every conceivable style, making the place more like an acid trip than a resort.

Instead of the soothing hues and calm minimalism of traditional hotels, the rooms in Helga’s Folly are covered in sensory experiences, every inch of every wall filled with color and information. There are mobiles, mirrors, sculptures, skeletons, tapestries, tile mosaics, plants, graffiti, murals, taxidermy, and a thousand other distractions in every corner. If you’re looking to stay in a 3D version of Ginsberg’s “Howl,” this is the place.

2 Hotel CasAnus, Belgium

Not much needs to be said about Hotel CasAnus in Stekene, Belgium, as its name says a lot already. The hotel, which began as a giant sculpture, is one long room shaped like an anatomically accurate rectum. On one end of the building is a similarly accurate, puckered sphincter. The exterior of the CasAnus is red, lumpy, and veiny, and though the interior is white, it otherwise matches the smooth, organic surfaces of the outside. Yes, there is a working toilet inside the rectum, which conceptually makes the whole scenario a scatological Mobius strip.

1  Null Stern Hotel, Switzerland

Null Stern Hotel, famous for creating a hotel out of an abandoned nuclear bunker, has an expansion project called Zero Real Estate. Located in the Swiss Alps, its “rooms” are unique. More unique, in fact, than any other rooms on this list. That’s because the seven rooms at Zero Real Estate have no walls or ceilings. They are beds with nightstands that rest on simple flooring, and that is it. That sounds like the biggest scam in the world until you see where the rooms are located.

The seven rooms are scattered across the Swiss Alps, and all have breathtaking views of their surroundings- due mainly to not having any structures to get in the way. Snow-capped mountains and rolling, flowering hills are visible for miles on every side. This makes the Zero Real Estate rooms, in a way, the ultimate way to lay out under the stars. Maybe the best part is that each room also has full service from a “butler,” in this case, a local who treks up to the room and offers food, drinks, and local color. Weather permitting, these rooms would make for a very cool experience.

For the ultra-wealthy, money is no object. Instead, it’s many objects: golden mammoth skeletons, rooftop pools full of Patron, and jetpacks for their butlers (I assume). But when the one-percenters inevitably get sick of soaking in their own opulence, they vacation in search of fresh, new luxuries at the finest resorts in the world. Luckily, there are hundreds to choose from, each with its own creme-de-la-creme top-tier penthouse/villa/island. These rooms are the finest, or at least priciest, available anywhere in the world. This list ranks the ten most expensive of these super-suites, rooms whose price per night will make you question if that golden mammoth skeleton might actually be real. Spoiler: it is.

Related: 10 Hotels That Offer Ridiculously Over-The-Top Extras

10 Nobu Villa, Nobu Hotel- $35,000/night

Many Las Vegas resorts, especially those right on the Strip, are massive testaments to human engineering and commerce. They’re big, bright, and tower over the street-level neon. The Nobu Hotel, however, exercises more restraint, with only 182 rooms and a consistently austere and beautiful aesthetic.

For $35,000 per night, guests can stay at the hotel’s finest suite, the Nobu Villa. It boasts 10,500 square feet, a personal butler, masseuse, limo, and 24/7 access to world-class food from celebrity chef (and hotel owner) Nobu Matsuhisa. It also has a full bar, its own barbecue pit on its terrace, and a whirlpool. The whole place rides the line between opulence and elegant simplicity, a line that most other entries on this list fall far away from.

9 The Royal Villa, Grand Resort Loganissi- $45,000/night

The Grand Resort Lagonissi is located south of Athens, Greece, on its own mini peninsula that juts into the Aegean Sea. The resort is worth its cost from location alone; its unobstructed view of the Mediterranean and a dozen of the Greek islands that peek their heads out of it is breathtaking. It’s also breathtaking that its nicest room(s), the Royal Villa, costs $40,000 per night.

For the price, guests stay at a villa “designed for royal and prestigious guests.” It shows. The villa is a three-bedroom, three-bath, private gym, private massage parlor, indoor pool, and outdoor pool affair. Best of all: it has its own butler’s quarters with a separate entrance. That way, you can be waited on hand and foot and then shoo that unsightly commoner away so you can again forget that the lower class exists.

8 The Ty Warner Penthouse, Four Seasons- $50,000/night

The Four Seasons New York stands right at the heart of downtown Manhattan. Between Madison and Park Avenues, the hotel is a short walk to dozens of major New York City landmarks, and from its Ty Warner Penthouse, you can see them all out of your many gold-trimmed bay windows.

The room was designed by probably the most celebrated architect of all time, I.M. Pei, and he was not phoning it in that day. Or should I say year, as it took Pei seven whole years to design the suite. He made every nook and cranny extravagant and expensive; even the sheets boast 22-carat gold fabric. Through its gold telescope, you can look out on Central Park and the rest of the city, swirling a snifter of brandy, and know you’ve won the game of life.

7 The Penthouse Suite, Faena Miami- $50,000

The Penthouse Suite at Faena Hotel is every bit as luxurious as you’d imagine from a $50,000 per night suite. But unlike the other hotel room entries on this list, the suite is located in Miami, and boy does it show.

