Tucked into the hills “just outside Springfield,” a whimsical retreat beckons where guests can stay in suites reminiscent of “Lord of the Rings” hobbit homes. The property promises wood-fired cedar hot tubs, hand-carved beds and fire pits.

Guests might imagine themselves indulging in second breakfasts and embracing total relaxation in a place that seems otherworldly.

“Welcome to Shiraton Hotels,” the voice of a grandfatherly British narrator calmly says in a video ad posted on YouTube, welcoming visitors to a “hidden retreat” at what appears to be a “Lord of the Rings”-inspired getaway.

And “hidden,” perhaps, is the operative word here.

Because behind the fantasy-inspired adventure — which has already raised more than $300,000 from more than 400 people eager to support “an unexpected journey to rolling green hills and 5-Star Luxury” — a question lingers: Is this enchanted escape real?

Shiraton Hotels is the name of an organization asking for money in an IndieGoGo online crowdfunding campaign with the promise of bringing a vacation “hobbit-hole” to Massachusetts. Where, exactly, is unclear.

Some on social media are wary of the vagueness on the hotel’s website and various social media platforms. Complaints to the state attorney general’s office also cast doubts on the project’s legitimacy, especially as the campaign fails to disclose a specific location for the hotel and often ignores customers’ comments and questions.

MassLive tried many ways over two months to reach a representative of the hotel, including messaging the group’s Facebook page, emailing the address listed on its website, calling press contacts listed online and sending a letter to a Boston address listed in Shiraton’s emails.

No one responded to any of those communications, and the letter was sent back because it was unable to be delivered. MassLive has been unable to identify any people involved in this project, including a search of Massachusetts corporation registration records.

Inspired by Frodo’s quest with the One Ring, MassLive embarked on a journey of its own across the many dominions of Massachusetts to find this mysterious shire. The search proved more complicated than anticipated for a hotel supposedly located in a town of just 1,000 people, which is asking for financial support from the public and is meant to open next spring.

The Facebook page, website and IndieGoGo campaign for Shiraton Hotels, a project claiming to be built somewhere in Massachusetts.(Website composite)

What is Shiraton Hotels?

The idea of staying in a home inspired by the iconic franchise resonates with many, as the campaign has raised more than $305,000 from more than 400 backers since the IndieGoGo campaign first launched on May 27 — 15 times the set goal of $20,000.

The IndieGoGo campaign offers different ways people can help infuse the project with money early in the process. People pay now and get to stay at the hotel later. A VIP weekday stay includes two nights at $499, and a VIP weekend package offers three nights at $699. Some listings suggest an April 2026 opening.

Although the organization never explicitly uses the name “The Lord of the Rings” in its advertising, the inspiration is clear. The promotional images and video used by the organization look like the Middle-earthian architecture in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy — inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien’s books. The name itself references the home of the Hobbits in Middle-earth, “the Shire.”

The images on Shiraton’s website and social media posts do not explicitly say they are renderings, leading viewers to assume that’s where they can stay now.

However, in response to people complaining that the images were AI-generated, the group states on Facebook that “all visual materials have been created by real artists and graphic designers — no AI has been used in any of our renderings.”

No graphic designers are credited on any of their pages, and MassLive received no response when trying to confirm the images are original artwork.

Someone poking around the site a little more soon realizes the project is likely not yet built. The IndieGoGo account promises “Estimated delivery April 2026.” The bottom of the project’s website shows what appears to be photos of workers building things and looking at blueprints in a field.

An Aug. 5 post on the IndieGoGo account also offers an update: “The design is complete. The builder is secured. Phase One of Shiraton has begun.” It also indicates construction is scheduled to start this fall. The cozy Hobbit-like accommodations seen on the site aren’t yet there.

Where is Shiraton?

But where is there? The exact location of the hotel remains unclear.

The hotel’s website suggests it’s located somewhere outside of Springfield and “only two hours from Boston and three hours from New York City.” Social media posts earlier in the year suggested it was in Central Massachusetts.

A previous version of the website also stated Shiraton was near Bash Bish Falls State Park, Mount Greylock Reservation and Mount Holyoke State Park, all of which are one to two hours away from New Braintree and an hour away from each other.

A Christmas tree farm in New Braintree on Aug. 13, 2025.Gustavo Atencio Flores/MassLive

The most promising lead is on the IndieGoGo page, which lists New Braintree as its location. It’s a town nearly one hour away from Springfield, four hours from New York City and an hour-and-a-half from Boston.

MassLive recently visited New Braintree Town Hall in search of answers. But for an exciting new hotel project that’s going to be located in a town of only 1,000 people, the trail went cold.

Jessica Bennett, the town clerk, and Lori Hoffman, the police clerk, both said they had no knowledge of a project such as Shiraton being developed in the town. The town’s select board said they were not aware of the project, either.

A MassLive reporter drove around the small town, looking for any signs of a project like this one. The only thing in town that seemed like it could be related to Shiraton Hotels was a construction crew working at a nearby field.

