A Haunted Hotel?

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

21 Sep 2006 05:02 PM

Just in time for Halloween the Gleneagles Hotel, recently staged a gala reopening, boasting of its reputation as "Fawlty Towers," England's most frightful hotel. Do you believe in ghosts? Haunted spirits? Or, poltergeists? If you do, then you may want to consider booking a room as soon as possible. Hotel managers say they are expecting a record number of people to visit the property in the coming weeks.

"We decided Hotel Gleneagles is always going to be famous for inspiring 'Fawlty Towers' (which some consider a television comedy masterpiece) so, rather than being embarrassed about what has happened, we have chosen to capitalize on it," said the hotel's co-owner.

The hotel is located in Torquay, a sedate resort in the southwestern county of Devon. Sedate and desolate enough to add to the intrigue which surrounds the hotel and it's "haunted reputation."

"You cannot get rid of the spirit of Basil, so you have got to embrace him," the hotel's co-owner recently told local reporters. He also added that he could become a bit like the John Cleese character, Basil Fawlty, "when provoked."

Contrary to popular belief, the Gleneagles Hotel is not the building seen in the title shots of the 1970s television series - that's the Woodburn Grange country club near London, which burned down in 1991. According to news reports, while Cleese didn't attend the hotel's reopening, Prunella Scales, who played Basil's wife, Sybil Fawlty, was the guest of honor. Scales, who had never visited the hotel before, arrived in a replica of the bright red Austin 1100 that Basil thrashed with a tree branch in an episode of the series.

Fanfare and offbeat rumors aside, staff members still consider the hotel family-friendly. The property boasts a pool, contemporary restaurant, lounge and conservatory. In addition, there are "coastal walks in every direction from the grounds of the hotel and it is just five minutes walk from Kents Cavern, the famous pre-historic caves which are open to the public."

For more information on the hotel and information on how to book a room click here.

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger