In December 2025 An Lanntair hosted an exhibition by Tom Hickman called ‘Dolls Houses and the Art of the Miniaturist ‘. Linked to this exhibition An Lanntair initiated the An Lanntair Mystery Hotel project to engage people in the run up to the exhibition. An Lanntair created ‘flat pack’ hotel rooms complete with printed resources including, wallpaper, power points, signs, windows and much more. A general call out was made to members of the public to come and collect a room, take it home and construct and decorate it. When completed they were to bring it back to An Lanntair to become part of the An Lanntair Mystery Hotel which featured in the exhibition. The only guideline that they had to follow was to decide on some mystery / story that had taken place in the room and design the room accordingly.
The response to this open call was remarkable. More than one hundred individuals, ranging in age from six to over eighty, took part, resulting in an eighty-room miniature hotel, each space revealing a distinct story shaped by its maker’s imagination. Together, these rooms form a rich and playful collection of narratives, and stand as a testament to the creativity, skill and commitment of everyone who contributed to this ambitious project
ROOM 101 Catriona Fox
Someone has been murdered in this room.
There is blood all over the walls. Someone shot a hole in the Mona Lisa - but they why is it there?
Hotel Reception Stornoway Primary
David Buckley, Frank Karklins, Euan Bamber, Jesse Macdonald, Aaron Macdonald, Akim Karpovs, John Macleod, Samuel MacDonald all P6 from Stornoway Primary School
The world has been taken over by a new virus! The 6/7 Virus!!!
All adults in the world have been infected and it has made them CRAZY!! They are all walking around in a Zombie like state saying 6 7, 6 7, 6 7 while moving their hands up and down.
Luckily, this virus, cannot infect children!!!
All the children have banded together in the safety of an underground bunker to make sure the adults can’t get them! If they get caught, they will be killed! In the bunker, under the reception area of the An Lanntair mystery hotel, the children have built a very special machine (They are SUPER clever!!) This machine will turn the infected adults back into children!
In the reception you will see some ghostly figures. These are the ghosts of the children sadly killed by the 6 7 adults who have stayed around the scare the adults into the path of the giant hand which catches them and takes them into the machine!
Eventually children will rule the world!
ROOM 103 Karen
MacAry
This room is a mystery.
ROOM 104 Maisy Louch
Every year Daywalkers, powerful creatures with the ability to create fire, always go to a hotel so that they can do battle with their enemies the Vampires. Daywalkers always stay in the white and red rooms.
One day, Rosie, who had lovely brown hair and matching eyes, went to room 104. She was horrified to see that the room was green, purple and red, colours always associated with vampires. A short time later Rosie went missing and was never seen again.
BALLROOM CATCH 23 MEMBERS
Clean up cats and miniature people, form an uneasy allience.
Check out the amazing beaded chandelers created by Hazel.
ROOM 105 Alan Whitehouse
The Flannan Isles Mystery
(A real-life mystery, local to the Outer Hebrides.)
Primary Clues
1. The lighthouse in the framed picture
2. The view from the window, showing a lighthouse in a storm
3. The date on the calander: 15 December 1900
( The investigation concluded that the disaster, almost certainly was a series of rouge waves and occurred on December 1900.)
Googling “lighthouse” and”15 December 1900” leads straight to the solution!
Supplementary Clues (Did you identify them all?)
4. The three coathooks, representing one hook per lighthouseman.
5. One set of oilskins remaining on a hook. (On investigation, two sets were missing, one remained.)
6. The map on the table, the Flannan Isles.
7. The ‘bobbly’ grey ceiling representing storm clouds!
ROOM 106 Kyle Andrews
There has been a robbery. The guy plans to blow up the hotel!
