This article, “what is Hotel Oblivion,” contains spoilers regarding the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy season 3.
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Early in season three, the Umbrella siblings are forced to hide out at Hotel Obsidian while deciding what to do about this crazy, new timeline and their sinister replacements: The Sparrows. This unusual hotel is home to some rather unsavory sorts and a second concealed hotel. This secret building, known as Hotel Oblivion, hides many more mysteries and maybe holds the answers to reset the universe. What is this magical hotel, and how can it help save the world?
The Umbrella Academy season 3 – what is Hotel Oblivion?
Diego and Lila are the first to travel through to this hidden hotel. The gateway is camouflaged, hiding behind a pachinko game, which is mounted to the wall in the White Buffalo Suite. This doorway leads to a shimmering tunnel and the hotel on the opposite side. The couple finds this hidden door while searching for their child Stanley, who has gone missing. Diego and Lila step through to the other side hoping to find their son but come across some truly ungodly horrors within the hotel instead.
Hotel Oblivion is decked out exactly like Obsidian, yet it carries a much more contemporary and glossy sheen. Obsidian has become dated and lived-in, whereas Oblivion appears brand new and untouched. The Buffalo suite is a duplicate of Obsidian’s, except the buffalo head is replaced with the backend of the animal instead. There is a bell at the reception desk, which Diego is warned not to press. There are many floors, and the corridors feel like a labyrinth, with portals separating the gang in due course.
While inside the Hotel, Diego and Lila are chased by an unknown entity, later called The Guardian. This formidable foe slices off Diego’s fingers. The couple barely escapes with their lives, rushing back to Hotel Obsidian and safety. When the Kugelblitz destroys all mankind, the gang is thrust into this hellish hotel once more, where they face off against three of these Guardians. Reginald states that the universe will be reset if they kill The Guardians and find the sigil.
Through flashbacks, it is revealed that Reginald bought the land and constructed both hotels himself many years ago. He saw the importance of this very specific plot of land when he discovered a portal in the sky above it. This portal leads to another dimension, where Hotel Oblivion can be located within. Reginald foresaw the end of the world and realized the hotel would be his fail-safe, a gateway to another dimension and the opportunity to restart the timeline afresh.
When Reginald has the super-humans aligned on the sigil and with The Guardians defeated, he can start the process. He tells Allison that the hotel is, in fact, only a façade, and they are stuck inside a machine, the gang help to power this machine. This edges the show into a cosmic and mythological heavy territory, with Allison pressing the red alien button in the finale to reset the universe. It is unclear who owns this alien technology, but Reginald mentions the creators of the universe building this place. The finale answers many questions, although it frustratingly brings up even more mysteries in the end. Please let me know your theories by commenting below.
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