- “Where the stars stay and play”
- ―Slogan
The Hollywood Tower Hotel is titular the setting for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It is sometimes used as the icon for Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Description[]
The Hollywood Tower Hotel was a hotel constructed in Sunset Hills Estates on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Up until 1939, the hotel served Hollywood's elite and was considered to be a star in its own right. However, ever since the Halloween of 1939, the hotel became haunted, left ruined and frozen in time, and had its 13th floor connected to the mysterious 5th Dimension AKA, "The Twilight Zone". The hotel is staffed by many paranormal and/or evil bellhops whom act as if it is still the 1930s, and lure in guests to be sent to the 5th Dimension.
The original Walt Disney World version of the tower had Neo-Mediterranean architecture while Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park variants of the building showed it in a Pueblo Deco style. The hotel also has large scorches along its sides where the elevators which were sent to the Twilight Zone were destroyed. The hotel uses large maintenance elevators as substitutes for the destroyed public use elevators.
Features[]
Disney's Hollywood Studios[]
Assorted[]
- Boiler Room:
- High Society Suite: Located in the penthouse.
- Stardust Room: Located in the tower's mezzanine.
- Tip Top Club: The Tip Top Club was the hotel's popular nightclub located on the 13th floor.
Lobby Level[]
- Billiards: A billiards room in the lobby level.
- Lounge: A lounge located on the lobby level.
- Library:
Lower Level[]
- Beverly Room:
- Fountain Room:
- Gift Shop:
- Steam Baths:
- Sunset Room:
Disney California Adventure/Walt Disney Studios Park[]
History[]
Background[]
There are differing backstory elements between the original Disney's Hollywood Studios version of the attraction, and its defunct Disney California Adventure counterpart. Some aspects contradict one-another, while others may have unconfirmed overlap.
Disney's Hollywood Studios[]
Origins[]
The Hollywood Tower Hotel opened in the year 1917 and in 1928, the grounds on which it was built became Sunset Hills Estates. The hotel served many Hollywood celebrities and became considered a star in its own right. During this period, the hotel also had business connections with their next-door neighbours, G-Force Records. The hotel's Tip Top Club was considerably popular and would host entertainment such as Anthony Fremont and his Orchestra.
Herman family[]
On the July 15th of 1931, Hollywood's wealthy Herman family were in one of the hotel's elevators heading for the Tip Top Club when it crashed and all that was recovered from the rubble was the teddy-bear of the Herman family's daughter. The crash presumably occurred due to paranormal ongoings at the hotel, similar to those which occurred later in its history. The incident was covered by the First International News newspaper which speculated that it could end the hotel's success. Despite this, the hotel was able to restore itself to its former status.
Halloween of 1939[]
On the October 31 of 1939, the hotel's elevators were inspected and approved by a man named Cadwallader, an alias of the Devil who was connected to the 5th dimension. That night, four guests boarded an elevator: child-star Sally Shine, her nanny Emeline Partridge, actor Gilbert London, and starlet Carolyn Crosson; said elevator was manned by bellhop Dewey Todd. At 8:05, lightning struck the hotel's elevator shafts causing the shafts to be burned off the side of the hotel and plummet the elevators, killing the people within and causing them to become spirits in the 5th Dimension.
The hotel was subsequently evacuated and shut down, with the inside becoming seemingly frozen in time. At the hotel's Halloween party in the Tip Top Club, a G-Force records executive mysteriously managed to escape. In the decades which followed, the hotel was feared while G-Force's business became less lucrative.
The Tower of Terror[]
Ghosts in the Tower of Terror
In the July of 1994, the Hollywood Tower Hotel mysteriously reopened. The inside of the hotel was still decrepit, haunted, and staffed by unnaturally acting bellhops. For unknown reasons, these bellhops worked to send guests into the 5th dimension via the maintenance service elevators. At this same point in time, G-Force became a successful music-label again and got contracts with bands such as Aerosmith.
One group of guests arrived at the hotel and while waiting in the library, witnessed a TV turn on by its own with a, "Lost Episode" of the Twilight Zone TV series. This lost episode explained the Hollywood Tower Hotel's history before addressing the guests to inform them they are the star of tonight's episode and that the elevator will bring them to the Twilight Zone. The group of guests boarded the elevators from the boiler-room where they encountered ghosts of the hotel's victims, were brought through the 5th dimension, and then brought back to Hollywood where they were repeatedly dropped before returning to the real world (though some may have been left behind in the 5th dimension).
Later history[]
By around the 2010s/2020s, memorabilia and other items from the Hollywood Tower Hotel came into the possession of the alien collector, Taneleer Tivan (though this could be part of an alternate hotel's history).
Disney California Adventure/Walt Disney Studios Park[]
Origins[]
As stated in an press-release by hotel manager, Pete Corrigan, the Hollywood Tower Hotel was intended to open in the year 1928. The hotel however only opened in the year 1929. The hotel served many Hollywood celebrities and became considered a star in its own right. The hotel's Tip Top Club was considerably popular and would host entertainment such as Anthony Fremont and his Orchestra, Velma Woodrow, Lawrence Jones, and the Silver Lake Sisters.
Halloween of 1939[]
On the October 31 of 1939, the hotel hosted a Halloween masquerade party in their Tip Top Club which had the Silver Lakes Sister perform. On the October 31 of 1939, the hotel's elevators were inspected and approved by a man named Cadwallader, an alias of the Devil who was connected to the 5th dimension. That night, four guests boarded an elevator: child-star Sally Shine, her nanny Emeline Partridge, actor Gilbert London, and starlet Carolyn Crosson; said elevator was manned by bellhop Dewey Todd. At 8:05, lightning struck the hotel's elevator shafts causing the shafts to be burned off the side of the hotel and plummet the elevators, killing the people within and causing them to become spirits in the 5th Dimension.
