Spooky stays around the States
Get into the Halloween spirit with a stay at one of America’s most haunted hotels, where ghosts, ghouls and bumps in the night come as standard. From grand rural resorts to historic city-center hotels, these ancient crash-pads are sure to be an absolute scream…
RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California
Now a luxury floating hotel and attraction, in her past life the Queen Mary entertained royalty, VIPs and celebrities. While in service as a transatlantic liner, equipped with grand ballrooms, cocktail bars and swimming pools, she carried over two million passengers. Nowadays upwards of 50 million flock aboard – for fine dining, special events and… paranormal activity.
RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California
Voted one of the Top 10 Most Haunted Places in America by Time magazine, the Queen Mary revels in its ghostly guests. Haunted history tours guide you around the ship’s labyrinthine layout, looking out for apparitions including an engineer in the old boiler room and a mysterious “lady in white”.
Myrtles Plantation, St Francisville, Louisiana
This grand plantation house turned B&B dates from 1796 and features aged oak trees shading the grounds, a verandah with delicate decorative ironwork plus a few centuries’ worth of ghosts. Apparently built on an ancient Native American burial ground and scene of no fewer than 10 murders, it’s no wonder various spirits are still lurking about.
Myrtles Plantation, St Francisville, Louisiana
Hollywood Hotel Roosevelt, Los Angeles, California
Right on the Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Hotel Roosevelt is an A-list retreat, for both the living and the dead. Marilyn Monroe holed up here for two years and apparently still roams around – her spirit twirls across the ballroom or is sometimes glimpsed in a mirror that used to hang in her favorite room.
Hollywood Hotel Roosevelt, Los Angeles, California
Jerome Grand Hotel, Arizona
Looming over a former copper mining town, the Jerome Grand Hotel is renowned for its supernatural residents. No doubt this has something to do with the building’s previous incarnation as a hospital and Jerome’s past reputation as the “wickedest town in the west”. Today you’ll find a bustling, artistic town with jaw-dropping views and the Verde Valley’s outstanding wineries nearby.
Jerome Grand Hotel, Arizona
Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, Louisiana
A stalwart of the French Quarter, the deluxe Hotel Monteleone has been run by five generations of the same family since it opened in 1886. That’s plenty of time to build up loyal customers and lingering former guests. Frequent reports of paranormal activity led to a visit by the International Society of Paranormal Research in 2003. They detected all sorts of ghostly goings on, particularly on the 14th floor (actually the 13th, but the hotel skips that number following superstitious tradition).
Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, Louisiana
From the domestic – a maid who continues her housekeeping duties long after her demise – to the tragic – a toddler boy, Maurice, who died of a fever, there are plenty of spooky anecdotes. Exchange ghost stories over cocktails at the glitzy Carousel bar & lounge, the city’s only revolving bar. And once you’ve scared yourself silly, find out what else to do in the Big Easy with our guide.
Admiral Fell Inn, Baltimore, Maryland
On a cobbled street corner in Fell’s Point, once a major shipbuilding area and Baltimore’s oldest waterfront community, the Admiral Fell Inn is a welcoming hotel made up of seven adjoining buildings. One of these buildings was an early 20th-century boarding house for sailors, some of whom still seem to be hanging around today.
Admiral Fell Inn, Baltimore, Maryland
Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado
Horror film fan? A night at The Stanley in mountainous northern Colorado should be top of your list. That’s all it took to inspire Stephen King to pen his classic horror novel, The Shining. The now-legendary hotel attracts hordes of film buffs and ghost hunters but its spooky reputation pre-dates the book and spine-chilling film.
Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado
Mayflower Hotel, Washington DC
For almost a century, the elegant Mayflower has played host to the great and the good of Washington DC. A short walk from the White House, the hotel has long been the venue for grand balls, lavish lunches and distinguished international guests. President Harry Truman and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover were loyal patrons of the restaurant.
Mayflower Hotel, Washington DC
With Calvin Coolidge’s presidency, the Mayflower kicked off a tradition of inaugural balls, but sadly this first event in January 1925 was tinged with tragedy. Grieving the untimely death of his 16-year-old son, Coolidge chose not to attend. Now, on the anniversary of that night, the lights in the Grand Ballroom are said to flicker at 10pm – just the moment when guests would have arrived. A lift also halts at the eighth floor, refusing to move until 10.15pm, when Coolidge would have made his entrance.
