Everything Left inside Abandoned Hotel with Skydome Pool - Got Trapped inside room! (broke out)

A skylight above a dry, decayed pool cracks as the summer heat pressures the glass over time. The water seeping through the cracks, making mold and mildew appear. This giant hotel wasn't always like this. Opening in the 1980's this hotel was used for major conventions and anything that thousands of people would show up for. With additions of a beautiful skylight and indoor pool, this hotel was aimed at all clientele. Over the years it didn't stay at opening standards, less people showed up and more repairs were needed. The nail in the coffin was in 2019, the beginning of the pandemic shut this hotel down and it never opened again. Today we explore everything that is left behind, if you enjoy leave a thumbs up and subscribe for more adventures !
Instagram @dark.exploration

[@DarkExploration]

This was an awesome hotel. From the skydome pool, to everything being left behind. What wasn't cool was being locked inside the room 😂 What was your favorite part ? And where's the last place you vacationed to? See you guys next time ✌

[@TVLRX]

Hey DEF I was watching your video and I wanted to let you know that you gave away the places location. I don't know if you ment to do this, but I though it would be a good thing to tell you.

[@trepanier01]

Always bring a flathead screwdriver just in case

[@SunLightFawn]

@Dark Exploration Films > This is one of My Favorite Film's > I totally believe You & the Girl got locked in!! I honestly feel the creepy vibe's there by just watching, and was thinking how scared I'd be around those elevator's! dang.. getting trapped in one of those....So happy Your Friend got the ring on his phone! Stay Strong, Safe & Smart ~

[@marsh443]

What/where was this hotel? Looks like a Southern California DTLA Sheraton Grande hotel-flashback, 80' era. VERY eighties...

[@ByGraceIGo]

@@marsh443 it also looks like a place that the church I had attended one time used to go to for a conventions when they didn't want to stay in the dormitories in Indiana Pennsylvania. I swear it looks like the same exact place. But I'm sure many of these places look the same.

[@NewAgeServer]

Slight fact correction: this hotel was shut down by the state after failing to pay taxes for a long period of time and had nothing to do with the pandemic. They were warned multiple times but then one night before the pandemic an official showed up and told them they're done, kicked out everybody, staff and guests, very abruptly. In fact, this hotel was hemorrhaging money for several years because of bad management and that's part of the reason why it fell into such disrepair before being abandoned. The owner was trying to run it into the ground while squeezing as much money out as he could. As of October 2021 this property was sold and boarded up, so you guys explored this months ago. I'm glad you got to go inside and enjoy it, because it was definitely a unique building and one that I have many fond memories of.

[@britlowkey8053]

Makes more sense ! Because why would they leave everything messy unless they had to leave abruptly

[@NewAgeServer]

Also this hotel opened at the end of the 60s and was added on to at least three times with the last major addition in the 1980s, doubling the size of the building.

[@lissanne9769]

@@NewAgeServer Thank you for adding more history to this great exploration.

[@stevemercure902]

@@NewAgeServer Makes me wonder if the area that had rooms that opened up to what appeared to be an eating area at one time opened to what was then a pool?

[@ms.pirate]

Thanks for the update. Damn, i didn't know these guys upload the videos months into the future after they explored them

[@deanolson3804]

I always love and respect your videos thanks for the ride. You do realize you were really not locked in that room? Never leave hone with out your Leatherman, the door knob could easily a been opened with a screwdriver. Research door knob assembly and how they work. Never too old to learn something new, besides you may really get stuck someday. And the right tool for the job in an emergency. Sorry I'm old I do not mean any disrespect. Peace and keep the faith. Cheers Dean

[@ShadowWolf1395]

This hotel was host to a popular furry convention known as FurFright/Furpocalypse every October for about a decade. I have a lot of good memories here. I was there in October 2019, before it was abruptly seized by the state in January 2020 for tax violations. Even before it closed, the place was poorly maintained. Also, those balconies you mentioned actually were once outdoor balconies until they built that large atrium area onto the building. The glass doors were then bolted shut.

