Now, this will sound like a lot of bullshit, but this one guy came to my school one day and gave a lecture on Satanism and what not. Well, he made a pretty good argument for the song being about the Satanic Church founded by Mr Crowley. I don't actually believe this shit, but it makes for an interesting interpretation:

Hotel California

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
>>>(Supposedly the church itself)

My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim
I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway
>> (The lurig Mistress - you know skanky dress, huge boobs, kinda like Elvira)

I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way
There were voices down the corridor,
>>(Black mass taking place...)

I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year, you can find it here

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget

So I called up the Captain,
'Please bring me my wine'
He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine'
>>(Now this is where it gets kinda Erie. The Satanic Church was founded in 1969. And of course, wine is a central part of Christian Mass. Thus implying that the Spirit hadn't been a part of this establishment since it's foundation)

And still those voices are calling from far away,
Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
They livin' it up at the Hotel California
What a nice surprise, bring your alibis

Mirrors on the ceiling,
The pink champagne on ice
And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'
>>(i.e., we chose this)

And in the master's chambers,
They gathered for the feast
The stab it with their steely knives,
But they just can't kill the beast
>> (Duh! Sacrifice anyone?)

Last thing I remember, I was
Running for the door
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before
'Relax,' said the night man,
We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave!
>>(Once you commit, you can't leave. Like selling your soul and stuff)
-----------

Again, I don't actually believe this interpretation, but it can be supported by examples... makes you think a bit, huh?
Perhaps Don will come in and ban this song :)

joe