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The 24 Most Haunted Hotels in America

Planning a Halloween getaway? These hotels are possibly haunted, maybe have a dark and mystery history, and are absolutely more than a little SPOOKY. Proceed if you dare.

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Courtesy Dauphine Orleans Hotel

Dauphine Orleans Hotel, New Orleans

In the late 1890s and early 1900s, May Baily’s was one of the better-known bordellos in the wildly infamous red-light district known as Storyville. Today, May Baily’s Place serves as the hotel bar at the Dauphine Orleans Hotel, where guests and employees have reported hauntings and sightings. One spirit is believed to be that of a Creole soldier, perhaps a patron of the former bordello, who wanders through the courtyard wearing a military uniform. Larry Montz, PhD, parapsychologist and founder of the International Society For Paranormal Research, conducted an investigation at the hotel and reported several spirits, among them a soldier, general, or another high-ranking officer, wearing a dark uniform that could have been from the Civil War or War of 1812. Another entity is a female, who seems very whimsical and a bit disturbed; guests have reported catching a lightning-fast glimpse of her dancing across the courtyard. These are 15 of the best haunted houses in America.

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Courtesy Omni Grove Park Inn

The Omni Park Grove Park Inn, Asheville, North Carolina

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, The Omni Grove Park Inn seems to have a guest who doesn’t want to leave. There have been reported sightings of a young woman in Victorian dress surrounded by a pink mist—she has lovingly been named “The Pink Lady.” Believed to be the ghost of a young woman that stayed at the Inn in the 1920s, rumor has it that The Pink Lady still haunts the Palm Court where she fell to her death. For modern-day guests who can’t spot the famous pink mist, the Inn serves up a delicious Pink Lady cocktail at the Great Hall Bar. Here are 10 true ghost stories from around the world.

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Courtesy Lord Baltimore Hotel

Lord Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore

The stately Lord Baltimore Hotel consistently makes national listings for haunted hotels and, more importantly, it consistently has reports from staff and guests alike of ghosts wandering the floors. The recurring report is a little girl in a white dress with a red ball who is believed to be the ghost child of a couple that committed suicide amid the Great Depression by leaping off the hotel’s 19th floor roof. These 16 cheap and easy Halloween costumes for adults.

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Courtesy Hotel Del Coronado

HotelDel Coronado, San Diego

Built more than 125 years ago, the Hotel del Coronado has been a beacon of grandeur and refinement among vacation destinations in Southern California and the world. It’s also a haunted resort as the story goes. Kate Morgan, a young woman who checked into Hotel del Coronado in 1892, never checked out. Instead, it’s thought her lovely likeness and gentle spirit remain as the resort’s resident ghost. These 5 famous ghost stories have perfectly logical explanations, too.

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via missmollyshotel.com

Miss Molly’s Hotel, Fort Worth, Texas

Located in the heart of the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, Miss Molly’s Hotel is filled with history and haunts as it started as a brothel circa 1910. During this time, Fort Worth was a favorite stop during the cattle drives, and so many cowboys took solace knowing Miss Molly’s Hotel would be waiting for them with a hot bath and ladies of the evening for entertainment. Later converted to a boarding house, and then Fort Worth’s first bed and breakfast in 1989, Miss Molly’s Hotel offers eight themed guest rooms—each named appropriately to reflect the history of that particular room. The premier room, “Miss Josie” was the madam’s quarters during the bordello days and still serves as the most requested room. Sightings of the last madam, Ms. Josie King, have been reported; it is said she stands at the foot of the bed, watching over whoever is sleeping. Reports of hearing footsteps in the room and in the private bath area in addition to hearing a woman’s voice during the night, only validate previous and similar claims.

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via omnihotels.com

Omni Bedford Springs Resort, Bedford, Pennsylvania

Legend has it that there are several ghostly spirits lurking in the historic Omni Bedford Springs. Many travelers to the resort claim ghostly encounters with spirits of past soldiers and small children who often creep into pictures. Some of the resort’s staff assert that there is also a ghost who sits in one of the cubicles in the reservations office that types heavily on one of the computer’s keyboards. Much of the paranormal activity may be attributed to the resort’s rich history. Built in 1796, the resort has played host to several U.S. Presidents and dignitaries and the resort’s former grounds were sacred healing grounds of Iroquois and Shawnee tribes.

