19-05-2025
Paranormal crew finds ‘a lot of energy' at Grand Midway Hotel
WINDBER, Pa. (WTAJ) — A new show that recently debuted on Amazon Prime took a trip to the Grand Midway Hotel in Windber.
Host of the Connecticut-based show, 'Dark Echoes Paranormal,' and creator Matt Kondracki and his team of paranormal investigators are currently filming their second season for a 2026 debut, according to WTAJ media partners at The Tribune-Democrat.
Kondracki is a longtime paranormal investigator turned producer whose past credits include Animal Planet's 'The Haunted' series.
The Grand Midway Hotel offers 32 rooms, with plenty of ghost stories to match, owner Blair Murphy said. Each room is decorated with a different eclectic and sometimes eerie theme, with the roof doubling as a Guinness World Record-holding Ouija board.
What Kondracki said sets his series apart is that he knows little about the space's history, as well as the spiritual medium brought in to visit, who is also kept in the dark about their destination until they enter the door. Kondracki added that all of their footage is filmed live, with Erica Marks, their medium, brought in blindfolded.
'We want to show people this is real,' Kondracki said. 'We go to wherever the medium is drawn to.'
For Marks, that seemed to be almost straight up to the hotel's third floor. Even before entering, she said she felt greeted by an energetic young male's presence, who seemed to be eager to show her from one themed room to the next. Marks also noted that there was a 'heavier' energy upstairs as well.
'There's a lot of energy here,' Marks said. 'You walk in here and it's almost the sensation of a funhouse. At times, it's like the walls are coming in on you. There's so much different energy, which sort of makes sense for a hotel.'
Kondracki, who was writing notes on Marks' observations, was able to piece together part of one mystery with her. He later spoke with frequent Grand Midway Hotel guests to see how, and if, her observations blended with the hotel's storied past.
The approach of 'Dark Echoes Paranormal' isn't centered on first impressions, with each episode involving a 24-hour visit. For Marks, that meant spending Saturday evening alongside paranormal investigators and anyone else at the Grand Midway Hotel. However, viewers will have to wait until 2026 to see how the trip went.
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