: Detective John Lowe learns about James Patrick March (played by Evan Peters), the sadistic founder of the hotel in the 1920s. March designed the building as a "killing machine" with secret hallways, dead-end corridors, and chutes leading to a pit for disposing of bodies.
The second episode of , titled " Chutes and Ladders ," aired on October 14, 2015. This episode is pivotal as it explores the dark history of the Hotel Cortez and its original owner. Plot Overview [S5E2] Chutes and Ladders
: Lady Gaga's character, The Countess, takes an interest in a self-destructive male model named Tristan Duffy (Finn Wittrock) during a fashion show at the hotel. She eventually turns him into a vampire-like creature (the show refers to them as having an ancient blood virus). : Detective John Lowe learns about James Patrick