The Doors of the 'Death Crypt' Are Opened to You

These days, hoteliers—especially owners of small independent hotels—are doing almost anything to attract travelers. The latest initiative comes from a hotelier in the state of Maine in the northeastern United States, in a small town called Lewiston. For a fee ranging from $450 to $650 (depending on the season and demand), you can rent a crypt that has served as a priest's grave for over a hundred years at the 'Crypt' hotel. Check-in is at 9 PM and check-out is at 2 AM. This fee includes an overnight stay at the hotel as well. According to CNN, this crypt is available for rent with added amenities such as a television (featuring a collection of sixty horror films), several chairs, and a coffin (suitable for two people to lie down in). The crypt does not have a bathroom, and guests cannot stay in it all night (for health reasons). However, you must be a hotel guest to rent the crypt for a few hours. The 'last meal' is served at midnight. The first stay in this crypt, which opened on Saturday, August 1st, was auctioned on eBay for $760. Thomas Walsh, a Catholic priest, built St. Patrick's Church in Lewiston in 1980 and became so attached to it that when he died in 1907, he wished to be buried in the church. Consequently, a crypt was dug in the basement of the church, where the priest's coffin remained for a hundred years. In 2007, Andrew Knight purchased the residential part of the church and converted it into a small hotel, which included the crypt. Andrew Knight told the Los Angeles Times that travelers are looking for unique experiences, and this crypt, unlike artificial crypts copied from Hollywood films, is a real grave. He believes the priest's spirit will be pleased to see these travelers. Lewiston is located thirty-five miles from Portland (the capital of Maine) and one hundred forty miles from Boston, with a population of nearly forty thousand, making it the second-largest city in Maine.