Finally! The first real glimmer of hope that we had found the project. But alas, the construction crew confirmed that it was not working on a hotel, just some barn renovations.

A sign labeled “New Braintree” outside of the New Braintree town hall on Aug. 13, 2025.Gustavo Atencio Flores/MassLive

Shireton vs. Shiraton

Shiraton Hotels was not the original name of the project. The project used to go by the name Shireton — with an e — Hotels, which can be found on the Way Back Machine internet archive, showing the original name as recently as April 7.

An email newsletter claiming to be from someone named “Kim” sent May 27 stated: “Quick heads-up: We used to be Shireton Hotels — now we’re Shiraton Hotels! Same team, same vision, just a name that fits us better.”

MassLive searched the Massachusetts Corporations Database to try to find a registered business under both names, but could not find anything obvious.

MassLive has not been able to confirm why the name was changed. Another group using the name Shireton is developing a similar project in Virginia, but that group confirmed through Instagram messages that they are not related to the group in Massachusetts.

Are the hobbits really trolls?

Despite clear interest in such a venture, alarm bells related to the project’s legitimacy have repeatedly been raised online. Earlier in the year, Shireton-turned-Shiraton posted fairly aggressively on social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, enticing would-be guests.

One Facebook user, Amanda Kocot of West Springfield, told MassLive that she posted a thread on the platform declaring the project a scam after seeing ads for it on social media asking users early in the project to donate $50 to their campaign in exchange for early access to booking dates once the hotel opens.

“If you’re getting this ad like I am for Shireton Hotels and thinking to yourself ‘wow how cool I want to stay here’ DO NOT try to book their $50 early special,” the post reads. “This page is a scam and not even a real hotel.”

The only clue pointing toward a real individual behind the project came in the form of newsletters sent to those on the hotel’s email list, signed by an individual named “Kim.” The email signature also includes the address in Boston at 867 Boylston St., the address from where the letter was returned.

A trip to the address yielded no luck, as the building near the Prudential Center is a shared office space where multiple companies operate. People who work in the building recently said they had never heard of Shiraton Hotels and that they had no knowledge of such a project operating out of the shared space.

Kocot’s search for answers regarding the project similarly went unanswered. It wasn’t until she publicly posted the thread on Facebook that she was finally able to communicate with them.

“As a small, independent team working hard to bring a creative vision to life, public posts calling our project a scam can have a significant impact on our reputation and momentum,” Shiraton Hotels commented on the post. “We completely understand the need for caution online, but we assure you that there’s nothing deceptive about our intentions.”

After whoever was representing Shiraton on Facebook asked Kocot to take down the post, she agreed to do so as long as they updated their website with more transparency regarding what she sees as the more suspicious aspects of the project, such as its location and what she claims are AI-generated images of the hotel’s interior.

Shiraton Hotels has not updated the information found on their websites, and the post remains up on Facebook as of Aug. 13.

In the thread, Shiraton Hotels stated that “the $50 deposit is fully refundable, and we’ve promptly refunded anyone who has requested it.”

On the group’s website, a button at the bottom of the page that says “Refund Policy” brings the user to the site’s Terms and Conditions page. A section on that page labeled “Refunds Policy” says: “Please review our Return Policy posted on the Site prior to making any purchases.” However, there is no other refund policy information on the site.

Tessa McKenzie, another Facebook user from Sykesville, Maryland, struggled to get her $50 deposit back. She first reached out to the group via email and Facebook.

“Their customer service was just so dismal I never heard back,” McKenzie told MassLive. “There was also a lot of confusion at first because Link/Stripe (the payment system) was more responsive yet couldn’t do a thing without approval from [Shiraton Hotels].”

It wasn’t until McKenzie publicly commented on Kocot’s Facebook thread that she received confirmation from Shiraton Hotels that her refund had been processed.

The entrances to the New Braintree Town Offices and police station on Aug. 13, 2025.Gustavo Atencio Flores/MassLive

IndieGoGo posted Shiraton Hotels’ promotional video on its social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok. Comments appear to be turned off on the posts involving the Shiraton Hotels, but not other projects promoted by IndieGoGo.

MassLive recently reached out to IndieGoGo and parent company Gamefound several times for information regarding the legitimacy of the project, but did not receive a response.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office said it received an official complaint on June 6 regarding Shiraton Hotels, requesting “they contact IndieGoGo and/or Facebook and have them remove these pages, before more people are defrauded.”

Campbell’s office told MassLive “the matter is still under review” two months later, in which time the company has raised more than $200,000 more. The office did not explain what an investigation into such a complaint entails.

You shall not pass?

They say “not all those who wander are lost,” but after countless attempts to reach a person involved with the project and traveling across Massachusetts, it seems only the Eye of Sauron would be able to find the future site of the Shiraton Hotel, or at least someone checking email or social media posts.

The journey was long, and the information available on the Shiraton Hotel was thin, like butter scraped over too much bread. MassLive didn’t find a ring, but maybe the ring will find us?

If you have more information about Shiraton Hotel, email [email protected].

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