[@devilblueduke]

Cool thank you for the info

[@BruisersBeaters]

The room they got trapped in, sorry haha. The door handle did the same crap when I was there with friends for a furry convention in 2016 in that EXACT ROOM/apartment thing, and the handle came off. I carry a small tool kit when I travel so I was able to reattach it, and seemed fine, this was the last day so screw it? I had to drive back to Wisconsin. It was a dump then and even more of a dump now; At least it's interesting! As a hotel it was revolting.

[@deniseboldea1624]

If it's falling apart that rapidly, I suspect the builders skimped on some of the building materials. I'm also guessing that the staff assumed they'd be returning at some point. Kind of surprised that you didn't really see any squatters or vandalism aside from the one area. That space must have been a specific party area for someone.

[@NewAgeServer]

YEARS of pretty much a total lack of maintenance. It was a very structurally sound building (mostly brick, steel, and concrete) but the roof needed to be replaced 10+ years ago so it doesn't matter how good the structure is if the roof is leaking water into it...

[@v31.48]

Proper People also went there. Nice to see it from your perspective!

[@jennysarles244]

When you mentioned about ALL those blankets and pillows, they really should be donated to the homeless!!

[@juliamenezes8053]

Thats freaky getting stuck, now these people will carry tools in their backpacks for getting jammed doors open. I like the restaurant because thats the one part of a hotel the guests dont spend time in because there are other tourist restaurants. Last time i went on vacation was first time in 20 years I left California but I went to San Antonio river walk and Hard Rock Cafe really nice. Palm Springs is nice to visit and its closer to home than Texas that state was having flooding and evacuations so really windy driving in a van for a road trip.

[@Petertronic]

Entrapment is always a risk in exploration. Amazing that was your first time. Good video, love the vibes from that place.

[@tamaradobson5146]

Thank you for taking us along with you on your adventures. I love your videos and it's a great way to vicariously explore. Thanks again. Stay safe out there. Much love and many prayers for you and yours.

[@bubba2229]

In 2017, a holding company paid $6.7;million for the Red Lion Inn in Cromwell, CT. Barely two years later, the hotel was shut down by the state for failing to pay fees. In 2021, the property (9 acres) was sold for less than $3 million.

[@MrFortMont]

I stayed in the hotel about three months before it closed. I was working on a movie and they put the crew up in here. It already it had a HUGE mold problem. I had to switch my room four times because the smell was so bad. On the top floor there were blood red stains in the hallways from water leaking in through the roof. It smelled of death. And of course it was the tax office and not the health department than shut this place down! That's CT for you. I drove by it about two weeks ago and there was plywood over every first floor window -- they know people want to explore it now. But good riddance! It was like staying at the Overlook Hotel.

[@lissanne9769]

Thank you for all of the great explorations. This one was very intriguing. With that beautiful dome above the pool. The nice hotel rooms. All of those huge conference rooms. Seeing it empty due to covid 19 could explain some, but this seems that everything went bad. It's so sad to see a place once so beautiful, now in such a mess. I got so scared when you two got stuck. Sooo glad you got out. *I just saw that this place was shut because of back taxes. Total mismanagement.

[@jameslipke354]

If there was a door handle in the hallway also, you guys could've put both handles in the opening and turned them at the same time to get the door open. That usually works. Most hotel room doors are fire rated so kicking them in generally doesn't work.~APRIL LIPKE

[@nataliesmith303]

What a great explore. Might be worth leaving doors open to ensure you don’t get locked in. Thank goodness for Chris 🥺

[@MissEvans77G]

Did anyone else just think about homeless people having an absolute field day in that apartment 😂

[@user-iamRobinV68]

Wow crazy ya got trapped!!! Scary. Great explore! Hotel is nice! 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@sandyseibelhager7131]

Hotels are great spots for the homeless. My hotel actually cancelled by booking because they were still housing homeless and not booking the general public. They cancelled on me short notice after I had booked a over a month in advance. It really is a shame they didn't donate many of the items that were left here.

