HotelChatter

Owner Gary Melius told the WSJ that business has been "steady" (in addition to the hotel portion, the property is rented out for private events, film shoots, and weddings), but unless he is able to renegotiate his $27.9 million mortgage, he'll lose control of the castle completely.

Unsurprisingly, TripAdvisor reviews of the place are overwhelmingly positive, with guests offering the following praise:

"...Our room was the most luxurious of any place we have seen in the world and the bed was just perfect..."

"...The room was super large, quiet, renovated, and came with small free snacks. The bathroom was huge with a separate shower and claw-foot tub..."

"...The gardens and fountain are something out of a European landscape..."

"...When we arrived, they were filming Gossip Girl outside, so part of the grounds were off-limits until 6:00PM. I was wondering why there were so many young attractive women walking around..."

Taking a quick look at photos on the website, the rooms themselves look a little gaudy for our tastes (four poster beds? Greco-Roman busts?), but it sounds like the main attraction are the grounds anyway.

Rates start at around $400/night and go up to $1,100/night (hey, it's a castle, what did you expect?), however, if you plan on staying here, you'd better act fast. It sounds like this Gilded Age treasure of a hotel might not be with us for too much longer!

[Photo: LegendLimos]