HotelChatter

The new Waverly Inn Sanatorium Boutique Hotel, scheduled for completion in 2010, is set to become a hot spot for "Thanatourism," whereby people visit places associated with death and grief. In fact, the planned $18-million renovation will focus on preserving all the eerie details while mixing in a "solar-powered electric system, floors made of sustainable materials such as cork or recycled rubber, and a geothermal heating and cooling system."

Let's not forget about the body chute!  Complete restoration of the Sanatorium's spaces will include the morgue, sun porches where tuberculosis patients waited to die, and the secret inclined hallway where corpses were shuffled away so as not to alarm those still living.

Due to the pure space (160,000 sq ft in the main building alone) and unique architectural detailing (gargoyles, anyone?), a revived Waverly would no doubt become a popular venue for conferences, but imagine holding proms or retirement parties there. Ha!

A major what if: What if the $18 million is spent and the property emerges as a beautiful hotel only to have all its guests chased out by flying sheets or flickering lights? Then we suppose the ghost hunters would return, but at the more first-class haunted place rate of $399 a night.