25 Haunted Hotels Where Guests Report Ghostly Encounters & Paranormal Activity
When you read or hear the term “hotel,” you imagine luxury, relaxation, buffets, and warm welcomes, right? Not this lot. These 25 offer something more chilling—ghostly whispers in the dead of night, shadowy figures lurking in doorways, things moving, and rooms with histories so disturbing that even the bravest guests hesitate before stepping inside.
The Stanley Hotel: Estes Park, Colorado
Famous for inspiring “The Shining,” this grand hotel hums with an eerie energy. Guests report ghostly laughter in the hallways, phantom piano music, and the lingering presence of the hotel’s founder, F.O. Stanley. Stay in Room 217 if you dare—where a former housekeeper still tidies up… even in the afterlife.
The Queen Mary: Long Beach, California
Once a luxury ocean liner, now a haunted hotel, The Queen Mary purportedly hosts lingering spirits of passengers and crew. The engine room echoes with ghostly wails, and Cabin B340’s poltergeist activity (sheets ripped off beds, faucets turning on by themselves) has scared off many bold visitors.
The Crescent Hotel: Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Dubbed “America’s Most Haunted Hotel,” this Victorian beauty hides a grim past. It once operated as a fraudulent cancer hospital where desperate patients met their end. Now, ghostly figures roam the hallways, and guests report paranormal activity, including unexplained movements and interactions. Yikes!
The Hollywood Roosevelt: Los Angeles, California
Would you believe somebody who says Marilyn Monroe haunts it? This glamorous hotel still echoes Hollywood’s golden ghosts. It is said that Monroe’s spirit appears in her old suite’s mirror and that actor Montgomery Clift reportedly paces the hallways, rehearsing lines decades after his death.
The Lizzie Borden House: Fall River, Massachusetts
Staying overnight in the very house where Lizzie Borden’s parents met their gruesome end is nerve-wracking. Many guests talk about hearing ghostly footsteps and other unexplained noises in the empty rooms. Some even describe an eerie sensation of not being alone. It also has a reputation for intense paranormal activity.
The Driskill Hotel: Austin, Texas
Opulence meets the occult in this historic Texas hotel. The spirit of a little girl, rumored to have fallen down the grand staircase, still plays with guests’ belongings. Others report cigar smoke appearing out of nowhere—perhaps from Colonel Driskill himself, still overseeing his beloved hotel.
The Skirvin Hotel: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
This luxury hotel hides a tragic story, and here is how it goes: One day, a maid named Effie allegedly jumped to her death after being locked away in a room by the hotel’s owner. Her spirit now apparently torments male guests—unsettling whispers, sudden cold touches, and doors slamming shut without reason.
The Omni Parker House: Boston, Massachusetts
This historic hotel hosts a parade of lingering spirits. Room 303 was sealed off after guests repeatedly heard a sinister laughing presence. Charles Dickens once stayed here, and some claim he still roams the halls, reciting lines from A Christmas Carol.
The Myrtles Plantation: St. Francisville, Louisiana
It’s a former plantation dripping in ghostly lore. This place harbors restless spirits, including Chloe, a former slave woman who was murdered and now watches visitors from the shadows. Mirrors show ghostly reflections and unexplained footsteps echo through the house at night.
The Banff Springs Hotel: Banff, Canada
Sitting in the mountains, this grand hotel holds tragic tales. One significant one is of a bride who fell to her death on the staircase, and her ghost apparently still lingers, seen in a flowing white dress. Meanwhile, another is of the friendly spirit of a former bellman who occasionally assists guests—before vanishing.
The Marshall House: Savannah, Georgia
Once a Civil War hospital, this historic inn still carries the echoes of suffering. Guests speak of disembodied voices and whispers, ghostly children running through hallways, and faucets turning on by themselves. Some even wake up to the sensation of invisible hands examining their limbs.
