The Satanic Hotel in Plano Was Just a Joke That Got Out of Control

You're probably hearing a weird mix of groaning disappointment and satisfied phews right now. These two sounds have not been heard together in such large numbers since Jake Paul announced he'd pursue a second career of getting punched in the face for a living.

This time, there's some online ruckus over a proposal for a themed hotel in downtown Plano dedicated to the Satanic lifestyle. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on who you worship or how little you care, it's just a hoax.

"It's not real" said the person who started the thread on Facebook. "I'm trolling someone."

The post first appeared on Facebook over the weekend with some convincing artist's rendering of the Four Horseman Seasons or Hell-iday Inn hotel concept. The planned opening was given, appropriately, as June 6 at 6 p.m. The person who started the Facebook post thread, who asked us not to identify him, says he found the hellish hotel photos in a group chat about AI-rendered paintings. AI art-making sites are popping up all over the web, sparking some serious discussions about whether these generators are taking work away from human artists who depend on their talent for a living.

The fake photos took users through the Satanic hotel concept starting with a lobby and check-in area with cherry oak walls, disorienting floor patterns and a giant upside down pentagram. The patterns and red and black color schemes are repeated throughout the lobby, complete with giant statues and paintings of Lucifer in his various forms, from his "fall from Heaven" days to his hoofed and horned stylings. All of the guest rooms are painted in red, presumably with paint, not blood.
These artist renderings are just that, as Plano officials confirmed that there are no plans for such a hotel within its city limits.

The original poster says he was attempting to ruffle the feathers of some "local, anti-trans, anti-woke, anti-LBGTQIA+, anti-books, anti-[critical race theory], anti-[social emotional learning] crusaders."

At least one of the troll's targets include a McKinney man who, the poster claims, brought members of the alt-right hate group The Proud Boys to a Pride Story Time event at McKinney's public library "to intimidate families."

The poster doesn't know if any of his intended targets saw or fell for his Satanic hotel hoax, but he couldn't resist taking a chance when he found the photos and the idea jumped into his head "the way all great ideas start: with bourbon."

The rest of Facebook, however, definitely took notice of his Satanic inn and shared it with a mix of winking and wide eyes. Many people weren't sure whether the hotel was real. It helped that the post went viral on the weekend when no one could call any city officials to confirm its existence.

It also comes on the heels of a resurgence of the Satanic panic of the 1980s, when everything from music to video games an even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles caused people to point to the devil. Last month at the Grammy Awards, singer Sam Smith and Kim Petras performed a rendition of their award-winning song "Unholy" that prompted religious zealots and right-wing commentators to claim the awards show was the work of the Dark Lord.

This is what happens when your political party listens only to rich-guy country music and Kid Rock.