[@haleyallgood2904]

I also think that when I see all of the sheets, blankets, and pillows just sitting there molding. Sooo many homeless or even low income folks could really benefit from those items!

[@amityville2006]

I saw this place in another urban explorer vid a few months ago as I was browsing for some urban exploring vids. Theirs names are eluding me right now, but I remember that they actually explored this place in the middle of a tropical storm that was occurring as they were exploring this place. Parts of the place during that time looked like the flooding Titanic! LOL! Water was pouring in many parts of this place. In one of the restrooms it was literally raining inside due to the disrepair of the ceiling. They said it smelled really bad as a result. The place looks all weird now in it's dried up state! LOL!

[@Syntappi]

Their channel is Proper People

[@Blatsen]

I’m glad that you were able to open the locked door by removing the metal plate and reattaching the doorknob. If you had been unable to do that, I would have recommended using the heavy metal leg of the table by the door to knock a hole in the drywall to escape through the wall. Breaking the drywall would have been easier than trying to break through the door. It’s odd that the door knob just fell off. This reminds me of an incident that happened when I was in college in the early 2000s. Peck Hall at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has classrooms divided by metal wall partitions that date to its 1965 construction. This type of wall was used since it is easy to reconfigure as needed. The doors are built into the wall partitions. One day, a doorknob fell off one of the doors on one of these metal partition walls trapping an entire class in a classroom. University maintenance had to be called to free the class. I was fortunate not to be in that class. It’s interesting to note the level of decay at this hotel considering that it was abandoned in January 2020 and this video was likely shot in the summer of 2021. This hotel opened in 1968. The only part of this hotel that looks like it’s from 1968 to me is the area around the atrium dining room with the rooms facing towards the dining room. The rest of the hotel looks like it’s from the 1980s or perhaps 1970s. My dates for this hotel’s opening and abandonment come from the article below. I used Firefox reader view to bypass the paywall: www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/shuttered-cromwell-hotel-sells-for-255m Compare this to the level of decay at the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas, which was built in 1926 and was abandoned in 1972. Renovations began on the Baker Hotel in 2019 and it is scheduled to reopen in 2025. This hotel is decaying at a much faster rate than the Baker Hotel even considering that it was poorly maintained for years before it was abandoned.

[@user-randi1987]

Good video, pretty nice place when it was open. Thanks, Devin

[@quasimodoshunchback]

Absolutely love your vids brother ! Do more in Michigan!

[@smkozlowski]

I love your explorations, but dig deeper in the kitchens!! I'm sure everyone would love to see the walk-in cooler conditions as well as the freezer and reach-in coolers!!!!

[@sadfiremccraven4579]

Amazing footage keep up the good work

[@keithchristie66]

Great exploration really cool old hotel. and when you got locked in the room I thought that it was quite funny. I think that your content is awesome so keep it coming and thanks for sharing it with us.

[@dave3156]

You guys find the coolest places to check out. What a waste it closed with all that stuff still there. Creepy

[@Stevie_B_0828]

I honestly don't understand the mentality of those who vandalize property, making a total mess of sh1t, smashing stuff -- I personally don't get it. I agree, I can appreciate the graffiti in that last conference area, whoever's art that was has skills, but who's going to see it? At least there's not senseless spray paint all over and douchey tagging on every surface... YET. I know where this place is, I actually stayed here on a business trip a while back, it really was a nice place, I'm not sure why it couldn't stay afloat before COVID-19, but stranger things have happened. 🤷‍♂️ Nice work, I appreciate that you don't steal or wreck the joints you visit. 😉👍

[@paulajay8525]

I feel the same way. How could a person feel good about destroying someone else’s property?!?!