KITCHEN
Amy,
Angus and Beth from GL6-7 Sgoil a Bhac
Walking home from work, I could see blurry smoke, coming from over the hill. Strange. The hotel is behind the hill. I should check on my food. OH and my co-workers! Heh, it’s not a long walk so I started to jog, but Tony is on duty and he did eat some food meant for a guest to my chagrin... So might as well just walk. Ugh, Tony is calling me, I don’t have time for him. Too bad. Almost there. Walking into the hotel I could see Tony, great! “Head chef, I kind of, um, drank all the milk.” ... Why did I hire him? That man can’t be trusted with anything. I looked at him with annoyance as I asked him “Where is the smoke coming from?” He looked at me with a blank stare. “What smoke?” My eyes widened as I ran into the kitchen seeing a child, a small, 7 year old child, smoke coming from the oven around him. Items floating near him. One lolly pop lying next to him. As I stood there, I spotted a small fire escaping out of the oven. The child started smiling. The fire quickly was spreading. I ran out and yelled “THE KITCHEN IS ON FIRE!” Everybody looked at me, horrified. I rushed back into the kitchen and grabbed the child, getting him out of the kitchen but it was too late for me; my body went limp as I crashed to the floor. I woke up in a hospital bed, burns adorned my arms. I was trying but failing to speak. I saw a paycheque lying next to me, saying “Extra pay for making 600 meals in one day!” The date said the 21st. The kitchen burned down on the 18th! Next to the was check photo of the kitchen burned down with graffiti on the walls of the kitchen, a note, attached “I’m sorry?” Trying to understand, I spotted Newspaper saying I had made a lot of food on the 21st lying on the floor. Who made that food?
ROOM 107 Emily Wilkie
Harry Potter Room
ROOM 108 Rachel Mackenzie
What
is more of a mystery than Fate?...
The theme of this room is to represent the question. Life’s biggest mystery, what is our fate?
In spiritual practices the use of Tarot and crystal balls we’re to help guide in a manner of an answer to what fate lies ahead... but does it truly answer the question?
No one really knows.
An added mystery... the money in a pizza box... why?
DINING ROOM Sgoil Siaboist
Jessica Macphail, Iona Campbell, Abilgail Hebditch and Ishbel Mackay from Sgoil Siaboist ‘Poisoned food/out of date’
ROOM 109 Catherine Macpherson
Joy
ROOM 110 Kate, Grace and Isabella from GL6-7 Sgoil a Bhac
As the detective walked in, there was a yelp of fear. Suddenly, he realised it was time to solve a crime. All of a sudden, he heard a muffled roar. He looked all over the room for the noise. It seemed to come from a book as it was now shaking. The detective slowly approached the desk with all the books and then, saw the shaking book, so he slowly opened the first clue. Firstly, he saw a piece of paper in the dinosaur book. It said, “I will find you. Press the red button I have drawn” Suddenly, a stomping-like sound pierced his ears... Little did he know, he had awoken...ME! The aggressive dinosaur. Detective Watson’s jaw dropped to the floor at this shocking sight. I jumped out ferociously from the book. I was almost too huge for this tiny hotel room, the room was filled with stuffy human air and rubbish, so I was desperate to get outside through the window. In the process, I accidently made a big scratch on the wall. The next, thing that caught my eyes was the ugly curtains, so I had to change them immediately with the bed covers because I’m such a fashion conscious dino. The next thing I know I have left a second clue for Watson by tramping my inky feet all over the room. In dino time, it would be snacking time but there was no dino food in site, so I had to be creative. Just then, my dino brain was telling me that the white door looked like white chocolate, fresh from the factory. So, I decided I could take a quick bite and stomp back into dino time. Honestly It was worse than I thought so I spat it out making the books stick to the wall with how sticky it was. A bang on the door, oh no. POP! I was back with my mum telling the same story from the book I had come out of.
SWIMMING POOL
Sgoil a Bhac
Annie, Bethany, Cherry, Daniel and Lucy
Strolling into the room with her trolley, the cleaner started swooshing her brush. To her surprise she glanced at the pool and saw that the water was pink. As she gazed up at the ceiling, she was shocked to see the floaties stuck to the ceiling. As she looked over her shoulder, had noticed a burst pipe dripping down from the basement pipes with pink water. Suddenly she heard bubbling and sizzling from the hot tub room. She raced there and smelt acid eating the bubbles. She thought to herself, “the hot tub water must be a darker colour because it’s a smaller room.” As she stared down at the floor there were golden stepping stones. As she walked to the other room, she wondered why there was acid coming from the burst pipes. She decided to go investigate and went over to the burst pipes and grabbed a bottle to test what kind of acid it is. As she looked at it, she noticed it was one of the deadliest acids, but how did it make the pool pink?
