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Credibility: ★★★★☆ 4/5
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Threat Level: HIGH (High — and the land has opinions about it.)
Marriott confirms construction proceeds as scheduled — despite three missing excavators, a mutinied survey crew, and what witnesses describe as ‘the ground saying no’
FORT DUCHESNE, UT — Marriott International confirmed this morning that groundbreaking on the 214-room Courtyard by Marriott Skinwalker Ranch & Suites will proceed as scheduled this Monday, a decision the company is calling ‘bold’ and that nine on-site witnesses are calling ‘a death wish in khakis.’ The sale of the infamous Uintah Basin property — long considered one of the most paranormally active parcels of land in North America — was finalized last Thursday for an undisclosed sum, ending weeks of speculation and beginning what Marriott’s PR team is describing as ‘an immersive, destination-forward hospitality experience.’
The announcement comes with significant asterisks. Three Caterpillar 320 excavators deployed to the site Sunday evening for preliminary soil prep were reported missing by Monday at dawn. Not damaged. Not vandalized. Missing — as in gone, tracks ending abruptly in bare dirt, no tire impressions leading away. A six-person surveying team contracted by Marriott’s development arm, Marriott Lodging Partners LLC, submitted a collective written refusal to return to the property at approximately 4:47 AM this morning. Their statement, obtained by WTC News, reads in part: ‘The equipment does not want to be there. We do not want to be there. With respect, neither should you.’
Marriott Says ‘Full Steam Ahead.’ The Steam Disagrees.
Despite the missing machinery and the crew walkout, a Marriott spokesperson issued a statement this morning doubling down on the Monday timeline. The planned development includes a full-service restaurant tentatively named The Skinwalker Grille, an outdoor pool described in planning documents as ‘heated — though we acknowledge some heat sources on the property are not ours,’ and a ‘Paranormal Premiere Suite’ on the fourth floor with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the mesa. Amenity packages will reportedly include a Marriott Bonvoy points multiplier for guests who document an encounter. I have to hand it to their marketing team: they are swinging.
We have developed properties on fault lines, in active hurricane zones, and directly adjacent to a former munitions testing site in Nevada. Skinwalker Ranch is a premium opportunity. We remain committed to Monday.
— Derek Hollis, VP of Development, Marriott Lodging Partners LLC
FIELD ALERT
WTC News has confirmed that at least two of the nine witnesses present during Sunday night’s equipment disappearance are refusing to speak on record and have reportedly left the state. A third witness, reached by phone, said only ‘it came from underneath’ before the call dropped. Our field correspondent Travis Okafor is currently en route to Fort Duchesne and has been instructed to keep his phone charged and to not, under any circumstances, go near the mesa after dark.
I’ve surveyed land for nineteen years. Land doesn’t push back. This land pushed back. I left my transit pole there and I am not going back for it.
— Anonymous, Licensed Land Surveyor, Survey Team Member
A Brief History of Things That Did Not Go Well Here
FAST FACTS
• Skinwalker Ranch has been the reported site of UAP sightings, cattle mutilations, poltergeist activity, and unexplained crop failures since at least the 1950s.
• The Sherman family, who owned the ranch from 1994–1996, reportedly fled after less than two years following incidents involving ‘large, unidentifiable animals’ and objects appearing and disappearing in locked rooms.
• The property was subsequently purchased by aerospace billionaire Robert Bigelow and studied by NIDS (National Institute for Discovery Science) for over a decade, yielding findings that remain largely classified or unpublished.
• A 214-room hotel would make it the largest structure ever built on the property. The previous record was a single barn, which burned down under circumstances that remain unresolved.
• Marriott’s nearest comparable development is a Fairfield Inn in Roswell, NM, which reports a 94% occupancy rate and zero missing excavators.
Sources within the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining — which must sign off on the excavation permits — told WTC News this morning that the permitting process has been ‘unusual,’ with two separate department reviewers requesting reassignment after site visits. A third reviewer, who completed the review and signed the permits, could not be reached for comment. His office says he is on vacation. His wife says he did not tell her he was going on vacation.
WTC News will be on-site Monday morning for the groundbreaking, assuming there is ground left to break. I will be filing live updates throughout the day, and if at any point my updates stop, please send someone — preferably someone who has read the incident reports, understands what a Skinwalker is, and has made their peace accordingly. Marriott’s loyalty program is called Bonvoy. I want that on the record. They named it Bonvoy, and they are breaking ground on Skinwalker Ranch on Monday, and I think the universe is watching to see what happens next. So are we. Stay tuned.
maravane@whatthecryptid.com
Mara Vane · Senior Investigative Reporter — WTC
