| Type | Family Hotel |
| Owner(s) | Paul Winslow |
| Featured in | The Crypt of Terror (1950) |
The Majestic Hotel is a family hotel featured in the 1950 horror anthology comic book series The Crypt of Terror, the fourth incarnation of Tales from the Crypt by EC Comics, with the hotel having first appeared in the story "The Corpse Nobody Knew" from issue #17 of the comics.
Overview[]
The Majestic Hotel, established by the aloof Paul Winslow, was a sophisticated lodging with an architectural style typical of those common during the turn of the 20th century that boasted well over 600 rooms and fine accommodations. Like most hotels of its class, it employed its own house detective, a man by the name of Bill Riker.
History[]
Jack and Minnie Marshall find the unknown corpse
The hotel became best known for having been the epicenter of a major police investigation after a mysterious corpse was found in Room 608, which was discovered by famed police detective, Jack Marshall and his wife Minnie, who had at first only come to the hotel for a relaxing getaway only to become embroiled in the hotel's biggest mystery. When Marshall and his wife first found the body, it unfortunately had no identification or even a face, as the victim's head had been completely crushed in and his body had been badly battered, leaving behind no identifiable marks.
Marshall wasted no time in resuming his duty as a detective to solve the mystery and called in the police at the front desk. It was there where he first met the hotel's house detective, Riker. Initially, Marshall wished to report the murder to the hotel's manager as well, but Riker advised him against it, revealing that Manager Paul Winslow had left town a day ago on a business trip to Chicago, with Riker revealing that Winslow had been acting suspicious recently. This prompted the two detectives to investigate Winslow's office where Riker, upon opening the hotel safe, discovered that the contents of the safe had been completely emptied, seemingly by none other than Winslow himself, apparently having robbed his own hotel before fleeing the scene under unknown circumstances.
Back in room 608, Minnie Marshall discovered a potentially vital clue wedged in the windowsill, pieces of a receipt for the Street-Walker Camera Company, a new camera company which developed crystal clear photos. Putting the receipt back together, Minnie made her way to the Street-Walker Camera Company and handed in the receipt in the hopes that the company could provide her with the photos of whomever the receipt belonged to.
The police force, led by Captain Hall, begin their investigation
Back at the hotel, police captain Hall, along with his men, as well as Marshall and Riker, formally began their investigation, learning that Winslow had booked a flight on Transnation Airlines to Chicago, making this seemingly appear to be an open and shut case. However, at that moment, Minnie arrived with the mysterious photo that revealed what appeared to be Winslow booking his flight. The police force then seemingly congratulated Riker for having solved the crime almost single-handedly, only for Riker himself to find himself being held at gunpoint by Marshall, who then pointed out that Riker's explanation of the events leading to Winslow's disappearance was too perfect, right down to the last detail. Furthermore, Marshall took note of how Riker knew the combination to Winslow's safe despite that only the manager had access to the hotel safe, and to tie everything up, the supposed photo of Winslow booking his flight was clear enough to show that it was actually Riker disguised as Winslow, with Riker likely having attempted to dispose of the camera company receipt after realising that the photo he had staged came out too well.
With Riker taken in for further questioning, the Marshalls promptly left the Majestic Hotel to return to their home, where they were sure they would enjoy a more peaceful vacation. Following Winslow's murder, it is uncertain as to who assumed control over the hotel. However, the mystery of the Majestic Hotel would be one of many tales preserved by the undead storyteller known as the Crypt-Keeper.
Staff[]
The Majestic Hotel had three known employees whose names were known while likely also employing many bellhops, cleaning personnel and other key hotel positions.
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