The Untold Mysteries of The Continental Hotel Revealed: What John Wick Movies Didn't Tell You

Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Continental.

Summary

The secret 13th floor of The Continental, known exclusively to the manager, is uncovered in The Continental, offering fresh insights into the hotel's hidden mechanisms. Adding an extra level of peril and fascination to the narrative, the hotel features a self-destruct feature accessible solely by the manager and operations room director.

Winston's early alliance with the Bowery, featured in The Continental, reveals the extensive connections and dealings he has had since the 1970s, thereby expanding the history of the John Wick franchise.

The Continental reveals fascinating secrets about the renowned hotel that were not explored in the John Wick films. Taking place nearly four decades prior to the Keanu Reeves-led movies, The Continental delves deeper into the realm of John Wick and explores how the criminal underworld evolved into the dominant empire depicted in the later films.

7 The Continental’s 13th Floor

The journey begins with the enigmatic figure of Winston Scott, who served as The Continental's esteemed manager. As the veil is slowly lifted, a wealth of knowledge emerges surrounding the elusive High Table. In its quest to shed light on the intricacies of the John Wick universe, The Continental not only tantalizes with cleverly placed John Wick Easter eggs but also takes us deeper into uncharted territories. Here, within these revelations lies a treasure trove of secrets pertaining to the iconic establishment known as The Continental.

The 13th floor of The Continental hotel holds one of its biggest secrets, as revealed in The Continental's ending. As chaos ensues during Winston's siege, Cormac manages to find his way into an elevator that takes him to the hotel's operations room. Charon, the elevator operator, unveils that the location of the operations room is unknown to everyone except the managers who have the privilege of knowing. However, just before succumbing to the wounds inflicted by Cormac, the dying elevator operator whispers the number 13 to Charon.

6 The Continental’s Self-Destruct Function

Winston and Charon's deduction led them to discover the concealed operations room on the 13th floor of The Continental, even though the hotel itself was not constructed with a 13th floor. Remarkably, the existence of this particular section in the hotel was never mentioned throughout the John Wick films. While the films delved into the intricacies of the hotel's workings, including the establishment of targets for bounties and the provision of various services, the 13th floor remained covert until the events depicted in The Continental unfolded.

From the 13th floor of The Continental, another hidden feature comes to light – the hotel's self-destruct mechanism. In episode 3, as Cormac descends into madness, consumed by an insatiable desire for vengeance against Winston, he loses sight of the High Table and his mission to retrieve the coin press. Instead, he inadvertently triggers the self-destruct countdown, a privilege reserved for the manager and the director of the operations room. This countdown sets in motion the imminent destruction of the entire hotel, jeopardizing the lives of all within its walls.

5 Cormac’s Management Of The Continental

4 The Continental Manager’s Escape Pod

After initiating The Continental's self-destruct sequence, Cormac makes a desperate attempt to evade capture by taking an elevator to an underground railway line. Although Winston and KD ultimately locate and neutralize him, his escape plan is revealed. Cormac had intended to utilize an escape pod that would transport him away from the impending explosion at the hotel. Following Cormac's demise, the pod conveniently appears alongside Winston, accompanied by a voice announcing, "Mr O'Connor, your escape pod has arrived." This previously undisclosed feature of The Continental exemplifies yet another secretive aspect exclusive to the show.

3 The Power Of The Coin Press

The central focus of The Continental's storyline revolved around the stolen coin press in Frankie's opening heist. The pursuit of the coin press by Cormac and the Adjudicator of the High Table became a major theme throughout the series. In episode 3 of The Continental, the true power of the coin press is revealed: it grants anyone who possesses it easy access to any branch of The Continental, such as Mazie's Bowery agents.

The John Wick series extensively showcases the influence of The Continental's currency. It is used to purchase various firearms, weapons, and ammunition for John, as well as other services like tailoring and hotel accommodations within the establishment. However, the films do not delve into the creation of these coins, particularly in relation to the New York Continental. This means that the coin press, which is a significant secret of the titular hotel, is absent from the connected film series.

2 The Continental’s Red Light

In both episode 1 and episode 3 of The Continental, a hidden secret of the hotel is revealed that was not shown in any of the John Wick films. During Frankie's heist and Winston's siege in these episodes, a red light is activated within The Continental. This red light serves as a signal for all residents that violence is allowed on the hotel grounds as long as the light is flashing. This goes against the primary rule of all Continental branches and allows for some of the most thrilling action sequences in The Continental.

Contrary to the show, violence rarely occurs on Continental grounds in the four John Wick movies due to the hotel's main rule. As a result, the red light is not used in any of the films, indicating that it was a secret of The Continental since the 1970s. The closest the movies come to utilizing such a signal is in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, where Charon activates green, flashing neon lights as the agents of the High Table engage in a firefight within the New York Continental. However, this differs slightly from the red light featured in The Continental.

1 Winston’s Early Alliance With The Bowery

In the John Wick films, the main character, John Wick, forms a connection with the Bowery King on several occasions. Although Winston and the Bowery King are familiar with each other's operations and have somewhat of a partnership, it is primarily through John that the Bowery King becomes involved in the storyline. However, The Continental reveals that Winston had actually been in an alliance with the Bowery King since the 1970s. Although not directly the Bowery King himself, Mazie and her agents from the Bowery provided assistance to Winston in gaining control of The Continental, showing that their alliance had been kept hidden for a significant portion of the John Wick series.