What are the The Continental Hotel rules? Code of hotel in John Wick films and Amazon prequel series explained

The John Wick films are a billion dollar franchise, following the box office success of Chapter 4, which grossed more than $400 million, so it’s little surprise that the world of John Wick is expanding.

New Amazon Prime series The Continental is set in the 1970s and follows the early days of Winston Scott, manager of The Continental New York in the film series.

In the three part series, Scott, played this time by Colin Woodell, takes on the then manager of The Continental, Cormac, played by a snarling Mel Gibson. Scott seeks revenge on Cormac for the death of his brother, but Cormac brings the full might of The Continental against him.

From the John Wick films we know that there are strict rules in place that prevent fighting and killing at The Continental, which is supposed to act as neutral grounds for assassins and a place where they can carry out their business in peace.

But what exactly are the rules of The Continental, and how are they enforced? This is everything you need to know:

What are The Continental rules?

No business can be conducted on Continental grounds

This is perhaps the most important rule of The Continental hotels, and there are severe penalties for breaking it.

Business includes fighting, and carrying out contracts on fellow assassins of any of The Continental branches. There are strict consequences for breaking the rules - for instance in the first John Wick film, when contract killer Ms. Perkins attempts to kill John on Continental grounds, and succeeds in killing another guest, Winston Scott, manager of the hotel revokes her membership, and his henchmen execute her.

Everyone must pay to stay at The Continental

Anyone wishing to stay at The Continental and benefit from its sanctuary must pay for the privilege - they can pay using uniquely minted gold coins which act as a universal currency in the global underground assassin economy. Coins can be gained by carrying out hits or providing goods and services, such as bulletproof suits, to assassins.

In the Amazon series, Cormac, then manager of The Continental risks losing his position when the coin press that mints this assassin currency is stolen, threatening to derail the illicit economy.

No pets allowed

This rule is specific to the New York branch of The Continental, and is presumably a quirk of manager Winston. However, it is not always strictly enforced as John Wick is accompanied by his dog in the hotel lobby in the second and third films.

It may be that Charon, the concierge, had taken a liking to the dog, or perhaps he just knew what happens when people mess with John’s pets.

Branch managers have total control

The High Table is the ultimate authority in arbitrating disputes between assassins, but when it comes to The Continental, branch managers exercise autonomy and can manage their venues as they see fit, within the code of conduct. 

So far, we know of Continental branches existing in New York City, Rome, and Osaka, and each venue has its own distinct style and will differ slightly in how it is managed. There are likely to be more branches of the hotel across the world but we have not yet encountered them in the films or Amazon series.

Continental hotels can be deconsecrated

Despite the ruthlessly enforced rules that govern The Continental, the entire code can be thrown out if a branch is deconsecrated. This essentially removes any protections the hotel would have under the High Table.

When this happens, killing can take place on Continental grounds - as was the case in John Wick: Chapter 4 when The Osaka Continental was deconsecrated and those on the grounds were massacred as Marquis Vincent de Gramont hunted for John Wick.

What happens if The Continental’s rules are broken?

If the rules of The Continental are broken and the hotel has not been desconsecrated, severe punishments will be meted out. In John Wick 2, John killed Santino D'Antonio in the lobby of The Continental New York.

Ordinarily this would result in a death sentence, but Winston was fond of John - instead he marked him as excommunicado and gave him one hour’s grace period before he made the decision public.

Being excommunicado means that the privileges afforded to a Continental member are revoked. Wick later had a bounty set on his head and all the world’s assassins went after him.

Additionally, anyone who helps excommunicado members will also be punished - The Director was stabbed in the hands for aiding John, whilst the Bowery King was slashed with blades, and his men were massacred.