The hotel was subsequently evacuated and shut down, with the inside becoming seemingly frozen in time. Police officer Calvin Blue headed an investigation to try and locate the missing persons, believing that they would be fine and be rewarded upon their discovery. The ghosts of those lost in the hotel were later photographed and one halloween, ghost hunters visited the hotel on a night when meteorologists predicted increased air pressure, presumably causing a thunderstorm. The Buena Vista Bugle newspaper published photographs of the ghosts and various articles with reference to the closed hotel.[1]
Tower of Terror[]
At some point around 1994-2004, the Hollywood Tower Hotel mysteriously reopened. The inside of the hotel was still decrepit, haunted, and staffed by unnaturally acting bellhops. For unknown reasons, these bellhops worked to send guests into the 5th dimension via the maintenance service elevators. A chalk marking was also made in the boiler room, seemingly to try and make contact with the spirit of Sally Shine.
One group of guests arrived at the hotel and while waiting in the library, witnessed a TV turn on by its own with a, "Lost Episode" of the Twilight Zone TV series. This lost episode explained the Hollywood Tower Hotel's history before addressing the guests to inform them they are the star of tonight's episode and that the elevator will bring them to the Twilight Zone. The group of guests boarded the elevators from the boiler-room where they encountered ghosts of the hotel's victims, were brought through the 5th dimension, and then brought back to Hollywood where they were repeatedly dropped before returning to the real world (though some may have been left behind in the 5th dimension).
Later history[]
The Silver Lake Sisters in the lobby of the Hollywood Tower Hotel.
At some point, the out-of-time Silver Lake Sisters appeared in the hotel's lobby for a performance, seemingly unaware that it was no longer 1939. The nature of the sisters' appearance in the hotel is unknown.
Later guests of the hotel would be exposed to other paranormal incidents such as, "Shaft Creatures" and the, "Malevolent Machine" controlling the elevators. These guests were helped through the tower by Sally Shine's ghost.
By around the 2010s/2020s, memorabilia and other items from the Hollywood Tower Hotel came into the possession of the alien collector, Taneleer Tivan (though this could be part of an alternate hotel's history).
Appearances[]
Disney California Adventure[]
Avengers Campus[]
Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT![]
Multiple items from the Hollywood Tower Hotel appear in the Collector's possession, including bellhop hats and bookmarks with the hotel logo.
Buena Vista Street[]
The Hollywood Tower Hotel is connected to Buena Vista Street's backstory, as both are set in the same fictionalized depiction of early 20th century Los Angeles.
The Buena Vista Bugle[]
Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe[]
Julius Katz & Sons[]
Mortimer's Market[]
Newspapers from 1928 had an interview with manager Pete Corrigan on the hotel's planned opening.[2]
Oswald's[]
Red Car Trolley[]
An advertisement for the Hollywood Tower Hotel appeared within the trolley. The Hollywood Tower Hotel also appeared on posters for the trolley before being replaced by the Carthay Circle Theater.
Hollywood Land[]
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue![]
A towel with the Hollywood Tower Hotel logo sometimes appears in the locker room of Monsters, Inc..[3]
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror[]
The Hollywood Tower Hotel was setting of this attraction.
Disney's Hollywood Studios[]
The Hollywood Tower Hotel is sometimes used as Disney's Hollywood Studios' park icon.
Grand Avenue[]
Baseline Taphouse[]
A mural advertising the Red Car Trolley features the hotel.
Sunset Boulevard[]
The Hollywood Tower Hotel is at the head of Sunset Boulevard.
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith[]
While visible from the queue, the Hollywood Tower Hotel does not directly appear in this attraction. It was however planned for the Hollywood Tower Hotel to connect to the backstory of the attraction, having been an old affiliate of G-Force Records. An executive was present in the Tip Top Club the night that the elevators were taken to the Twilight Zone, before said executive mysteriously made their way to safety. After this, G-Force's business went downhill until the hotel mysteriously reopened and their business became successful again.
Sunset Seasons Greetings[]
This holiday feature has projections put onto the Hollywood Tower Hotel and billboard for Fantasmic!.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror[]
The Hollywood Tower Hotel is setting of this attraction.
Shanghai Disneyland[]
Camp Discovery[]
An edition of First International News from 1931 has a story on the Herman family disappearing in the hotel elevators.
Walt Disney Studios Park[]
Trivia[]
- The Tokyo DisneySea counterpart to the tower is the Hotel Hightower. In Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!, it is the Collector's Fortress.
- Manager Pete Corrigan, musician Anthony Fremont, and elevator inspector Cadwallader are characters from the Twilight Zone TV series.
- The hotel has various items referencing episodes of the Twilight Zone throughout it. Amongst these are:
- The Mystic Seer, To Serve Man book and an Invader in the library.
- Caesar the Dummy, and a sentient slot machine in the basement.
- Talky Tina in the gift-shop.
- The backside of the tower in Walt Disney World is visible from EPCOT, behind the Morocco Pavilion. The hotel's architecture style helps the building be disguised.
- Due to her appearance in Fantasmic!, Maleficent is also shown in merchandise and promotional materials for the next-door attraction the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
Gallery[]
External links[]
- The Hollywood Tower Hotel (Neo-Mediterranean) on the Tower of Terror wiki.
- The Hollywood Tower Hotel (Pueblo Deco) on the Tower of Terror wiki.