Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, CO
We try our best to steer clear of isolated lodges and psychotic writers, but when it comes to the Stanley Hotel, we make an exception. The Colorado estate served as the sole inspiration for Stephen King’s legendary novel The Shining and is said to be haunted by the original owner, F.O. Stanley. According to hotel staff, it is not unusual for guests to catch a glimpse of F.O. and his wife Flora moseying around the hotel lobby or playing the piano. Needless to say, we’d rather run into them than Jack Torrance any day.
The Crescent Hotel – Eureka Springs, AR
Photo Courtesy of The Crescent Hotel
With a history dating back to 1886, it’s only fitting that this Arkansas hotel detains a slew of paranormal spirits. Among the first luxury spa hotels in the Southern U.S., the Crescent Hotel – and specifically, room 218 – is the subject of many an urban legend. As one story goes, during the building’s original construction, a stonecutter known as Michael allegedly fell to his death at the exact location of room 218, and current visitors have stated that screams can be heard reverberating through the ceilings. But Michael’s spirit isn’t the only one to haunt the Crescent; in the 1930s, the hotel was briefly transformed into a hospital and health resort, and employees have since claimed to see visions of nurses moving corpses on gurneys along with the ghost of Theodora, a deceased cancer patient who frequented the resort for treatment.
The Emily Morgan Hotel – San Antonio, TX
Photo Courtesy of Hilton
While the Emily Morgan Hotel wasn’t constructed until 1927 and originally served as a medical office and clinic facility, rumors swirl that the actual site housed wounded soldiers during the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, which took place directly across the street. Multiple floors have been deemed haunted, particularly the eighth – once used for operating – and the 14th, which served as a temporary morgue. Both war casualties and dead clinic patients have allegedly been seen wandering the premises. Guests have also experienced sporadic cold spots throughout their hotel rooms, and strange happenings including unexplained noises and poltergeist sightings.
Hotel Provincial – New Orleans, LA
Photo Courtesy of Flickr.com
Along with leftover Mardi Gras beads and epic jazz music, New Orleans is swarming with ghostly phenomena, and a stay at the Hotel Provincial will prove it. Aside from visions of bloody soldiers attributed to the site’s former life as a military hospital, a 24-year-old female apparition wearing a white flowing dress is said to greet visitors upon arrival, though hotel staff insists that rather than scaring people, the ghost has been known to “help” employees through their work shifts. Multiple séances have also been conducted on the grounds, each of which produced ghostly illusions and audio recordings, including this bewildering message from one of the lingering apparitions: “Tell Dianne I have to go.” Um, you do it.
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel – Los Angeles, CA
Photo Courtesy of Thompson Hotels
One of the most famous hotels in LA, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel maintains its rep as being one of the most haunted places in the world. Officially opening for business in 1927 along Hollywood Boulevard, the space instantly became a popular hangout amongst the exclusive Hollywood elite. Frequent guests included Marilyn Monroe – whose ghost has allegedly been seen dancing in the hotel’s decadent ballroom and reflected in the mirrors of room 229 – Clark Gable, and Montgomery Clift, whose spirit supposedly haunts room 928, the room where he stayed while filming the 1953 classic From Here to Eternity.
Photos by The Stanley Hotel