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courtesy kennebunk inn

The Kennebunk Inn, Kennebunkport, Maine

Known to many for its incredible food (their owners also happen to be celebrity chefs), there’s also a serious haunting story behind the homey Kennebunk Inn. Built in 1799 as a private residence, it went on to become a tavern and then a hotel. Rumor has it that Silas Perkins, a clerk at the inn who passed away in the mid-twentieth century, continues to inhabit his former place of employment, his presence visible occasionally by flying or falling wine glasses and other objects. These are 8 of the haunted places you can rent on Airbnb.

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via omnihotels.com

Omni Mount Washington Resort, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

Known affectionately by staff members as “The Princess,” Caroline Foster is a long-time inhabitant of the Omni Mount Washington Resort, despite having passed away in 1939. Princess Caroline Foster’s ties to the resort go back to its inception, when her husband, railroad tycoon Joseph Stickney, built the grand resort in 1902. Incorporating special accommodations for his wife, construction of the resort included an indoor swimming pool and a private dining room for Caroline, known today as the “Princess Room.” A prominent figure at the resort since its opening, many guests who have visited continue to report sightings of the regal Caroline. Visions of an elegant woman in Victorian dress are often spotted in the hallways of the hotel, there are light taps on doors when no one is outside, and items that suddenly disappear and then reappear in the exact place they were lost. But perhaps the most common sighting of the beloved Caroline is in room 314, where guests report seeing the vision of the woman sitting at the edge of their guest bed—the same custom-made four-post bed Caroline shared with her husband.

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courtesy hotel monteloeon

Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans

Generations of hotel guests and staff have regularly experienced haunted events that would cause even the staunchest skeptic to take pause. The haunted Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans has a restaurant door that opens almost every evening and then closes again—even though it’s locked and an elevator that stops on the wrong floor, leading to a hallway that grows chilly and reveals the ghostly images of children playing. Hotel Monteleone is known for being one of the premier haunted hotels in New Orleans. In March 2003, the International Society of Paranormal Research spent several days at Hotel Monteleone. While at the hotel, the team made contact with more than a dozen earthbound entities. Among them were several former employees; a man named William “Red” Wildemere, who died inside the hotel of natural causes. Another spirit is that of a friendly toddler named Maurice Begere. The boy died in the hotel, and his distraught parents returned frequently in hopes he might visit them. Maurice eventually appeared to his mother and comforted her, and to this day, guests report seeing him near the room where he died.

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courtesy Bullock Hotel

The Bullock Hotel, Deadwood, South Dakota

Built by and named for Seth Bullock, the famed Deadwood lawman (portrayed by Timothy Olyphant in the HBO Deadwood series), The Bullock Hotel is said to be haunted by its namesake. He died in 1919, and he’s buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery. But the hotel’s workers and guests still report seeing the lanky lawman’s ghostly figure in various parts of the hotel late at night. There are also unexplained cases of items moving of their own accord, appliances turning on and off by themselves and voices coming from dark hallways. Here are the most haunted places in America.

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courtesy casa monica resort and spa

Casa Monica Resort and Spa, St. Augustine, Florida

On January 1, 1888, Franklin W. Smith opened Casa Monica Hotel with only three guests. After struggling for months, Henry Flagler purchased the hotel for $325,000. He then re-named it Hotel Cordova, and business boomed. The hotel closed its doors in 1932, later to be purchased in 1962 for $250,000 and served as the County Courthouse for another 30 years. In 1997, hotelier Richard C. Kessler, chairman, and CEO of The Kessler Collection acquired the extraordinary property. Following two years and $10 million worth of restoration, Casa Monica Hotel debuted once again as a luxurious St. Augustine hotel in the same splendor guests would have experienced during the height of the Gilded Age nearly 125 years ago. Casa Monica Resort & Spa’s Henry Flagler Suite is rumored to be the most haunted guest room. Often people will see a man looking out of the very top window of the tower when no one is in the suite. He is thought to be Franklin Smith, the distraught architect who built the house, or possibly even the ghost of Henry Flagler.

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Courtesy Hotel Congress

Hotel Congress, Tucson, Arizona

Originally opened in 1919, the third floor burnt down in 1934, and since the Hotel Congress reopened in its more current form in 1985, rumors of ghosts abound. These include room 242 where a woman committed suicide; many guests refuse to stay in the room overnight due to the uncomfortable feelings that inevitably come up. The hotel capitalizes on its creepy history by hosting a month’s worth of illusions and séances for Halloween in October on what’s left of the third floor. It’s a fun (and creepy) time. Here are 14 of the world’s most haunted bodies of water.

