Summary
- The Continental hotels serve as safe havens for hitmen in John Wick's criminal empire, providing neutral territory and amenities.
- The Continental hotels have strict rules, including no conducting of business on the premises, and sanctuary must be bought.
- The Continental hotels are protected from police and authority interference due to the overwhelming power of the criminal empire's leaders.
The Continental series is a prequel to the John Wick films and centers on the hotel of the same name, begging the question of why the establishment is so important to the franchise. The Continental officially began development in 2017 when John Wick writer Derek Kolstad and four-time franchise director Chad Stahelski began deliberating on ways to expand the lore of the franchise. Eventually, the duo settled on producing a TV miniseries centered on the foundations of the criminal underworld teased in all four John Wick movies.
Given the expansive lore bubbling just beneath the surface of each John Wick film, the decision to create a series delving into this deep mythology was likely an easy one with The Continental's new cast of characters. With the added benefits that TV brings such as long-form storytelling, The Continental began delving into the long history surrounding the eponymous hotel. With that said plenty of questions were raised about the Continental from its role in the John Wick universe to past managers and the different in-universe rules assassins must abide by when staying on the premises.
The Continental Hotel's Role In John Wick's Criminal Underworld Explained
When concerning what role the Continental plays in the John Wick timeline and universe, it is relatively simple. Essentially, the various branches of the Continental across the world act as safe havens for hitmen that belong to the vast criminal empire John Wick himself was part of. The hotels serve as neutral territory for these assassins, allowing them safe places to stay when in certain cities as well as offering other amenities and services. As such, the Continental hotels are vital in safeguarding a relative degree of peace, law, and order within the realm of John Wick's criminal underworld.
The Continental Hotel's Rules Explained
Given the importance of the Continental hotel branch to the entire infrastructure of the criminal underworld established in John Wick and The Continental, every hotel has a specific, strict set of rules that must be adhered to by guests of the establishment. Undoubtedly the biggest, most unyielding rule is that no business can be conducted on Continental grounds. The hotels act as a sanctuary for those in the assassin business, meaning no fighting, killing, or carrying out contracts is permitted anywhere in the Continental. Failure to adhere to this rule results in excommunication from the organization and, in worst-case scenarios, execution.
Another rule of the Continental hotels is that sanctuary must be bought. By using the currency of the John Wick universe, guests must book a room or even something as small as buying a drink from the hotel bar to ensure their safety on the premises. If currency is spent on Continental grounds, the guest is granted sanctuary for as long as they wish to stay. Another rule relates to excommunicado of the Continental. If anyone involved in the John Wick universe's criminal empire aids excommunicated , it can also be punishable by death.
Finally, the last rules about the Continental are connected to the High Table, the leaders of the universe's underworld. Even the of the High Table need to adhere to the rules of the various Continental establishments. That said, the High Table has the power to deconsecrate a branch of the Continental should the need arise, such as when this happened to the New York branch when Winston aided John Wick and the same happened to the Osaka branch for the same reason.
Why The Continental Hotel Is Protected From Police & Authority Interference
One thing that the John Wick films and The Continental prequel series make clear is that the hotels are protected from real-world authorities like the police interfering. The world of John Wick is constructed so that the most higher-up authoritative figures like the police or governing bodies are aware of the criminal empire across the globe. As such, these authoritative institutions avoid interfering with the world of assassins, hitmen, and criminals due to the overwhelming power of the High Table, the people who serve them, and the empire they have built.
This is highlighted in John Wick when a policeman shows up at John's door and sees the dead bodies littered in John's house. The police officer asks John if he's working again and, after John confirms such, bids him a goodnight stating he'll let him get back to it. The Continental episode 1 also makes it clear that police are not to interfere with the criminal underworld. Rookie detective KD is unaware of this and attempts to enter the New York branch, only to be warned away by her higher-ups who tell her to stay away from the building at all costs.
The Continental Still Serves Assassins & Non-Assassin Guests Alike
Despite the secrecy surrounding the organization and the rules required to stay at the Continental, the hotels still serve assassins and regular guests alike. The Continental episode 1 made this clear when KD entered the New York branch and was able to buy a drink with regular money. While she was still able to be served, it became quickly apparent to everyone else in the hotel that she was not part of the criminal underworld that permeates the John Wick universe's society. Even so, it was proven that even non-assassins could be served at the Continental.
The Continental's Gold Coin Currency Explained
Due to the underworld empire of the John Wick universe, the Continental hotels have their own form of currency. This currency comes in the form of gold coins which differentiate regular guests like assassins, mobsters, and gangsters from everyday guests not involved in the criminal side of the world. Similarly, the Continental hotels are responsible for distributing new coins into circulation, acting dually as a bank for the criminal empire of the John Wick world.
When New York City's Continental Hotel Was Founded & How It Became An Assassin Sanctuary
The most commonly frequented Continental in the John Wick movies and the setting of The Continental is the New York branch. While it has never been confirmed exactly how the Continental in New York became an assassin sanctuary, the date of its founding has been confirmed in the John Wick universe. The New York Continental was founded in April 1904 meaning it has been operating for over a century by the time John Wick returned to the branch in 2014's John Wick.
How Many Continental Hotels There Are Around The World & Where They Are
While there are likely hundreds of Continental hotels across the world, only four have been confirmed in the John Wick movies. One of those is the aforementioned New York branch run by Winston and his concierge Charon in the four John Wick films and Cormac in the 1970s when The Continental takes place. In John Wick: Chapter 2, the Rome branch of the Continental was highlighted. The Continental of Casablanca was then showcased in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, before the Osaka branch in Japan was visited in the first act of John Wick: Chapter 4.
The Continental Hotel's Managers Explained & How They Serve The High Table
One of the more interesting elements of the Continental hotels in the John Wick franchise is the hotel managers. Characters throughout the franchise like Winston, Cormac, Julius - manager of the Rome branch - Sofia Al-Azwar of the Casablanca hotel, and Koji Shimazu from Osaka all manage and control the status of their individual establishment. Interestingly, the managers of each Continental get a lot of power, sometimes even holding such over the High Table. When a member of the High Table is in each establishment, they must adhere to the rules set out by the managers.
The managers run each branch of the Continental to serve the High Table, despite them having high degrees of power over their specific locations. Shares of the money earned from each Continental go to the High Table. Another way the managers serve the High Table is by enforcing the rules of the organization. Keeping the Continental grounds as safe havens, excommunicating rule breakers, and aiding in investigations of the High Table are all ways in which the managers serve the institution to maintain order within the world.
The Continental Hotels' Services Explained
Finally, it is worth exploring what services the various Continental hotels provide to guests. Aside from the obvious means of sanctuary and accommodation, the Continental has other workers on the premises that can provide a variety of benefits to clients. From seamstresses and tailors who provide body armor to sommeliers who provide a wealth of gun services, assassins can outfit their weapons and gear for future contracts on Continental grounds. Other services include cartographers who provide clients with maps or blueprints, as well as a doctor being on-site for any medical treatment needed.
Concerning who can put clients in with these workers, the concierge is often the face of service at each Continental. Charon was shown at length in the John Wick movies to be endlessly helpful to guests of the Continental as were the concierges of the Osaka, Casablanca, and Rome branches too. These services only further highlight how deep the criminal underworld of the John Wick franchise goes especially regarding the chain of hotels on which The Continental show is based.