[@spiritofpast900]

@@paulajay8525 dito. I know people have trouble, and even in this day during the covid thing. But no matter how hard your struggle is,it doesn't give you the right to destroy a property, even if it's abandoned. "Everything should be treated with respect." That's my opinion.

[@lissanne9769]

There are a lot of places around the world that have been abandoned. Most don't add to this sad occurrence by vandalizing the place. It really makes America look bad.

[@paulajay8525]

@@spiritofpast900 🙌🏼

[@marsh443]

Was it DTLA in Southern California?

[@Richard-wz3nl]

Beautiful hotel and beautiful room you were locked in. Chris you should have left them spend the night in there. Lol

[@moonwalker091000]

That was a sweet little suite you two were trapped in :o) Glad you made it out ok. What a cool place to explore. All those blankets sitting there, just going to waste :o(

[@Eldest854]

Probably I've the first time I've seen an urbexer locked in a room. Not saying it was your fault, just always knew it would happy to someone lol. Great video!

[@mwigton86]

The Proper People were there but during a hurricane, so you guys have better weather when you went there..

[@jasonsimpkins9069]

Haha that was awesome. Getting stuck would be fine. Thank goodness you had backup. Always keep that in mind

[@lissiechamberlain7173]

Thank for sharing .Be safe 🙏 ❤️ have nice day.

[@kareng9081]

Very nice ! Cool video ! Still watching. ❤️ Love it ! 🙂👍

[@dadzawa_actual]

Wow, you viewed this in the summer/fall, when the heat was still harsh, Proper People did this during hurricane/storm season, and it was POURING rain. The difference is the condition of the hotel from yours to theirs. Possibly on 4 months apart, maybe even less, and the amount of damage, vandalism, decay and rampant mold growth is astounding.

[@theresapullar6517]

Very cool video. Awesome content! I can imagine how freaked out you & your friend must have been to get locked in that room. If it happens again in the future, easiest thing to do is if the door hinges are on the side your stuck on, remove the bolt from the hinges. Door would open right up. 😊

[@donna24301]

So glad you got out!

[@ByGraceIGo]

Good video and I like the music in the beginning and the end.

[@susanwaltman2607]

Beautiful place!! Love the pool!! Shame they cannot turn it into apartments and let people live there.

[@jasonsimpkins9069]

Let or pay rent? Don't think anyone in their right mind would fix it up and let people in for free.

[@sandy89107]

That was the best commercial kitchen I have seen yet

[@emilyattisha7062]

Awesome vid!!!

[@spiritofpast900]

Another great exploring. Splendid the mixture of old classic like in the Foyer and the rest in a luxury-modern way. But I'm still concerned about the decay and the mold. Although it's just abandoned for two years,there's too much mold in my opinion. I've seen lost places on your channel,which were abandoned for more years. And those places were also decaying but for a logical reason. My question is, vow could this place could decay so fast? And I've not mentioned the vandalism.

[@ThyHattris]

It most likely was already slowly decaying and had mold but they just didn't care or didn't have the money to fix it

[@ThyHattris]

It also probably had water damage and it's water was just leaking every where

[@joeperson4792]

If you get stuck in a hotel room again just remember you can pry out the connecting pins from the hinges with a screw driver, if loose enough.

[@turtletown8659]

Great video👍

[@LaurentSFN]

Very interesting vidéo. Funny and creepy at the same time.

[@garylococo2401]

Some one should restore this place before it's to late alot of of this stuff could be repaired replaced so so sad to see a beautiful place like this left behind

[@ByGraceIGo]

But if there's extensive mold damage and the dreaded black mold that's toxic the whole place will have to be ripped down.

[@Happyland_Motel_Gamer_Cat]

You have a fantastic channel and super content :)

[@Stephen_A.]

Ahh, the old Radisson. I went to a few magician's conferences there. 😍

[@drkmagneto]

Sorry you got stuck! Cool video though! Thanks!