1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Known as America’s most haunted hotel, the 1886 Crescent in the Ozark Mountains has a grisly and mind-boggling history. The imposing exterior might strike you as somewhat institutional – in fact, the building opened as a stately hotel and later served as a girls’ school and then a sham hospital for unfortunate cancer patients. Norman Baker, a former magician with a penchant for the color purple and zero medical training, opened Baker’s Cancer Curing Hospital in 1937.
1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Green Park Inn, Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Sitting pretty astride the Eastern Continental Divide, there seems to be strange forces at work at the historic Green Park Inn. Apparitions and electronic interference have troubled some visitors – the inn keeps a Ghost Log in the lobby for guests to flick through, or even add to.
Green Park Inn, Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Fairweather Inn, Virginia City, Montana
High in the Rocky Mountains and once a booming gold mining center, nowadays Virginia City is home to only a couple of hundred people and seems frozen in time. It’s a wonderfully well-preserved example of a typical mining camp of the American West, and is considered an eerie ghost town – for more reasons than one.
Fairweather Inn, Virginia City, Montana
The Fairweather Inn was named after one of the men who discovered gold in the area, Bill Fairweather. This christening came in the 1940s but an inn has stood on this site since the 1800s. Rather than miners, bandits or vigilantes, it’s children who choose to haunt this small hotel. They seem especially drawn to any guests accompanied by their own offspring, and torment with whispers, hurried footsteps and doors opening and closing.
Timberline Lodge, Mt Hood, Oregon
While the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park served as inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining, the 1980 film adaptation used this snow-bound lodge as the exterior of the Overlook Hotel. A striking ski resort and mountain retreat, 6,000 feet up on the slopes of Mt Hood, it’s a place to blow the cobwebs away.
Timberline Lodge, Mt Hood, Oregon
The film’s interior scenes were all shot back in the UK, at Elstree Studios, and there’s little to suggest Timberline Lodge itself is haunted. But who needs evidence of paranormal activity when chilling scenes from the movie replay in your head? To really test your mettle, book a stay in room 217. Director Stanley Kubrick was asked not to feature this room (named in the book) for fear of deterring future guests, so a fictional room 237 was depicted instead.
Emily Morgan Hotel, San Antonio, Texas
A swish member of the DoubleTree by Hilton family and part of the Alamo Plaza Historic District, the Emily Morgan has only been operating as a hotel since 1984. The Gothic Revival building’s history stretches further back though – the gargoyles clinging to its side provide clues to its eventful past as a Medical Arts Building. Each one depicts a medical ailment, from toothache to stomach cramp.
Emily Morgan Hotel, San Antonio, Texas
Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Guido Pfister didn’t live to see his grand vision for a luxurious hotel materialize. His son, Charles, made up for that – he oversaw the Pfister Hotel’s completion in 1893, managing a lavish design and the £1.2 million ($1.5m) spend. Today, Charles keeps tabs on this ‘Grand Hotel of the West’ in ghostly form, often seen wandering around the building. Perhaps he’s simply dropping in on the hotel’s world-class collection of Victorian art, amassed by him and his father.
Pfister Hotel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Hotel Chelsea, New York City
Hotel Chelsea, New York City
Fame and notoriety come not just from celebrity residents (and an ongoing redevelopment saga). There are unsolved mysteries, too. Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious was suspected of murdering his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, who bled to death in their room. Vicious himself died of a drug overdose while on bail. Other spine-tingling tales include the specter of a Titanic survivor, Mary. With such an intriguing and macaber history, it’s no wonder that ghost sightings are commonplace. For less spooky goings-on in the Big Apple why not check out our city guide?
Omni Mount Washington, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
This monumental New England retreat is a favorite for getting away from it all, but you could find yourself sharing a room with an unexpected guest. It’s rumored that Carolyn Stickney, wife of the resort’s original owner, has taken up long-term residence. Joseph Stickney conceived the hotel with his beloved wife in mind, providing her with a private dining room and indoor pool.
Omni Mount Washington, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Battery Carriage House, Charleston, South Carolina
The old-world charm of Charleston is exemplified in the romantic Battery Carriage House, set in mature gardens with seven cozy rooms, each with a private entrance. Perhaps that makes ethereal comings and goings all the more easy. For as well as being charming, the Battery Carriage House is most likely haunted.
