A group of friends (Carla, Karen, Abi, and Spy) are stranded in the middle of nowhere during a storm and decide to take shelter in a mysterious hotel. The hotel appears to be run by a strange and eccentric owner, who demands $1,000 per room and has a fascination with sweets and toys. As the friends explore the hotel, they discover that it has a magical and somewhat sinister atmosphere, with cardboard furniture and appliances that surprisingly work.
The friends begin to suspect that the hotel is haunted by clowns, and they try to find a way to escape. However, the owner seems to be intentionally blocking their exit, and they receive a message that they must find a secret room to escape the hotel.
After searching the hotel, they finally discover the secret room, which is a miniature, decorated room with personal references to their lives. However, they soon realize that they are trapped, and a countdown begins, giving them 15 minutes to solve a riddle to escape the hotel.
Carla eventually solves the riddle by using her birthday (March 16) and the room number (666), which opens the door to freedom. The friends manage to escape the hotel, but not without a sense of unease and uncertainty about the strange events that occurred during their stay.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The scene is set in a mysterious hotel where the main characters are trying to find shelter from a storm.
2. The hotel is run by a strange man who seems to have many names, including Mr. P and "the crazy ones".
3. The characters are given a room with a strange key and a high price tag of $1,000 per room.
4. The hotel appears to be magical and has many secret rooms and hidden passages.
5. The characters discover a refrigerator in their room that is stocked with food and drinks.
6. They also find a trunk filled with toys and games, including an air bubble gun.
7. The hotel is haunted by clowns, and the characters start to feel scared and trapped.
8. They discover a secret room in the hotel that is decorated with popcorn and has a painting of Jordan.
9. The characters realize they need to find a way out of the hotel, but the doors are locked, and they are trapped.
10. They find a riddle that they need to solve in order to escape the hotel, and they have 15 minutes to do so.
11. The riddle involves finding a code, and they use the room number (666) and a calendar to solve it.
12. The characters finally escape the hotel after solving the riddle and opening the door.
13. The hotel has 299 floors, and the characters are on the highest floor.
14. The hotel is located in a skyscraper in the city.
15. The characters are given a warning that if they don't solve the riddle, they will be trapped in the hotel forever.