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Courtesy Hotel St. Nicholas

The Hotel St. Nicholas, Cripple Creek, Colorado

Thousands came to seek their fortunate in this small Colorado town, the home of the Pikes Peak or Bust Gold Rush. Hotel St. Nicholas was originally built as a hospital during the boom, and today the hotel has a few haunting additions. One of the most seen apparitions is “Stinky” who stands behind a staircase and is often followed by a sewage-like stench. Another, a half-missing miner, is sometimes spotted along with a little boy known as “Pete” who often steals cigarettes and other items. Many of the paranormal beings are believed to be from the mental ward of the hospital, which finally closed its doors in 1970 before opening again as the hotel.

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Courtesy The Queen Mary

The Queen Mary, Long Beach, California

The stately retired ocean liner, The Queen Mary, is as well-known for its historic travels as its haunted encounters. She may seem like a normal large ship from the outside, but once guests step aboard, they’ll learn that she is anything but typical and full of stories. Some guests who have stayed overnight on the ship reported lights being turned on by themselves, seeing the “lady in white,” and more. The Queen Mary gets even more haunted as October comes around with Dark Harbor, their annual Halloween event that is full of monsters and frightening mazes. These are 10 of the most haunted colleges in America.

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Courtesy the carolina inn

The Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Built in 1924 by university trustee John Sprunt Hill, along with alumnus and local businessmen, The Carolina Inn was constructed to be a first-rate establishment accommodating visitors and graduates of UNC-Chapel Hill. The design combined classic elegance with Georgian style that was meant to mirror the facade of George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon. In 1948, The Carolina Inn’s most memorable guest arrived – Dr. Jacocks – memorable because after more than 60 years, the good doctor still takes up residence at The Carolina Inn, even though his soul passed on almost a half-century ago in 1965. After retirement, Dr. Jacocks made the historic hotel his permanent home for 17 years. Guests that have stayed in his old room have claimed such oddities as the bath mat being rumpled as if someone had gotten out of the shower recently, and the curtains being pulled wide open after having been closed the night before. Guests, as well as the staff, have witnessed a finely attired, portly man walking the halls, apparently seeking an unlocked door. There might be an explanation for why ghosts are haunting you.

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courtesy the Read House Hotel

The Read House Hotel, Chattanooga, Tennessee

In Chattanooga, the Read House Hotel is known for the haunting of room 311. Many believe the room harbors the spirit of a woman named Annalisa Netherly. There are many legends as to who this woman was and how she became the famous spirit to haunt the hotel, but it is most well-known that Ms. Netherly was a prostitute in Chattanooga during the 1920s and 1930s. She supposedly resided in room 311 for an extended time. While details are hazy, Ms. Netherly in fact died in that very room. Don’t miss these 25 creepy, but real, ghost towns around the world.

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Courtesy Thomas House Hotel

Thomas House Hotel, Red Boiling Springs Tennessee

The famously-haunted Thomas House Hotel is tucked away on a secluded hillside on city limits edge of Red Boiling Springs… so no one can hear you scream. One of the city’s oldest landmarks, the Thomas House Hotel has served guests since 1890. And in those years, some strange events have happened including—but not limited to—murders, accidents, and three fires. As a result, beds move, dark figures appear, and feelings of terror, disembodied voices, and mysterious cold spots are experienced. The hotel also sits on the path of an ancient Native American trail. These 13 haunted house mysteries are unexplainable.

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courtesy Hotel Alex Johnson

Hotel Alex Johnson, Rapid City, South Dakota

The Hotel Alex Johnson, has long been known as one of the most haunted hotels in the country. From the “lady in white” to the ghost of Alex Johnson himself, there have been countless reports of spooky activity over the years. Guests and employees have witnessed everything from actual ghost sightings to water turning on, lights flickering, and unaccounted noises. The front desk staff even keeps a “ghost journal” for visitors to record their unexplainable experiences and take guests on ghost tours upon request. The Alex Johnson has become so well-known for reported hauntings that the SyFy Channel’s Ghost Hunters traveled to Rapid City to do a segment on the hotel. The investigators reported that they experienced significant paranormal activity throughout the hotel.