ROOM 201 Helena Crosland
Haunted by Cats
As you turn the key in the lock and open the door, warmth hits your face and a soporific wave washes over you. You yawn as you step over the threshold. The air smells slightly meaty, though not unpleasant. A low rumble resonates throughout the room - the air conditioning maybe? You smile as the vibrations relax your body and mind. In the corner the worn bed is inviting. What better time than now for a nap? You fling yourself on the bed, and your bag on the floor. You frown as a tin rolls from the bag across the room. When... And why... Did you pack a can of tuna..?
ROOM 202 Anne Edwards
I love playing board games, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, or Risk. Every Christmas, once the meal is cleared away then its time to do battle! Included in this room are all the weapons from our family favourite game Cluedo.
ROOM 203 Dawn Durbin
Step into the Julia Donaldson Mystery Suite, where every corner hides a story and every story hides a clue. The walls are wrapped in a magical tapestry of all her beloved books –spot the Big Bad Mouse cleaning the floor, Stick Man having a nap and Snail and the Whale drifting across the bathtub. Tiny treasures from her tales are tucked throughout the room, waiting for sharp eyes and curious minds to uncover them. Can you spot them all?
ROOM 204 Charlotte & Lauren Pitt
Our hotel room was inspired by wicked and the Wizard of Oz. The mirrors in both the bedroom and bathroom show someone else’s room (Glinda’s bedroom mirror shows Elphaba’s room and Elphaba’s bathroom mirror shows Glinda’s bathroom. There is also the mystery of who went missing whilst in the room… the spilled bathroom water let to quite the accident.
Glinda’s wand is the inspiration for the light fixture, the yellow brick road inspired tiling and even a certain pair of glittery heels are hidden away.
ROOM 205 Heather Fraser
The room is a little worn, but I’ve added details that , for me, capture the spirit of the Outer Hebrides.
My mystery involves a member of a local band (who shall remain nameless!) whose music also represents the islands for me. It centres around a ransom, The payoff, and a few other mischievous happenings best left to the imagination.
ROOM 206 Joni Ellis
Suzanne was tired after her long journey. She was planning an early night. She looked around at this strange room with its many mirrors. She wondered who had stayed in this room before her and suddenly shivered as she got a feeling that the previous guest was still there. In fact the mirrors all had a face which was not her reflection. Could this mirror with the face of a magician have the answer? Will she end up inside the mirror like previous guests?
ROOM 207 Florence Macmillan
A Famous author checked into room 207. There he found the peace and quiet he needed to finish his latest book. He loved to write books for children, books to encourage imagination. Later that day, Florence came on duty at the hotel. She picked up her cleaning stuff and there she found a golden ticket! Little did she know that as she opened the door to the Port-a-Loo that she would find herself inside the chocolate factory, just like Charlie she’d read about. Could the man next door be who she thought he was?
ROOM 208 Starla Ellis
She checked into room 208 and began setting up her experiment. An ambition she’d had since working at the Elephant Sanctuary last Summer. There she was part of the ‘feeding’ team and as she lovingly fed the elephants their apples she realised the awful truth –elephants had very bad breath! She worked tirelessly to perfect her elephant toothpaste. Unfortunatly the experiment went badly wrong and as she rinsed out her containers, the water turned GREEN, bright green. Bad timing for her brother who had just showered.
ROOM 209 Peter Harlington
The Arrival
John lived by three principals: To love all, hate none. The third was missing, not born within him yet. For when emerging out of school he fell into his father’s choice, not his own.
Today after the long slow train from Inverness to Wick, his scrolling ceased, remained a mystical earworm that troubled him. In this basic two star hotel room he senses at hand, something. Wonderful !
The clue is in the room, you may touch items to figure it out.
Solution
Rev Thomas Collins 1835 – 1840 Methodist minister Wick
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering and come before him: 1 Chronicles 16 vrs 29
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:
ROOM 210 Bethan Rowlands
Our hotel room was inspired by kpop demon hunters. The bedroom belongs to one of the members of the band huntrix either Mira, Rumi or Zoey. There are many references to all of the kpop demon hunters in the bedroom but if you look closely enough there are clues that will reveal whose room it actually is.... also who is hiding under the bed...there are musical elements throughout as singing is a big part of the film...The bathroom is inspired by one of the biggest songs from the film...any fan should know this immediately..
ROOM 211 Mr Magoo
Who stole the toilet.