The Emily Morgan Hotel: San Antonio, Texas
This hotel, located near the historic Alamo, carries an eerie connection to the past. The 13th floor, once a medical facility, is notorious for chilling encounters, such as unexplained moans, shadowy figures, objects mysteriously dropping, and the lingering scent of antiseptic in empty hallways.
Hotel Monte Vista: Flagstaff, Arizona
This old-school hotel houses some quirky ghosts, like a phantom bellboy who bangs on doors and vanishes. Another one is the “Meat Man,” a former resident who stored raw meat in his room and still dallies—guests wake up to the unsettling sound of heavy breathing.
The Vinoy Renaissance: St. Petersburg, Florida
Baseball players refuse to stay here as too many of them have seen shadowy figures looming over their beds. The hotel’s eerie encounters include furniture moving on its own and ghostly whispers in empty corridors, confusing even the most skeptical visitors.
The Lemp Mansion: St. Louis, Missouri
The Lemp family’s tragic history curses this former brewery-turned-hotel, where multiple suicides have left their spirits trapped within. A shadowy presence lingers on the staircase, and guests often hear muffled crying in the dead of night.
The Battery Carriage House Inn: Charleston, South Carolina
Looking for a romantic getaway? Skip this one because, apparently, ghostly lovers linger here, including a decapitated Civil War soldier who materializes at the foot of the bed. Meanwhile, a spirit known as the “Gentleman Ghost” enjoys watching female guests sleep.
The Logan Inn: New Hope, Pennsylvania
With mirrors reflecting figures that aren’t really there and the scent of phantom cigars floating in the air, this colonial inn isn’t for the faint of heart. The most famous spirit? A woman who cries out at night, forever mourning a lost love.
The Equinox Resort: Manchester, Vermont
Eerie children giggle down empty hallways, and a former first lady, Mary Todd Lincoln, is rumored to still visit. Guests often wake up to the feeling of being watched—some even hear whispers, wails, and cries from unseen lips right in their ears.
The Copper Queen Hotel: Bisbee, Arizona
A ghostly woman named Julia Lowell lingers in the halls, her presence tied to a tragic past. She is said to have taken her own life in the hotel after a heartbreaking rejection. Guests discuss seeing her apparition on the second and third floors, sometimes dancing near the grand staircase.
The Don CeSar: St. Pete Beach, Florida
Known as the “Pink Palace,” this beautiful hotel hides a heart-wrenching bizarre story. The spirit of Thomas Rowe, who built it for a lost love, still walks the halls. Visitors who make it here report hearing phantom footsteps and catching glimpses of a man in 1920s attire.
The Congress Plaza Hotel: Chicago, Illinois
Once home to Al Capone, The Congress Plaza Hotel is riddled with supernatural activity. Room 441, to be specific, is so haunted that some guests flee before morning—shadowy figures loom, whispers swirl through the darkness, approaching footsteps, and an unseen force tugs at bed sheets.
The Jerome Grand Hotel: Jerome, Arizona
A former hospital turned hotel still carries its grim past. Here, guests have reported hearing a gurney being pushed down the halls, except there was no one there. The spirit of a maintenance man who met a grisly fate in the elevator shaft also lags behind, scaring whoever dares rest here.
The Pfister Hotel: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
This historic hotel unsettles visiting athletes from the moment they arrive, with many talking about strange knocking sounds and unexplained electrical malfunctions, like flickering lights or devices turning on and off. Some even claim their belongings move on their own as if some invisible hands are playing tricks.
The Hotel Del Coronado: San Diego, California
The apparition of Kate Morgan, a woman who died mysteriously in 1892, still walks the beachfront property of The Hotel Del Coronado. The few that have made it here claim they felt cold spots and saw flickering lights. They also claimed to have experienced a heavy presence watching them as they slept.
The Hawthorne Hotel: Salem, Massachusetts
Expect lingering spirits at The Hawthorne Hotel in a town famous for witch trials. This hotel’s haunted reputation includes unexplained knocks, shadowy apparitions, and lights flickering as if responding to unseen commands. If you don’t mind those things, you are free to go there. Feel, hear, and see for yourself.
