15 Hotels Of The Past Now Claimed By Time And Eerie Stories
Not all ruins wear dust the same way. The next 15 hotels were once dressed in elegance, but time has peeled back the layers to reveal something quieter. They sit alone, some only partially abandoned, still proud somehow. They are not haunted; they are just full of old ruins that no one has claimed.
Hotel Del Salto, Colombia
What happens when grandeur turns silent? Built in 1928, this cliffside spot wowed Colombia’s elite with views of Tequendama Falls. Over time, chilling stories of suicide and the decline of tourism settled in. It has now been converted into a museum you can explore.
Haludovo Palace Hotel, Croatia
Imagine a five-star paradise bankrolled by a Penthouse magazine founder, only to end up crumbling into silence. That’s Haludovo. Opened in 1972 on Krk Island, it catered to Cold War elites before the economic collapse amid the Yugoslav Wars shut it down. Today, nature claims its faded glamour with vines tangled in marble fountains.
Ponce Intercontinental Hotel, Puerto Rico
Perched above the Caribbean Sea, this hotel opened in 1960 as Puerto Rico’s first modern hotel outside San Juan. It welcomed celebrities and diplomats before falling into disrepair in 1975 due to financial issues and labor disputes. Balconies erode now, and shuttered rooms sit quietly.
Grossinger’s Catskill Resort, USA
Somewhere in the Catskills lies a place where Eddie Fisher serenaded and boxers like Rocky Marciano were hosted. In the 20th century, Grossinger’s was an escape for Jewish families when kosher establishments were rare. After closing in 1986, it stood as a decaying icon of Borscht Belt nostalgia until a fire destroyed it in 2022. The resort is now reduced to rot and raccoons.
Hotel Belvedere Du Rayon Vert, France
Did you know this Art Deco relic once hosted early cinema screenings in its rooftop theater? Perched in Cerbere since 1932, the Belvedere was futuristic in form yet functionally flawed as its seaside access was blocked by cliffs. The wartime occupation only sealed its fate. Partially restored, its faded elegance still echoes its past.
The Penn Hills Resort, USA
Heart-shaped bathtubs. Round beds. Mirrors on the ceiling. Penn Hills was every honeymooner’s kitsch dream from the 1940s till 2009. But when the owners passed away and taxes mounted, the resort fell apart quickly, leaving love notes in the form of red velvet ruins.
Buck Hill Inn, USA
What does it feel like to step into a Gothic novel? Buck Hill Inn answers that. Once a lavish mountain retreat in Pennsylvania’s Poconos, it closed in 1991 after decades of decline. Since then, overgrown tennis courts and peeling ballrooms whisper of haunted pasts.
Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea
The so-called “Hotel of Doom” reaches 105 stories over Pyongyang’s skyline, yet no guest has ever checked in. Construction began in 1987 but halted after the Soviet collapse. Though its facade was completed in 2011, the hollow tower remains a silent witness to stalled progress and shifting political aims.
The Diplomat Hotel, Philippines
Startled by ghost stories? The Diplomat has plenty. Originally a Dominican monastery in the early 1900s, it saw executions and atrocities during World War II before becoming a hotel. After its owner’s death in the ’80s, urban myths of crying nuns and headless monks fueled its infamy. Today, it’s a property of the City Government of Baguio.
The Sheraton Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Planning and construction began in 1987, but the resort never opened. A political scandal derailed funding, and Sheraton pulled out. The unfinished luxury shell now stands by the lagoon like a Polynesian Atlantis—gutted by mold, mystery, and the island’s slow-growing jungle reclaiming its concrete bones.
The Amargosa Opera House Hotel, USA
It was an opera house in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Marta Becket built it. In the 1960s, she revived a crumbling hotel and performed to sparse or no audiences. Much of the semi-abandoned building creaks with eerie vacancy and anecdotal reports of paranormal activity in the hotel. People speak of ghostly presences in Room 9 and Room 24, among others.
The Hollywood Beach Hotel, USA
This Florida behemoth welcomed movie stars and military cadets. In its heyday, it was a sprawling 400 to 500-roomed Spanish-style fortress near the shore. It once held the world’s largest solarium. Closed to guests in 2023 due to safety concerns, parts linger in ruin despite renovations.
Hotel Monte Palace, Portugal
High above the Sete Cidades crater lakes, this five-star hotel opened in 1989 with grand dreams—and closed in 1990. Despite its surreal views, isolation and poor planning doomed it. The concrete husk still overlooks paradise, with moss creeping over balconies and Atlantic winds echoing through hollow halls.
The Lee Plaza Hotel, USA
Detroit’s skyline hides Lee Plaza, a former luxury residence with carved stone lions and crystal chandeliers. Built in 1928, it mirrored the city’s rise and fall. Today, graffiti stains the marble walls, and the skeletal remains of elegance peer through shattered windows.
The Hotel Adler, USA
Located in Sharon Springs, New York, this once-bustling spa hotel drew wealthy guests to its famed mineral baths. It closed in 2004 due to waning tourism and upkeep costs, but its golden Art Deco facade still stands, battered by time, yet beautiful. Locals talk about spirits lingering in clawfoot tubs and cracked corridors.