ROOM 212 Isabel Rowlston
Aloha, who is eating all the pizza!
ROOM 213 Shawbost Primary
Tom Maguire, Angus Campbell, Cooper Mackay from Shawbost Primary ‘Super rich’
ROOM 214 Ava Mae Campbell
The lady that stayed in this hotel room has a pet hedgehog called Spikey. Spikey finds a secret tunnel that takes him to all of the hotel rooms.
ROOM 215
Skye Langston, Nyla Macleod, Robyn Cooper
FLOOD
Skye Langston, Nyla Macleod, Robyn Cooper from Shawbost Primary
ROOM 216 Shawbost School
Becca
Stuart, Martha Martindale, Nuala Mackay from Shawbost Primary School
ROOM 217 Jo Downs
When Schrodinger’s hypothesis moved to the experimental stage, the hotel staff were not aware of his methodology. Had they been aware of the plan to use big cats, it would not have passed the most cursory risk assessments…
218
ROOM
Joshua Mcdonald, John Angus Macleod, Beth Mackay
Upside Down Shawbost Primary
ROOM 219 GL6-7 Sgoil a Bhac
Liam, Calum, Ronan and Lucas from GL5-7 Sgoil a Bhac
One dark night, A gang of thief’s smashed a hammer into a window of a hotel room, little did they know they would regret that decision. They weren’t any normal thief’s though... One pulled out a drill out of his bag and started picking up objects and they one by one started drilling furniture on to the celling starting with the small furniture. Little did they know that a detective was staying next door.
The detective next door was trying to get some sleep until he heard drilling next door. He tried covering his ears with a pillow but since that didn’t work he decided to walk next door to tell them to be quieter. He got into his dressing gown and marched next door. He knocked angrily on the door. The thief’s heard the pounding on the door and suddenly stopped. The detective thought that was enough to stop the drilling, so he went back to his bed. That also meant that the thief’s thought that they could keep on drilling but as soon as the detective heard the drilling start again, he knew something was up.
The detective suddenly opened his phone and phoned his friend to tell him what happened, but his friend told him that he was just being stupid and worrying too much. They managed to finish doing their work, one of the thief’s went into the bathroom to find a mirror to smash but, he noticed that the toilet was sizzling like mad because the drain was blocked in the hotel, so he ran out of the bathroom to his friends and they all agreed not to go into the bathroom... The detective then climbed along the pipes and glanced into the window. That’s when he realised, he was right, there was something going on. He climbed back into his room and called back up. The thieves were about to leave until they saw flashing blue lights out the window. Vans and cars pulled up saying FBI and CIA. Turns out they were looking for that gang for 9 years. Then they started panicking and then jumped onto a roof top. After they jumped up onto it, it was a perfect chance for the POLICE helicopters rolled in. Then Swat team jumped off helicopters. everything became hard to see since the CIA had dropped a smoke bomb on the thieves. They were able to arrest them but when they thought they were done, they realised that they had only arrested 4 thieves instead of 5. It was all over the news. The thief sprinted round the corner and into an old Toyota and made his way to Mexico breaking the speed limit. He was called Fred he got a job as a janitor UNTIL ...... his fellow janitor recognised him on the news last night the other janitor stared at him with wide eyes and walked away. About 3 hours later the police and the FBI stormed in and arrested Fred. Sadly, Fred got sentenced for 50 years.
ROOM 220 Eilidh, Isla and Louise in GL6-7 in Sgoil a Bhac
As I walked through the door, I couldn’t believe what met my eyes. As I looked at the bed, I saw that inside the drawer of the bedside table was a questionable amount of money! Slowly, I proceeded along the wooden floor and checking the time I saw that the clock’s numbers were jumbled up. As I looked up at the clock my eyes were drawn to the ceiling. On the ceiling I saw brownish, black spots on the white wallpaper. They looked like paw prints! Cautiously, I stepped through the bathroom door. I turned my head to the shower. To my surprise I saw puppets hanging down from the shower, as well as a few more on the floor. I was completely shocked and creeped out because the puppets were very freaky. What had happened to the clock? Why was there so much money? How were there paw prints on the ceiling? Why was there puppets in the bathroom? So many questions not enough answers. I could not solve the mystery; this must be left to the police...
