American Horror Story: Hotel creators revealed new details about the upcoming season during the Television Critics Association fall preview press tour. Here’s what you need to know. The story was inspired in part by surveillance video of a missing girl, who vanished after entering an elevator in an allegedly haunted hotel. Some outlets suggest creator Ryan Murphy is referring to the death of Elisa Lam, who was last seen in LA’s Cecil Hotel in 2013 — and found dead a month later in one of the hotel’s rooftop water tanks. The name of the fictional hotel in the series is the Hotel Cortez, set in downtown Los Angeles. We’ve already reported that this season will feature more horror, but co-creator Brad Falchuk also advised there would be a “noir” vibe. We’ll turn you over to TV Guide for details on the characters in the series, including Lady Gaga’s Elizabeth — who is the owner of the Hotel Cortez and loves fashion. And then there are returning stars from previous seasons like Kathy Bates, whose Iris runs the hotel, and Sarah Paulson’s “Hypodermic Sally,” who is described as a sexy drug addict. American Horror Story: Hotel checks in on October 7.