[@AppStateWaifu]

Really like the soundtracks you use in your videos 👍🏻 🎶

[@ThatGirlOnYourTV]

I really love your guys' videos

[@someguy9778]

The door automatically locks for your safety. ;) And the log book of found items gets stored, normally in housekeeping for 30 days. After, it's able to be given away.

[@lladyinthestreets]

Really 😵...she just drunk the water out of those dusty cups 😷🤢🤮

[@bigdane87]

Y'all bring some tools with you! Good ol flat head and a Philips screw driver! Wild.

[@zarphus8087]

the pandemic was completely unrelated to the hotel shutting down. it closed in late 2019. covid shutdowns began happening in march-april 2020. it was closed due to unpaid taxes, and they failed to renew their licenses. in addition, it was already becoming a safety and health hazard as early as 2017. i live in the area, and the hotel has been a lesser focus of mine in recent years.

[@takayanagi1989]

I can confirm this as well

[@lissanne9769]

Thanx for the update.

[@keng9757]

What area is it in

[@ms.pirate]

Someone else's just said that too

[@zarphus8087]

@@ms.pirate i know they did, and i know them personally

[@SurferKenTV3]

Literally closed down and abandoned overnight. Threw the laundry in the machine and said, “Welp, time to look for a new job.”

[@meepthirteen]

The suspense!

[@whatarewegonnabe2932]

Enjoyed that

[@justathought1971]

It’s soooo neat wish i could have seen it in its heyday

[@ItsaRomethingeveryday]

The Cardinal rule of any explore, never let any door close behind you, that was scary to say the least, Liked vid PS, one thing that would have been cool to see was the kitchen, banquet kitchens are usually quite huge in places like these

[@smkozlowski]

www.wfsb.com/news/video-cromwell-hotel-abruptly-shuts-down-employees-left-without-jobs/video_37e11186-506f-5871-bf04-975b56e40289.html

[@Robbie-E1971]

I love this location

[@alexandraradio]

"These pretzels are making me thirsty" 🤣

[@derbydriver]

That door looked surprisingly flimsy, but I'm pretty sure they're supposed to be SOLID wood in order to meet fire rating. If that's the case then you're not kicking it down. If it were me, I'd be putting something in the door frame so the door literally cannot close all the way, if I were to ever enter a room with no other exits.

[@InfamousCrimeLocations]

Dude good thing chris didn't go into the room with you to begin with. Then you all would be stuck

[@groofoot]

why? that room had a window; you kick out the window, and carefully jump out .... it was the 2nd floor .... they would have survived the jump

[@Gypsy839]

Glad that you got out ok!😂😂😂

[@sheriszymanski3928]

I attended library association conferences at this hotel for many years. The most famous person I saw there was Bob Keeshan aka Captain Kangaroo!

[@realboltfan]

How the hell did it fall apart that fast lol

[@greywebs1944]

I liked the pool area 🏊

[@sferrhep1088]

Amazing how much it’s decayed in the space of only 2 short years

[@Syntappi]

I’ve read about this place, there was mushrooms growing from room floors years before closure

[@DavidMadeira29]

"The snow puppet still breaks my heart..."

[@jimjones994]

It's crazy how fast a building falls apart after people leave.

[@BitterBetty76]

The stuff left behind and untouched, for the rest of time is so terribly sad.....

[@justinh3540]

Just a thought, try to have a camera rolling nonstop and post just a raw video. I know I would watch it. I do appreciate your editing though. Just a thought!!

[@bear5415]

Love it

[@thestars386]

That was a really nice hotel. It definitely has creepy vibes though.

[@samt6788]

Ngl the room you got locked in is nicer than most normal apartments.😅

[@eily_b]

I've seen this place already. Some other explorers have been there when it rained heavily...

[@jasonv7127]

What’s the name of this place and where is it?