The architecture is all art deco; at every opportunity, every structure is maximal. Chairs and couches are tiger print and gold, a golden greyhound statue guards the leopard print living room, and every inch that could be gold-leafed is. The entrance to the building hosts a Damien Hirst art piece entitled “Gone but not Forgotten” that is, in fact… a golden wooly mammoth skeleton.

6 The Hilltop Villa, Laucala Island- $50,000/night

Though it’s not the most expensive stay on this list, Laucala Island sure feels the least like real life. Red Bull CEO Dietrich Mateschitz owns the island, and he keeps it, aesthetically at least, a paradise.

There is no spot on the private island where the grass isn’t perfectly green, the water isn’t crystal blue, or where tall palm trees jut out from expertly manicured gardens. The appropriately-named Hilltop Villa is at the top of that pristine island, which costs $50,000 per night. It comes with a chauffeur, a nanny, an entire kitchen staff, and even your own horses to ride on your own strip of beach.

5 A Private Island, Cheval Blanc Randheli- $50,000/night

If staying on a hill atop a private island that may house a couple of dozen other elites isn’t private enough for you, there is always Cheval Blanc Randheli, where guests can rent an entire island to themselves for only $50,000 per night.

Located in the Maldives amidst a coral reef, the hotel is as tropical and picturesque as can be. The private island is even better, as there is not another soul to distract you or obstruct your view. That is, aside from an entire team of personal chefs, bartenders, and even your own private pianist.

4 The Penthouse Suite, Hotel Martinez- $55,000/night

You’re probably thinking, “Wait, there are four more rooms after the private island? How?” The answer: absurd, King-Midas-level opulence. Located on the south coast of France in Cannes, the Hotel Martinez looks out over the French Riviera, so it’s not lightly that I say that the hotel itself might be the better view.

The hotel is perfectly designed and furnished throughout, but the Penthouse Suite, located on the top floor and with its own private terrace, is the pinnacle of taste. The bedroom, living room, dining room, and even the closet manage to be stylish and yet relaxing. The closet is even put together well enough that it pulls off a leopard print carpet. Celebrities stay here during the Cannes Film Festival and enjoy its private, two-Michelin-starred restaurant, the La Palme d’Or, costing them $55,000 per night.

3 The Grand Penthouse, The Mark- $75,000/night

The Mark is a Central Park East hotel that offers about as much luxury as New York possibly can, especially in its pièce de résistance, the Grand Penthouse. Though not the most expensive room there is, the Grand Penthouse is the biggest.

The suite is over 10,000 square feet, and its private terrace alone is 2,500. The living room is the size of a full grand ballroom, the ceilings are 26-feet high (which many New Yorkers would gasp at), and even the entryway is over 30-feet across. Not to be a one-trick pony, the suite is also lavishly decorated with 100% unique furniture pieces across its two full floors. To enjoy that much space and style while overlooking Central Park, guests pay $75,000 per night.

2 The Royal Penthouse Suite, Hotel Wilson- $80,000/night

The Hotel President Wilson is located in Geneva, Switzerland, and offers views of both Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc. The views are best from the hotel’s top floor, the entirety of which is dedicated to the Royal Penthouse Suite.

The insanely decadent suite has 12 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms, one of which boasts a jacuzzi with a panoramic view of the lake. The suite also contains a massive, 103-inch television, as well as a full grand piano. At $80,000 per night, the room is not even marketed primarily to celebrities but rather heads of state and royalty.

1 The Empathy Suite, Palms Casino- $100,000/night

The most ridiculously expensive hotel suite in the world is *drumroll please* the Empathy Suite at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. It costs a staggering $100,000 a night, and in exchange, offers some particularly unique luxuries.

Damien Hirst designed the room and applied his special brand of eccentricity to the decor. Two white sharks hang by one of the windows, preserved in formaldehyde and prompting a few reasonable questions. There is an impressive 13-seater bar, for some reason made from a collage of faux medical waste. The medical theme continues with pill wallpaper and window stickers, then gives way to the other two themes: polka dots and butterflies. There’s a lot of luxury to experience in the suite, but ultimately it’s the design that steals the focus. For better or worse.

Honorable Mention: The Boulevard Penthouses, Cosmopolitan

The magnificent and mysterious Boulevard Penthouses at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas get an honorable mention for being both the most expensive rooms in the world and the cheapest- all depending on how you slice it.

For the highest spending gamblers at the Cosmopolitan Casino, the Penthouses are gratis perks, making them the cheapest hotel rooms in the world. But to earn that posh prize, those big spenders need to guarantee cumulative bets of at least one million dollars on the casino floor. Thus we have the most expensive hotel room in the world. Sort of. And is it worth it? It would be hard to argue any room could be worth a million dollars, but the Cosmo Penthouses try their hardest. The rooms look like sets from a utopian sci-fi movie; every surface is clean, sleek, minimal, neutral, and functional. And as you could likely guess, gold is everywhere.