Halloween Never Ends at This Hotel — See Inside Its Over-the-top Fantasy-themed Cottages
In the height of spooky season, it's not surprising to see hotels across the country decked out in Halloween decor, but what if they stayed decorated all year?
Luckily, The Roxbury at Stratton Falls — an addition to The Roxbury Motel in New York's Catskills — has multiple rooms that are never not in the Halloween spirit. The themed suites, known as Tower Cottages, were built in 2014 and range in decor from a classic villain scene to a fantastical fairytale.
Courtesy of The Roxbury at Stratton Falls
"The property is intrinsic to the ultimate Halloween fan as costumes and this fantasy-world is at the heart of The Roxbury experience," owner Gregory Henderson told Travel + Leisure. "Guests wear costumes on a daily basis — even when it's not Halloween! Not a day goes by where I do not see someone walking through the grounds in costume and the best part is that they're never out of place. Basically, everyone who comes to The Roxbury wants to get dressed up and truly experience their creativity in ways that relate to the rooms they are staying in."
The Tower Cottages, albeit a unique experience individually, are all two stories — complete with a spiral or grand winding staircase — that boast two bedrooms and their own bathrooms. Kitchen areas all have a full-size refrigerator, microwave, and wet bar sink and common areas all have a sleeper sofa, making room for 6 guests in a cottage. To top it off, all cottages also have a screened-in porch that shows off the scenery of the Catskills.
Courtesy of The Roxbury at Stratton Falls
Courtesy of Roxbury at Stratton Falls
And even though the festive vibe is in place for the whole year, Henderson told T+L that come Halloween time, bookings noticeably increase — because of course, staying in a room inspired by "Dracula" seems just right this month.
"We've wanted to do a vampire room forever," Henderson, who owns the hotel with his husband, Joseph Massa, said. "We love vampire stories – particularly the Bela Lugosi classic. The Dracula's Fangs cottage actually uses many stills from Bela Lugosi."
In contrast, for fairytale fans, the Cinderella's Gown cottage features an enormous pumpkin morphed into a golden-carriage style bathroom and an 18-foot ball gown doubling as a bedroom canopy (fairy godmother makeover not included).
"Cinderella' was my favorite book as a child," Henderson told T+L. "I actually still have the book I used to read – which was an old scratch-and-feel – sitting in my office. Growing up, I was ashamed to say I was a boy who liked the 'Cinderella' story. In a way, creating a 'Cinderella' room is my way of saying I am who I am and I love it."
Courtesy of The Roxbury at Stratton Falls
Courtesy of The Roxbury at Stratton Falls
And while the Tower Cottages also have accommodations paying homage to Hollywood glamour, or a whimsical forest, the 1848 Mansion Cottage comes with its very own ghost that has a special connection to the premises. She's thought to be a relative of Mrs. Hicks, the wife of the man who originally built the mansion, where the motel now is.
"After two years of owning the mansion before construction, so many little things happened that just made you believe in her. She is not nefarious, scary, or dangerous, we really believe she's a nice woman who used to live in the mansion in the 1860s," Henderson explained. "We believe at first, she was more curious about what we were doing to her home and now she is a nice ghost who is very welcoming. She just likes to do things now and then to remind you that she is there!"
Courtesy of The Roxbury at Stratton Falls
Aside from the Tower Cottages other studio-sized rooms at the Roxbury may be a bit smaller but still have larger-than-life decor, transporting guests into scenes of nostalgia like "I Dream of Genie," "The Flintstones," "Bewitched," "Gilligan's Island," "The Partridge Family."
"Our original plans were to create rooms inspired by television and films of the 60s and 70s as well as pay homage to the classic roadside motel and the Catskills region," Henderson said.
For a modern-day pop culture theme, "Game of Throne"s fans will love The Crown of the Pendragons Tower Cottage which includes a monarch-worthy, 85-gallon circular tub with a three-tiered, 20-foot-high chandelier hovering above and two massive throne chairs stand by awaiting the "Chief Dragon" and her/his mate to lounge and relax.
