You can spend the night in these haunted hotels
Would you spend the night in a haunted hotel?
Stories of ghosts in hotels are more common than one might expect, and they can be a draw for visitors. Historic Hotels of America, an official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, collected stories of hauntings from hotels across the country.
Lawrence Horwitz, executive director of Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide, said some of the stories pre-date the construction of the hotels, while others figure prominently into their early history.
“The spirits reported to reside within these Historic Hotels of America have been described as sad to happy, shy to friendly, slowly meandering to in a rush, in work clothes to elaborately dressed and range from young to old,” he said.
Here are some of the top haunted hotels, according to Historic Hotels of America:
Concord’s Colonial Inn
Concord's Colonial Inn (Credit: Historic Hotels of America)
- Built in 1716 in Concord, Massachusetts
The inn served as a hospital during the Revolutionary War, and the spirits of soldiers are said to remain on the site. Room 424 once served as a doctor’s operating room and guests have reported strange activity during the night.
The Sagamore
The Sagamore (Credit: Historic Hotels of America)
- Built in 1883 in Bolton Landing, New York
There are stories about guests at this twice-burned-down resort seeing a woman in a blue polka-dot dress descending from the second floor to its restaurant, the Trillium.
Crescent Hotel
The Crescent Hotel (Credit: Historic Hotels of America)
- Built in 1886 in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
This hotel was used for a time as a cancer hospital, and it still has a morgue in the basement. A tour guide supposedly once saw a man with a top hat enter the autopsy room, only to find the room was empty.
Union Station Hotel Nashville
Union Station Hotel Nashville (Credit: Historic Hotels of America)
- Built in 1900 in Nashville, Tennessee
A former train station, a distraught young woman is said to have thrown herself in front of a passing locomotive during World War II after learning that her soldier had been killed in action. Stories of her ghost wandering the building have persisted through the years.
The Seelbach Hilton Louisville
The Seelbach (Credit: Historic Hotels of America)
- Built in 1905 in Louisville, Kentucky
According to a popular tale, a groom who was due to be married at the hotel died on his way to the wedding. The bride then threw herself down an elevator shaft, and she fell 10 stories to her death. Her spirit is said to haunt the hotel today.
Mizpah Hotel
Mizpah Hotel (Credit: Historic Hotels of America)
- Built in 1907 in Tonopah, Nevada
Old silver mining tunnels are said to run under Tonopah, and the spirits of two miners who were betrayed and killed in a robbery attempt are said to remain in the hotel’s basement. There are also stories of a former bellhop whose ghost has been seen moving around the hotel’s halls, trying to help guests with their luggage.
The Omni Grove Park Inn
The Omni Grove Park Inn (Credit: Historic Hotels of America)
- Built in Asheville, North Carolina in 1913
A ghost called the “pink lady” after her flowing pink gown is said to roam the halls of this grand old hotel. According to stories, the ghost may be that of a young woman who either jumped or was pushed five stories to her death there in the 1920s.
The Emily Morgan San Antonio
The Emily Morgan San Antonio (Credit: Historic Hotels of America)
- Built in San Antonio, Texas in 1924
Called “the official hotel of the Alamo,” this hotel was once a medical facility with a morgue and a psychiatric ward. Guests have reported unexplained noises, apparitions and the feeling of being touched.