ROOM 301
Cadhla Belle Halbert
The young witch detective heard tell of a hotel filled with mystery and spared not a single moment before booking a room to stay. Since then, she has thrived, exploring and solving mystery after mystery with interest and wit. But, puzzled by her latest case, she is at a loss and with but one option left. Determined, she enters the underworld in search of answers.
ROOM 302 Cathy MacArthur
An Lanntair Myster Hotel welcomes you to room 302 for an out of this world experience. Unfortunately, the last guest failed to return his key to reception. We hope that you will not follow his example.
ROOM 303 Emily Rowlston
How much does it cost for a whole Lava Chicken from Steve’s Lava Chicken Shack?
ROOM 304
Lucy Harlington & Eliza Harlington
Crofting chaos, animals are never where you expect them to be or where they should be!
How did they get there? What were they thinking?
Living with animals on the croft you never know what to expect, you live on the phrase ‘expect the unexpected at the most inconvenient time’
Whether it’s chickens finding random places to lay their eggs, horses snoozing in places they shouldn’t be in, collies taking washing off the line, or sheep who gamble with their lives daily or ducks who literally only function is making as many puddles as physically possible! Life is never boring on a croft with animals.
We had lots of fun creating this hotel room, we hope you enjoy the chaos!
ROOM 305 Rupachitta Robertson
I am fascinated by language. One way we communicate is through words but often the real meaning and depths of a word has been lost. So, I often go to the etymological dictionary. I remember giving a talk about a particular opportunity that a group of us shared. I used the metaphor of a boat, we were the crew, sailing through sometimes calm waters, sometimes wild. We would support each other in getting to our mutually desired destination. Near the end of writing the talk I thought I should look up the etymolog y of ‘opportunity’ and was delighted to discover that the word comes from the Latin ob portum veniens, referring to the favourable wind that helped a ship reach its harbor.
The word Mystery originates from the Greek mystérion, meaning “secret rite” or “secret knowledge” referring to secret, religious ceremonies for initiates only. Mùstěs “initiated one” and the root myèõ “to initiate”. An older less common meaning of mystery referred to a craft or trade, borrowed from a Latin word Ministerium, duty, service. I started to think about how we gain knowledge and make sense of the world through our senses, through perception. One of the ways we make sense of the world is through scale. A 50 metre ant would mean something very different to a 1 centimetre one.
“To see the world in a grain of sand
And heaven in a wild flower
Hold infinity in the palm of our hand
And eternity in an hour”
Hotel from the Old French ostel which in turn comes from the Latin hospitãlis hospitable and hospes host or guest”
Life is a mystery, when we approach it with wonder and awe and curiosity and love we become Initiates. We, then are guests in the Mystery Hotel of life.
The box plays with scale
Flags blowing where there is no wind.
The size of the flags go against perspective.
There is an hourglass on the ceiling but the grains of sand aren’t running.
The clock on the wall shows time but linear time is just an invention
The walls are painted blue with clouds so the walls aren’t solid.
ROOM 306 Lauren Wilson
When you step into Room 306, the atmosphere feels weighted, as if the walls themselves are holding back whispers. The chalk outline beside the desk marks where the victim, Professor Alistair Greywood, a reserved academic known for his work in ancient civilisations collapsed after his final struggle. His scattered noes littered the floor like fallen leaves.
You lift your UV light, the myster unfoulds, and the genteel façade of the room dissolves instantly. Blood traces bloom across the wallpaper in sweeping arcs, revealing a frantic confrontation. The bathroom tiles glow with a concentrated mist of hidden splatter –proof that the killer soused there to wash up before departing.. On the desk, one page in particular glows faitly under the ultraviolet beam.
As you take in the scent, a narrative begins to form. The professor had been delving into something forbidden, something someone else wanted buried. The overturned chair, the ripped pages, the violent spray of blood allgga desperate attempt to stop him from revealing what he had uncovered. Room 606 is silent now, but the clues hum with tension, leaving you to piece together the final hours of a man who pushed his research one step too far… and paid for it.
ROOM 307 Hazel Mansfield
A writer makes dragon sized books for a dragon that asked for books at a Hotel.
ROOM 308 Josie Mansfield
A dragon from the wild mushroom woods borrows books at a hotel room.
ROOM 309 Jon Legge
Wyle E Coyote meets grand designs in this room featuring the failed use of a personal transport device.