Battery Carriage House, Charleston, South Carolina
Hawthorne Hotel, Salem, Massachusetts
Notorious for its deadly witch hunts, Salem will always have its dark side. Gallow Hills, where 19 residents accused of witchcraft were executed, is reputed to be haunted. Ghost hunters will find many other locations here with claims of paranormal activity – and not just supposed witches – including the Cinema Salem. Another renowned site is the 93-year-old Hawthorne Hotel.
Hawthorne Hotel, Salem, Massachusetts
One of the country’s most haunted hotels, the Hawthorne seems to be beset by all manner of phantoms. From weeping children to pacing spirits and taps running of their own accord, there’s plenty to keep you up all night. As if to substantiate the claims, the popular television show Bewitched filmed at the hotel back in 1970. Today, the Hawthorne cashes in with huge, sell-out Halloween parties.
La Fonda on the Plaza, Santa Fe, New Mexico
On the site of Santa Fe’s first inn (or fonda), established when the town was founded by Spaniards in 1607, La Fonda has witnessed the evolution of Santa Fe from Spanish colony to thriving state capital. With carved beams, stained glass and terracotta tiles, it’s a step up from your average chain hotel, and only steps away from the historic Santa Fe Plaza.
La Fonda on the Plaza, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Driskill Hotel, Austin, Texas
A landmark of downtown Austin for more than a century, despite changing hands countless times, the Driskill is a sumptuous hotel with a multitude of ghostly guests. Staff will even provide a list to assist your ghost-hunting. Jesse Driskill, a cattle baron and businessman, founded the hotel in 1886 but was forced to sell up two years later. His cigar-smoking spirit is said to haunt the place – and no wonder, he shelled out $400,000 (£300k), approximately $92 million (£69.9m) today, on his grand hotel.
Driskill Hotel, Austin, Texas
Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan
Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan
The huge Grand Hotel has been used as a film location, most notably for Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. There’s ample drama when the cameras aren’t rolling, though, with a steady supply of ghosts and ghouls. It’s said that construction workers uncovered human remains when digging the hotel’s foundations and an amorphous black mass with blazing red eyes lurks around the building. It’s not the only historic site to see in the area, find out more with our guide to Lake Michigan.
Seelbach Hilton, Louisville, Kentucky
A grandiose hotel named after the German brothers who founded it, the Seelbach Hilton has entertained many prominent guests since it opened in 1905. The Louisville hotel was a favorite of F. Scott Fitzgerald, who featured a fictional version (The Mulbach) in The Great Gatsby. But it’s not only associated with literary legends. The ghostly Lady in Blue has become something of a legend in her own right.
Seelbach Hilton, Louisville, Kentucky
Congress Plaza Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
Another grande-dame of the hotel scene, the Congress, as it’s known, has an illustrious history tied in with the development of the Windy City. It was opened in 1893 to help meet the demand from visitors arriving for the Chicago World’s Fair. As well as suites and rooms, the hotel has lavish banquet halls, the Gold Room and the Florentine Room, both used for weddings and special events.
Congress Plaza Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables, a planned suburb of Miami known as ‘the City Beautiful’, was a magnet for the rich and famous. With its hand-painted frescoes, tropical gardens, award-winning restaurant and golf course, Coral Gables’ Biltmore Hotel has always attracted a high-profile clientele. Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, the Roosevelts and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor are all known to have stayed at the hotel, which opened in 1926.
Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, Florida
Omni Parker House, Boston, Massachusetts
Just across the road from Boston’s oldest graveyard, that of King’s Chapel, and in operation since 1855, Omni Parker House would seem a likely source of some good ghost stories. And it’s not only its age and location – Charles Dickens stayed here as part of his sold-out American tour and supposedly practised reading A Christmas Carol in his room. Today it’s Dickens’ ghost, rather than the Ghost of Christmas Past, that is purported to haunt the hotel.
Omni Parker House, Boston, Massachusetts
Many guests have also claimed to have seen the Omni Parker House’s original owner, Harvey Parker, who died in 1884. Ever the attentive proprietor, apparently he drifts around, inspecting the rooms and asking guests about their stay. As he seems to be so fastidious, it must be another ghost which is responsible for the erratically stopping elevators. For more spine-chilling stays take a look at our feature showcasing haunted hotels around the world too.
Source: Read Full Article