[@henkdouma8448]

Hero Chris to the rescue!!! I like the girl to be honest, really nice.

[@groofoot]

lol she's hot and can rock a pair o' Vans ;)

[@arcsofterproductions]

In real life I like exploring. Like to watch these videos

[@JustinDaniels]

That decay doesn't happen in 2 years. This must have fallen into disrepair before it finally shut down.

[@Kristinapedia]

When places are left like that it’s usually due to taxes. The Department of taxes and finance comes in and shut it down and everyone Has to get out immediately. Employees and guests. Usually everything in the place is sold to recoup some of the tax money. Unless someone buys it and pays off the taxes owed as well

[@Kristinapedia]

I googled. I was right. They owed sales tax as well as $233,000 in past due taxes to the town.

[@ms.pirate]

So the guests don't have time to back up?

[@Ganiscol]

There is a chance that somebody set you up with that door by removing the retaining bolt from the doorhandle 🤔 Always carry your pocket fire axe with you for situations like this! 😅

[@samorayee420]

it's so sad i feel really bad . bad management can happen

[@toddburgess5056]

I think that random patch of artificial grass in the stairwell may be for dogs to relieve themselves.

[@itsyeeoledskoolfurry3208]

I have NEVER heard of SMART vandals before. LoL.

[@aaronelmquist7731]

Makes me sad🥺

[@unknownwolf4046]

I remember seeing this one of my furry friends they went to that hotel at Furcon

[@tonyasager2921]

Sad, so much could have been donated to shelters

[@estabblushed07]

This makes me sad 😪

[@Karmalaa66]

I stayed there several times just before it closed.

[@tropicalbeach9225]

what state was this in? and yes agree with everyone else... this place sure did age fast for only being abandoned 2 years.. it looks more like it was abandoned for 25 years or longer!

[@anaborja9724]

I’m pretty sure it shut down right after Christmas by the state, and with no notice to anyone for failing to pay taxes- which explains the decorations and things left behind, but it still has an eerie vibe

[@marig6184]

I am way too old to watch you again!

[@cabbitkisser2620]

this is a great place for people that are homeless sleep for the night. as long the power is on.

[@ajones35]

Thats what drives me nuts about these abandoned places

[@vikesfanB]

Was closed by dept of revenue for back taxes owed to the city in Jan, 2020. was a very nice looking place when it was open. All the employees and about 100 guests were ordered out by investigators that’s why they left all that stuff behind

[@PhotographyWiki]

It happens man. Never trust the doors.

[@yaya50]

The property was just bought in Oct. 2021. When was this filmed?

[@BilisNegra]

May well have been before that, they mention it being 95ºF. Do you happen to know anything else? Is the building going to be demoed shortly?

[@brpharaoh3659]

Hi! Just got around to seeing this! I went to cons here from 2010-2019. Last time I was there was 10/28/19. Lots of memories took place here. Some random observations: 1. Roof leaks/mold had been an ongoing thing since ~2014-15, maybe. 2. During the last con I went to in ‘19, apparently the pool leaked and drained til empty. All I remember was it closed the Monday I left. 3. The restaurant closed on 12/19/19 because staffing issues. They planned to reopen on 3/31/20. Obviously that didn’t happen.~ 4. Apparently the desk in the housekeeping office used to have the actual notice of closure they were given on 1/10/20 on it. 5. I don’t know if you saw Steve Ro in’s video from later 2020, but the chocolate box in the office was still undisturbed then. Seems someone helped themselves?~ It’s fun comparing the state of the hotel then to when you guys were there. 6. The airwall track in the Avon room had been loose since 2018. Con staff taped it to the ceiling for the last 2 cons. I’ve read too many anecdotes to recount here of the amusing issues the place had because of deferred maintenance. You’ve probably seen some in these comments. The place had been held together w duct tape for a long time, but us congoers still have affection for it. Never seen a place with such a trippy layout. Glad you were able to document the place!