ROOM 310 Campbell Mackenzie
Break in at the Royal Hotel
As you can see there has been a break in at the Royal Hotel with a lot of jewellery and art stolen. There seems to be clues in the ensuite Louvre and there seems to be damage to the entrance door and the french windows.
ROOM 311 Joe Mahony
I had three artist friends over for Absinthe and sausage rolls last night, can you guess who they were?
ROOM 312 Barbara A Morton
an archaic route good deal whiter than the snow almost as complicated
ROOM 313 Tan Draig
The
Golden Age of Crime Fiction Fans Room
Hidden within these two rooms are the titles to four Agatha Cristie book titles. Can you figure out what they are.
ROOM 314 Mystery Guest
The Odyssey
ROOM 315 Netty Sopata
Pandora’s Pizza
ROOM 316 Megan Sopata-Bell
Nature reclaims.
ROOM 317 Tom Hickman
This room is a mystery.
ROOM 318 Debbie Maclean
All that remains of the occupant of Room 318 is hidden under a bath towel which once served as a makeshift blanket. Bathroom door locked from the inside; a perfectly good bedroom unslept in. Why would she lock herself away? What, or who, was she hiding from? Perhaps her reading material can shed some light on her mindset. I’m just glad she didn’t have a dog.
ROOM 2105 Alan Whitehouse
Can you guess the movie title ?
Primary Clues
1 Room 2105
2 The view from the window, showing a high panorama of New York City. (Image from the movie)
3 The open window
4 The TV monitor on the wall, with initials IMDB (International Movie Database), indicating a movie title is involved.
Googling “2105” only leads to google knowing best, that you meant 2015! However, Googling “Room 2105 South Tower” leads straight to the solution!
Supplementary Clues (Did you identify them all?)
6 The ambiguous noter on the table, as in the movie, but with only the R to identify the hotel.
7 The portrait of Theodore Roosevelt, after whom the Roosevelt Hotel is named. (The movie is set in the Roosevelt Hotel)
8 The ‘last meal’ the half-eaten fries on the plate, as in the movie.
9 The bundles of dollar bills, used as a strategy to gain time in the movie.
10 The plan and the blueprint. A sketched plan (represented by blueprint) has almost certainly been consulted in the planning!
11 A ‘diamond’ on the table. (Please note: this is not real; it is plastic!!)
Movie Title: Man On A Ledge (2012): Mystery / Thriller
(The movie is a slow-reveal, where things ar not what they seem…!)
ROOM 320 Kirsty MacKay
This room is a mystery.
ROOM 401 James, Dan and Fin Macleod
The Big Friendly Giant is not the only giant who looks into human being’s windows and reaches in! The Big Coin Burglar has dropped 9 coins into this hotel window.
Can you guess what countries they are from?
ROOM 402 Beau Eaton Lewis
This room belongs to a university student who loves pizza and their dog Zimmy. The mystery is: where is the dog?
ROOM 403 Melissa, Gill and Robin
A collaborative family project with 3 generations taking part. The mystery is… where is the hotel room situated? Who is staying there and what has this hotel resident done? It was a recent occurrence in a capital city - not in the UK. Clues in the room. ‘Burglar Bill ‘ … is not the correct answer.
ROOM 404
Tom Hickman
This room is a mystery.
ROOM 405 Catherine Clark
The mystery of faith.
ROOM 406 Moira Macdonald
Mystery: Who made this mess?
ROOM 407 Louise Scullion
Walter Droste was a night owl with a bad habit of biting off more than he could chew. On the eve of his 48th birthday he had two reports pending which once submitted would pay him good money, alleviating for a while his ever-present money worries. But for reasons he was unable to fathom, he had decided to add to his workload by accepting a strange invitation to recreate in paper and cardboard, a scale model of the hotel room he’d been living in for the last three months.
Like most of the tasks Walter embarked on, he would leave their completion too close to their deadline. That night he sat up until 03.44 in the morning to finish the assignment, unaware that the light-headedness was due to a fatal allergy to the glue he was using.
Although he never finished the reports awaiting his attention, the miniature hotel room was found fully realised on the afternoon that Walter’s dead body was discovered in room 407.
