It’s Halloween time and this year we thought there’s no better way to celebrate the spooky holiday than to travel to some haunted hotels! In addition to getting that Halloween costume ready and taking the kids trick-or-treating, consider a fun and spooky getaway to one of these 10 “haunted” hotels around the world.
1. The Stanley Hotel
The Stanley Hotel, located just ten miles from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, inspired Stephen King’s novel, The Shining. Scare yourself this Halloween by taking the evening ghost tour and the Stanley tour to search for the spirits. Also on the tours, guests can learn more about the hallways of the haunted fourth floor and the basement rooms in the upscale hotel, which dates back to 1909. The Stanley has 155 guest rooms full of history and charm located among four different settings: the main building, the presidential Cottage, Overlook Condos and the Lodge.
Related: Fourteen things to do in Haunted Colorado
2. The Algonquin Resort
The Algonquin Resort in New Brunswick’s quaint town St. Andrews by-the-Sea is known for its majestic look, seaside beauty and paranormal activity. Guests who have stayed at this castle have reportedly seen ghosts rearranging the dining room settings and wandering the halls at night. You can learn more about these tales by booking an evening with one of the hotel’s storytellers. What better way to spend Halloween than sitting by the fire discussing ghost tales? Perhaps the walk back to your hotel room at night may prove even more fun.
3. The Gadsden Hotel
Ghost sightings are quite normal at the Gadsden Hotel. So normal that guests can write their ghost encounter in a binder kept at the front desk. Encounters that guests claim have happened include getting their hair pulled and getting temporarily pinned to their beds. Throughout the twentieth century, the Gadsden was a place to be for the Hollywood elite. And many movies, television shows and videos were filmed in the hotel and in the Douglas Grand Theater. Today it’s owned by North Dakota grain farmer and aviator Hartman Brekhus and his wife who purchased the property in 1988.
4. Fort Garry Hotel
Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba was one of Canada’s grand railway hotels built in the early 1900s and is designated a National Historic Site of Canada. While the hotel is just gorgeous with elegant public spaces and farm-to-table cuisine, high-tech amenities and large 10-foot ceilings, there are also rumors of the paranormal. Tales of blood trickling down the walls of a certain room, figures appearing at the foot of the bed and a crying female apparition wandering the halls of the hotel are sure to please those guests looking for a fright this Halloween.
5. Lord Baltimore Hotel
Built in 1928, the 23-story, 440-room Lord Baltimore Hotel was designed by architect William Lee Stoddart and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was visited by Martin Luther King, Jr. and a host of other historic figures. It’s located in the heart of downtown Baltimore with a host of haunted tales. It is said that invisible hands will brush against people in the elevators and spirits run the elevators at night. A young girl in a long dress and black shoes is often seen on the nineteenth floor bouncing a red ball.
6. HI-Ottawa Jail Hostel
Let’s think beyond a haunted hotel for a minute and check out this hostel that used to be a jail for Ottawa’s criminals! HI-Ottawa Jail Hostel is located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, within walking distance to Parliament Hill, the National Gallery of Canada, Byward Market, trendy boutiques and the Canadian Museum of Civilization. It doesn’t get cooler and creepier than literally sleeping in an old jail! It is said that the hostel is haunted by the ghosts of executed inmates. Guests have reported seeing the spirits sitting on the edge of their beds at night.
7. Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac
In Quebec City sits the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, set along the St. Lawrence River. The 611 guest rooms and suites have a touch of historic Europe along with some ghostly sightings. It is said that the hotel is haunted by a ghost of the seventeenth century Governor General of New France. The ghost is said to be spotted wandering the hotel. Other guests have reported waking up next to a ghostly woman in white.
8. The Langham Hotel
Located in London’s West End, The Langham Hotel was constructed in 1865 and boasts 380 well-appointed rooms. This historic property was originally conceived as London’s first ‘Grand Hotel’ and has hosted some of the world’s most well-known celebrities and royalty for over 150 years. The hotel also has a reputation in some circles for its abundant paranormal activity. Over the years, many guests have reported sightings of Victorian clad apparitions. Want a freaky thrill? Book the notorious room 333, where the ghost of a Victorian doctor has been known to frequent and sometimes shake the bed. We also hear October is the height of sightings in the hotel.
9. The Hollywood Roosevelt
The historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel has been dazzling A-List celebrities since its construction in 1926. Now more known for its opulent pool parties than its storied past, the hotel is also known by enthusiasts as a hotspot for the paranormal. Some of the more well-known ghostly sightings include guests from the hotel’s famous past, including Montgomery Clift, who occupies his old room, 928. The hotel provided Marylin Monroe a respite from the rigors of the glamorous movie star lifestyle. She is said to still appear in the hotel to guests and staff in the mirror that used to occupy her old favorite room. Some of the guest’s creepier encounters involve a spirit named Caroline, who sometimes appears in the lobby, looking for her mother.
10. The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
Nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains sits the stately Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, a hotel with a history dating back to 1888 as a stop on the Canadian Pacific Railway. It’s grand dimensions have prompted some to call it “The Castle of the Rockies.” And rumor has it this castle holds some ghostly secrets. Visitors have reported being helped by a kindly Scottish bellman wearing a vintage uniform, and after conversing with him, witnessed him disappear. Apparently the ghost of Sam McAuley still roams the halls, mainly just the upper floors, just as he promised he would do before his death in 1975. Others inhabit the hotel as well, including the spirit of a bride, who is rumored to have fallen to her death down the hotel’s grand marble staircase the night of her wedding.
You left off the Hotel Del Coronado!
http://hoteldel.com/press/ghostly-goings-hotel-del-coronado/
https://www.creators.com/read/travel-and-adventure/09/13/spend-the-night-in-hotel-del-coronado-s-haunted-rooms
Love Hotel Del!! Thanks for this Wayne!
Spooky!! I recently heard about a B&B in the Scottish Highlands where one room supposedly has a ghost residing in it. I immediately thought of how many people would go and try to book that room for Halloween. Now, it turns out that there are so many more ‘haunted’ hotels you can stay… spooky!
Hi Maaike, yeah it’s more common than you think – and this is only a handful of them!
Nice post, i like it, Thank you for sharing.