Marty Parker

Marty Parker is the founder and owner of Romantic Adventure Getaways, a one-of-a-kind hospitality concept that combines the puzzle-solving thrill of an escape room with the luxury of a private couples’ resort. Before creating this venture, Marty spent 11 to 12 years as a Wall Street stock trader, where he credits his undiagnosed ADHD with giving him the ability to hyper-focus and read fast-moving ticker tape. He later transitioned into computer programming, automating his trading strategies, before pivoting entirely into active entertainment when his systems were outpaced by more advanced algorithms.

His entry into the attractions world started with Mud Ninja, a mud run he launched using his family’s farm in Southern Ohio after reading about a highly profitable event. He then created “Trapped in a Room with a Zombie,” widely recognized as the first zombie-themed escape room in the country. After discovering escape rooms in California in 2012, he combined the concept with the massive popularity of The Walking Dead by adding a live zombie actor on a chain that extended every five minutes. He scaled the concept to 22 locations across three countries, and the room was even featured on The Big Bang Theory.

Romantic Adventure Getaways was born when Marty noticed that romantic hotel suites with private pools were booked six months in advance, signaling massive unmet demand. He combined that proven model with his escape room expertise to create immersive mystery mansions for couples. His locations in Mount Vernon, OH, Hillsboro, OH, and Morrison, IL feature secret passages, hidden tunnels, trap doors, private luxury amenities including massage chairs, salt caves, red light therapy, and dance floors, and interactive puzzles designed specifically for two people. Suites are priced between $339 and $469 per night.

A fun fact about Marty: his business philosophy is built around delegation and systems. He says, “The less I work, the more money I make,” and his personal rule is to never hold a hammer in his own house, because if he does, he is losing money.