The Hotel Cortez History
A luxury sanctuary where death is merely a permanent reservation.
The Hotel Cortez of American Horror Story: Hotel stands in downtown Los Angeles. It was built by James Patrick March, a rich and charming but deeply psychotic serial killer, as a place for him to torture and murder people.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Los Angeles, California
- Primary owner
- Elizabeth Johnson (The Countess)
- Season debut
- Hotel (Season 5)
Lore & Background
According to the hotel's manager, Iris, March built it in 1926. The building is full of dead ends and secret rooms that serve his murderous fantasies. His widow Elizabeth Johnson, the Countess, was turned into a vampire by Rudolph Valentino and Natacha Rambova and owns the hotel in 2015, when the fashion designer Will Drake buys it. The season ties the hotel to earlier ones: Queenie from Coven appears in its eleventh episode.
Reader's Guide
The hotel is loosely based on the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Production designer Mark Worthington gave it an Art Deco look influenced by Timothy Pflueger and William Van Alen, and exterior shots were filmed outside the James Oviatt Building.
Frequently Asked Questions
What supernatural function does the hotel serve?
The property acts as an active purgatory that binds any soul who dies within its walls to the location forever.
Does the hotel remain active after Elizabeth Johnson dies?
Even after her demise, the building remains a haunted and active prison for spirits including her own. It continues to exist as a cursed monument in Los Angeles without losing its supernatural hold on the dead.
More in Mythology & Behind the Scenes
Elsewhere in American Horror Story
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