“Eerie Estate” - Immersive Resort

1st place winning Design - TEA @ UCF Summer Design Challenge - Group Project

Story Summary

The Eerie Estate, once shrouded in secrecy by the wealthy and bizarre Eerie family, opens its doors to Guests, inviting them to not only spend the night in gothic luxury but also discover a world full of family-friendly spooky stories, kooky encounters, and haunted hijinks. The entire mansion - filled with the peculiar collections from each family member over five generations - yearns to be explored, each discovery rewarding Guests with clues on the lengthy and strange story that is the Eerie family. Guests become part of the narrative of the Estate through hands-on exploration, guided activities, entertainment, and restaurant and retail experiences. An upgrade to the resort industry, the Eerie Estate immerses families into a Victorian-inspired world where they are the master detectives, uncovering mysteries and riddles around every corner in addition to providing a luxurious hotel experience.

The Estate Experience

The abandoned Estate and its manor are a mix of Victorian, gothic, and castle elements that have become a luxury hotel experience. The resort has many amenities including retail, dining, pools, and other entertainment. In addition, the Estate is fully immersive, focused on several kinds of interactivity and involving Guests in the family’s mysterious narratives. The experience is aimed at all ages and abilities, especially family-friendly in nature by using designs that focus on fun rather than scariness. It has a cohesive atmosphere, relying on austere opulence and establishing itself as a stand-alone experience that can be enjoyed on its own without any connection to theme parks or other venues.

Lobby Concept

The lobby is divided into two parts. The first element the guest sees upon entering the building is a long Great Hall, filled with tapestries and paintings, extending well past where the facade outside should end and into the hotel itself. Immediately to the right is the sitting room, where the check-in desk and back-of-house office are located.

Staff direct guests into the formally furnished sitting room, taking care of the typical formalities, while the entrance to the first of the exploration areas tempts the remainder of the group with the curiosities of the family’s formal art gallery and elegant music that echoes out into the area. The sitting room is darker, with more wood than the adjacent gallery and hall. After the group’s luggage is “taken by the spirits” up to their room, the guests may freely walk down the lavish stone hall, decorated with a soft red carpet and tapestries on the walls, down toward the grand staircase main ballroom.

Parlour Concept

The Parlour offers a retail space where forgotten items are easily replaced and branded amenities may be purchased. Large tables and wall-filling bookcases are used for the primary product display, lit via wall sconces and hidden LED lights for the book case interiors. Smaller side tables are also used for product display, though for products with a lesser priority. A small number of chairs are placed in the center of the room to complete the theme of the room, and for those waiting for shoppers or party members visiting the adjacent restrooms. Staff are free to roam about in the open floor plan and have the register hidden within a heavy desk to one side of the room, screens hidden within books on the desk.

Greenhouse - Counter Service Restaurant Section

Greenhouse Concept

The Greenhouse, set near the back of the main pool terrace, is inspired by French Victorian architecture, using a large amount of glass, framed by a structure of stone. The stone itself is carved with detailed statues and ornate designs. Using the narrative device of the greenhouse being overgrown and also reclaimed by the adjacent forest, the greenhouse is given shade via the foliage. Sitting high in the overgrowth within the Greenhouse, Ravens can be seen, their calls echoing eerily. In addition, large functional windows are employed to keep the greenhouse effect under control and the temperature pleasant. Victorian Lanterns are used to light the building at night, keeping the restaurant viable as a dinner venue during the longer evenings and to provide atmosphere. The overgrown planters, much more spaced than would be for an actual farming effort, provide privacy and separation between parties dining within the structure, while stone statues and the black metal tables and chairs give the sense of elegance and refinement.