It’s as if ‘Alice in Wonderland married Willy Wonka and set up residence in Oz’.
That’s how the owners of The Roxbury, a boutique hotel based in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, describe their wacky, themed hotel.
The Roxbury is divided into two properties: The Roxbury Motel, the original 28-room property, and the Roxbury at Stratton Falls, which comprises seven rooms in a historic mansion as well as five standalone properties.
The owners are keen to emphasise what they would like their guests to experience: ‘We want you to feel that immediacy of emotion that seeing a great film or play can produce. Only instead of just watching the production, we want to provide you with the ability to be IN the production. To live the fantasy’.
The hotel is the brainchild of Gregory Henderson and his husband, Joseph Massa, who met in New York in the 1980s. The pair went on to open The Roxbury Motel in 2004 and have been expanding ever since, adding bizarre new rooms to the site before eventually opening neighboring Stratton Falls in 2020.
Pictured above is one of three bedrooms in The Archaeologist’s Digs, a standalone cottage at The Roxbury Motel
The Digs features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living and bar area, a full kitchen, an outdoor shower, ‘hidden treasures’, ‘secret passageways’ and more
Pictured above is Miss Kitty’s Saloon, a ‘darn purty suite’ with red velvet and gold interiors. The kitschy suite sleeps four to six people, with prices ranging between $378 (£300) and $572 (£454) per night
Miss Kitty’s Saloon boasts two king-size bedrooms, a bathroom with a two-person 85-gallon soaking tub with dual showerheads and a half-bath
The two properties are located just two miles apart. The motel section of The Roxbury aims to ‘shy away from typical minimalism’ and ‘push the boundaries of wow factor’.
The rooms range from small studios to themed suites, accommodating up to ten people. ‘MaryAnn’s Coconut Cream Pie’ from the American series Gilligan’s Island is just one of the outlandishly decorated rooms. Featuring a whipped-cream-style ceiling and ‘pie crust panelling’, it’s designed to make you feel as if you’re inside a pie.
‘George’s Spacepad’, a suite inspired by the 60s TV cartoon The Jetsons is another eye-catching design. It boasts an illuminated chromotherapy bathtub and sink and plush red accessories.
George’s Spacepad was ‘inspired by the mid-century modern gloriousness of the 60’s TV cartoon The Jetsons’, according to the Roxbury website. Its main features are its illuminated chromotherapy bathtub and sink. Prices start at $213 (£169) a night
MaryAnn’s Coconut Cream Pie was ‘designed to make you feel like you’re inside a pie’. The king-sized room is complete with pie-crust panelling and a ‘whipped-cream’ ceiling. Prices range between $213 (£169) and $348 (£276) per night
Above is Tony’s Dancefloor, a king-sized room equipped with glittery sheets, a shimmering disco ball and a wall of lights. ‘If you love the nightlife or if you’ve got to boogie, then this is the room for you,’ The Roxbury website reads. Prices start at $213 (£169) a night
Above is Fred’s Lair, a studio-size themed room with starting prices of $162 (£128) a night. With textured walls and a pebble stone shower and bathroom, the website claims: ‘The modern Stone Age family didn’t have it nearly this good’
Pictured is Amadeus’ Bride, which is described as an ‘absolutely magnificent grandiosely opulent fabulosity’. Featuring two king-sized bedrooms, 20ft ceilings and a 200lb Austrian chandelier, a night in the ‘extremely romantic suite’ doesn’t come cheap, with prices ranging between $378 (£300) and $572 (£454)
Above is the main feature of the Genie’s Bottle Suite. The spherical bathroom is decorated with marble dust and glitter mosaic tiles, with stays from $378 (£300)
For an even more extravagant experience, guests can book ‘The Archeologist’s Digs’ – a standalone cottage at the motel that is ideal for groups. The space features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living and bar area, a full kitchen, an outdoor shower, ‘hidden treasures’, ‘secret passageways’ and more.
The whimsy continues at The Roxbury’s newest location, Stratton Falls, which sits next to a private waterfall. Alongside its main Mansion Rooms are five distinct buildings, named Tower Cottages, that offer eight themed rooms.
The inspiration for the Tower Cottages comes from fantasy and fairytales. But there’s more than just a few themed items scattered around – the designers went all out. Gregory and Joseph write on their website: ‘Not only did we want them to be full of magic and fantasy, we wanted them to be lodging units, unlike any others in the world.’
Above is Superhero Incognito, a themed cottage designed around an unnamed superhero. With a ‘sleek modern art-gallery-esque’ interior, the two-story space features, two king-sized bedrooms, a living area, a balcony and a porch. Prices range between $612 (£486) and $850 (£675) per night
Galileo’s Gate is designed around the father of modern astronomy, Galileo. The two-bedroom suite’s main feature is its glass octagonal rooftop stargazing observation conservatory. A night in the cottage starts at $612 (£486)
Dracula’s Fangs features a ‘fiendishly fabulous interior’. Its standout room is the Dracula-themed bedroom with a coffin-style bed. The cottage can sleep up to ten people, with prices starting at $612 (£486) a night
Above is the main feature in Cinderella’s Gown cottage – an enormous pumpkin morphing into a golden carriage, which serves as a bathroom. The cost of a stay ranges from $612 (£486) to $850 (£675) a night
Featuring a ‘Michelangelesque mural’ on the ceiling, the Terrazza of the Titans cottage is intended to ‘transport you into a realm of classicism, elegance, and clarity’. Stays in the two-bedroom cottage start at $612 (£486) a night
One of the themed spaces is ‘Dracula’s Fangs’, inspired by the ‘ultimate vampire’ from Bram Stoker’s 1897 horror novel Dracula. The two-story cottage features two king bedrooms, each with a privately-accessed bathroom, a balcony, a porch and ‘Gothic castle décor’.
The downstairs bedroom is the main attraction, with brass wall railings, a cushioned coffin bed and red blackout curtains. Guests, we’re told, ‘might feel like they’re sleeping in Dracula’s coffin’.
Those who want a less horrifying stay might try ‘Cinderella’s Gown’. Its ‘crown jewels’ are an 18-inch ball gown that hangs over the bed and an enormous pumpkin displayed as if half-way to transforming into a golden carriage. This serves as the bathroom.
Above is The Roxbury Motel exterior. The property features 28 spellbindingly wacky rooms
The Roxbury at Stratton Falls sits next to its own private waterfall. The Mansion (above) comprises seven rooms
The above image shows two of the five distinct buildings at Stratton Falls’ Tower Cottages site
The Roxbury at Stratton Falls features a ‘twisted’ pool area called the ‘Crooked Cabana’
The Stratton Falls location also features a pool and spa facilities. This ‘Crooked Cabana’ is intended to extend the property’s whimsical style with its ‘twisted’ design.
In addition to the pool cabana, there’s an eight-person hot tub, a sauna, a spa relaxation area, changing rooms and a large recreational room.
While the motel features a ‘mini-spa’, with a hot tub, sauna and treatments available, guests can use facilities at either of The Roxbury’s locations.
Guests can book The Roxbury Motel and The Roxbury at Stratton Falls via its website, theroxburyexperience.com. A full list of prices is available online.
