The story told in Hotel California is familiar. A weary traveler driving down a desolate road (yes, a dark, desert highway) spies the lights of a lone hotel and decides to stop off for the night. Once inside, the narrator discovers a strange world of excess - mirrored ceilings, pink champagne, a large feast - and guests singing a welcome to him as they try to invite him into their world. The narrator decides he needs to make a run for it - that he'd rather be on the outside - but then in a nightmarish twist, he is then informed that he can check out but not really ever leave. This story is not unlike the typical "traveler stumbling upon large house in the middle of nowhere - strange things happen inside" story that has been the basis of many a story and film. But the real meaning of Hotel California lyrics are presumably not in the storytelling itself, but rather in the symbolism.