Haunted Historic Hotels
Haunted Hotels
It is Spooky Season afterall
Shop some of my seasonal favorites on my LTK or Amazon Shop / my travel essentials / my children’s travel book / Plannin Hotels
As part of spooky season travel (and an add on to my previous post on movies x travel this time of year), I am adding a round up on haunted historic hotels. Whatever you believe, I can tell you this as someone who has worked with many historic hotels in both North America and Europe: you will be hard pressed to find an older hotel where staff don’t have stories. I have stayed at some lovely hotels that have legendary stories and sightings attached to them, but have yet to witness anything - but if you have, I would certainly love to hear about it. Now onto the list of some haunted hotels in the USA:
Stanley Hotel, Colorado: We all know this location, sitting atop Estes Park since opening in 1909, as the hotel that reached new levels of fame after inspiring Stephen King to create the fictional Overlook Hotel in The Shining. That eerie association aside, many other ghost sightings and mysterious piano music have been connected to the hotel.
The Hollywood Roosevelt, California: Given I used to work at a famous hotel in Beverly Hills that had it’s own rumors, plenty of properties have tales from early hollywood tragedies. This property hosted the first Academy Awards back in 1929, and movie stars tended to live there for long stretches of time which has added to the lore, and sights & sounds of actors speaking.
The Marshall House, Savannah: I have walked past this location many times, and I have to say that the hairs always stand on my arms when I do so. Its history as a hospital during the Civil War and through two yellow fever epidemics makes it very conducive to haunted tales. The Marshall House is well aware of their reputation for paranormal activity, particularly on the the fourth floor, where jiggling doorknobs have been reported along with faucets that turn themselves on, and toilets that overflow without being flushed.
Bourbon Orleans Hotel, New Orleans: There are frankly many hotels known to be haunted in NOLA, but this one in particular has quite a reputation. With a history dating back over 300 years, the city has plenty of ghosts, many of them connected to hotels, especially in the French Quarter. The elegant Bourbon Orleans has many active spots thanks to its multi-purpose past as a ballroom, theater, and, for many decades, a convent and orphanage. People say ghosts from different eras appear in the hallways or lobby, as well as one lonely dancer who spends some nights swaying under the ballroom’s crystal chandelier.
The Driskill, Austin: I have visited before, but wish I had explored more, with its iconic brick facade, drawing European tourists and wedding parties since 1886. Travelers have noted eerily abnormal sounds through its ornate corridors, as well as phantom sightings of the hotel’s namesake, Jesse Driskill, whose portrait still hangs in the lobby.
Hotel Chelsea, New York City: A a famous haunt for New York creatives, such as Andy Warhol and Patti Smith, several ghosts are rumored to be permanent residents, including Mary, a survivor of the Titanic who lost her husband in the shipwreck and hanged herself, and Nadia, a young woman who jumped to her death from a hotel window many decades ago.
The Queen Mary, Long Beach: A retired-ocean-liner-turned-hotel is docked for good in Long Beach, it served as a cruise ship beginning in 1934 and reopened as a hotel in 1972. 49 deaths have taken place aboard the Queen Mary since its first sail, and it is rumored to be haunted by the former passengers and crew, Stateroom B340 is one of the most notorious, where a British passenger died of unknown causes in 1948, in addition to many additional unexplained activity.
*If you want more haunted hotel stories, watch the ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ Season, starring Lady Gaga and Matt Bomer, among others. But be warned.
*For fun, if you remember Buzzfeed’s old ‘Unsolved’ and ‘True Crime’ series hosted by Watcher founders Ryan and Shane, they often visited haunted locations, such as the Queen Mary mentioned above. Enjoy ;)