ROOM 408 Sarah Morton
The witches drifted into room 504 of the mystery hotel at dusk, with silent footsteps, leaving a trail of paper scraps and half-remembered spells like a collage only they could read. Their magic is a patchwork - torn pages of forbidden lore, stitched with brine from the sea and the whisper of a craw’s wing.
Portraits seemed rearranged each time you blinked - shuffled as if the walls themselves were crafting a silent story of folklore.
ROOM 409 Lorraine Morrison
This room is a mystery.
ROOM 410 Greyscale Decorators
Room under referbishment.
ROOM 411 Rod Read
“Will he ever work it out?” and “What were they thinking when they built this?”
ROOM 412 Hotel Decorators
Room under refurbishment.
ROOM 413 Jim Morton
The room is called the Square Room. Its design is based on Euclid’s algorithm. This was first described in 300BC. The sequence of tiles, both wall and floor, are exact squares. When placed on their surface the tile is sized so that each edge sequence fits exactly along the wall without needing cut to ensure fitting. Details on the methodology used are available on the Wikipedia website.
ROOM 414 Lesley Andrews
Room with a View
As the hotel staff noticed that Mr Burns had failed to check our by the expected time they went to his room to check on him. Upon opening the door they quickly established that he was nowhere to be seen and noticed several strange things in the room. Worried for his safety they called the police.
Detective Anderton arrived and was taken straight to the room, he noted quite a few interesting things in the room e.g. the light was still on even though it was daytime, the floor and ceiling had strange vortex like patterns, there was an uneaten pizza on the bed. When he went into he bathroom, he noticed the discarded comic on the floor, but even more bizarre was that the mirror didn’t reflect but instead looked straight into he bedroom!!
Coming back into the bedroom he also couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched by something sinister…..
ROOM 415 Ellie Halbert
Estoria Vellum arrived at the Mystery Hotel in a blustering snow blizzard.
“Ah, that’s better,” she said, as the flame dancing fireplace welcomed her to room 415.
Estoria lit candles to illuminate the rows of books, picked a story, and snuggled in the armchair to read.
“I really am glad I found this place,” she spoke to herself with a yawn as the swirling warmth lulled her to sleep. The candles burned bright, shadows dancing on the walls.
Estoria’s eyes flew open as she woke with a gasp, she could hear whispers coming from next door, or were they coming from inside her own room?
She crept through to the bookshelves; voices chattered in rising crescendo… and then Estoria was gone, no longer in her candlelit haven. Room 415 was ready for its next reader.
ROOM 416 Fyonn Campbell
A magical unicorn has taken over this hotel room.
ROOM 417 Mystery Guest
Why are my feet wet? Did someone leave the taps running? Maybe a pipe burst? Did the toilet back up? Is it sea level rise? Have I accidentally summoned a sea monster again? Am I in Atlantis? Maybe I set the sprinklers off? Is the door a portal to an underwater world? What a mystery!
ROOM 418
Kaiya Maree Paget
Elphaba brought the Grimmerie (her magic book) on her hotel trip with Glinda, but the book appears to have fallen into the wrong hands.
Now Elphaba and Glinda appear to have disappeared yet their reflections are in the bathroom mirrors, strangely on the wrong sides!
The ‘switch up’ doesn’t stop there….. but who, or what, is to blame?
ROOM 419 Tom Hickman
This room is a mystery.
ROOM 420 Hotel Decorators
Room under referbishment.
THE GATEHOUSE
Kenneth Burns
The Gate House of the mystery hotel is barely used, although it is occupied and the tenants pay the rent due every year and on time.
The item of note is a safe. This holds items of art, including sculptures, paintings and the like. These were collected if not looted in the 1930s and 1940s from people who were persecuted in Europe. Whether they were Jews from Nazi Germany, or further afield in Europe at the time of the Holocaust, those on the wrond side of the Spanish Civil War or victims of the pogroms of Czarist Russia at the start of the 20th century. A debate and legal discussion are ongoing whether to return these items to their rightful owners, their descendants or to their country of origin.
The fireplace is noted to be lit on the night of November 9th, even if the tenants are not in.
9th November 1938 was the Night of Broken Glass, the Reichskristallnacht in Nazi Germany, when Jewish property was looted and destroyed, and Jewish people rounded up by Hitler’s Nazi movement.
Hotel Floristry Ash Ross Jordon
Ash created all of the amazing plants for the corridors of The Mystery Hotel