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Admiral Fell Inn, Baltimore

The Fells Point neighborhood in Baltimore has changed since the time when it was filled with crime-ridden saloons, brothels, and shipyards, but that doesn’t mean the spirits of the time have left. The Admiral Fell Inn is no stranger to ghost stories. “Guests have often reported seeing floating sailors and disappearing butlers knocking on their doors. A hotel manager is also said to have heard a loud party after the hotel was evacuated during a hurricane. This comes as no surprise as parts of the building date back to the 1770s when it was a theater and boarding house where seamen, immigrants, and ‘ladies of the night’ would pass through,” shares Heather C. Taylor, senior manager, marketing communications of Historic Hotels of America.

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Courtesy 1886 Crescent Hotel and spa

1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa Eureka Springs, Arkansas

As host to a wide variety of spirits, 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa has earned the moniker “America’s Most Haunted Hotel.” It is said that after the skeleton frame of hotel had been constructed in the 1880s that one of the Irish stone masons plunged to his death in what is now guest room 218. “This room proves to be the most spiritually active room in the hotel and has attracted television film crews for decades because of the quantity and quality of the ghost sightings reported,” Taylor says. “Throughout the history of the hotel, employees have referred to this entity at ‘Michael.’ Guests have witnessed hands coming out of the bathroom mirror, cries of a falling man in the ceiling, the door opening then slamming shut, unable to be opened again. The intrigue of this activity had drawn guests to specifically request the historic accommodations of guest room 218 for the chance of experiencing something.”

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Courtesy Francis Marion hotel

Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston

In the early 1930s, New Yorker Ned Cohen was visiting his Southern lady friend at the historic Francis Marion Hotel. Whatever happened was never clear, but he was found face down, body smashed in the middle of King Street. “Today, visitors hear eerie and unexplained sounds at night, all too familiar to the bell staff and room attendants walking the halls,” Taylor says. “These include sounds of rustling silk drapes, rattling old windows without the wind, and an unexplained vision of what may be a man questioning either himself or the passerby. Some see the image in shirt sleeves, others just feel his presence. Even though Ned Cohen’s body is buried in Cooperstown, New York, everyone at the Francis Marion knows his spirit resides here in Charleston,” says Taylor.

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courtesy Historic Moana Surfrider, Westin Resort and Spa

Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Honolulu

On February 28, 1905, the untimely death of Jane Stanford, co-founder of Stanford University, made headlines everywhere. “Stanford, who was vacationing in Hawaii following a strychnine poisoning attempt on her life, died in her room at the Moana Surfrider,” Taylor says. “There have been reports that the ghost of Stanford still frequents the hotel, whose beautiful ocean vistas brought her short-lived peace. Guests and hotel staff have said that they’ve seen her walking at night trying to find her room.”

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courtesy Twelve Oaks Bed and Breakfast

Twelve Oaks Bed & Breakfast, Covington, Georgia

The Twelve Oaks Bed & Breakfast was built around 1836 and is the oldest mansion still standing in the Atlanta area (in fact, the mansion is older than the city of Atlanta), so naturally, it has a spooky past. Supposedly, a woman lived in the mansion and lost her young son there and their spirits still visit. The owner, Nicole Greer, has found windows open on the third floor, even when no one is staying on that floor, and doors that wouldn’t open, but then when a locksmith came, opened easily. The mansion has also been the site of numerous movies and TV shows, including Halloween II, Southern Fried Homicide, and The Vampire Diaries.

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Courtesy TOURISM Santa Fe

La Posada Hotel, Santa Fe

Located on six historically rich acres in downtown Santa Fe is the historic and haunted La Posada Hotel. Within its landscaped grounds and fountains sits the hotel’s centerpiece, the Staab House which was built by a merchant named Abraham Staab in 1882. The three-story brick French Second Empire-styled mansion was developed for Abraham and his wife, Julia, to entertain Santa Fe society. Julia Staab, who died in 1896, is said to appear on La Posada’s staircase and in her second-floor suite in the 1970s as recounted by guests and staff. The legend tells that Mrs. Staab loved her home so much that she has never left it. Next, check out 7 signs you house could be haunted. 

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Reader's Digest Canada
Originally Published on Reader's Digest Canada

Aly Walansky
Aly Walansky is a lifestyles writer with over a decade of experience covering beauty, health, and travel for various esteemed publications. Her blog, A Little Alytude (www.alytude.com) was launched in 2006 and continues to be a strong voice in the lifestyles arena. Based in the ever-trendy Park Slope area of Brooklyn, she divides her time between her shih tsu Lily, her soap opera addiction, and scouting out fun new martini bars.