Top 10 Most Haunted And Ghost Hotels in the US

Mixi October 28, 2021 | 07:29

Halloween is around the corner? Are you looking for some places to experience the authentic feeling of Halloween? Right below is a list of the 10 most haunted and ghost hotels in the US to explore.

Haunted hotels in the US. Photo: KnowInsiders

When it comes to haunted hotels, these venues know a thing or two about a ghost story. This Halloween, forgo the pumpkin carving and go straight to the spooky stuff at any of these paranormal activity hot spots. From historical ghosts to haunting musicians, these establishments provide an extra ominous time.

Nobody said lodging couldn't be stylish and scary right? If you find yourself in ghost territory, don't forget to run!

Which are the 10 Most Haunted and Ghost Hotels in the US?

1. The Stanley Hotel, Colorado

2. Hotel Chelsea, New York City

3. Otesaga Resort, NY

4. The Knickerbocker Hotel, LA

5. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, LA

6. Congress Plaza Hotel, Chicago

7. The Drake Hotel

8. Chateau Marmont

9. Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, Big Sur, California

10. Malaga Inn, Alabama

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List of 10 Most Haunted and Ghost Hotels in the US

1. The Stanley Hotel, Colorado

Photo: g-switch.org

Widely regarded as one of the most "spirited" hotels in America, The Stanley Hotel is best known as the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining—the author stayed there for one winter night.

Originally built in 1909 to house traveling bourgeois, providing cars and servants to all visitors, today it's thought that some of their spirits still remain... Modern day guests report that you can hear the sounds of untraceable piano music and maniacal laughs throughout the hotel. These happenings are attributed to the playful spirits of deceased employees and guests.

Tip: Make sure you book one of Stanley's night spirit tours. Out of everyone, the staff is likely most familiar with supernatural goings on and they will have many stories to share.

2. Hotel Chelsea, New York City

Photo: Dixie & Grace

Built in the late 19th century, the Big Apple’s Hotel Chelsea has been a muse to artists for generations, from Mark Twain to Andy Warhol to Ethan Hawke.

With such high-profile guests, it comes as no surprise that the hotel has seen equally high-profile scandals, most notably, the unsolved murder of Sid Vicious’s girlfriend, fellow rocker Nancy Spungen. Now under renovation, the hotel is currently closed to short-term visitors but is expected to reopen in 2018.

3. Otesaga Resort, NY

Photo: Agoda

A sizeable resort with over a hundred years of history but no sinister sagas... that's a perfect breeding ground for a ghost community—and a friendly ghost community at that.

Earlier in its life, the Otesaga Resort was a school for girls in the wintertime, and to this day, the giggling of a gaggle of girls still echoes through the 3rd floor hallway, when no children are checked into the hotel. (Warning: They may be laughing at you, but they are young girls, after all, so don't take it personally.) The adults, however, do want you to take it personally—people have reported hearing their name called, entirely out of nowhere.

Tip: SyFy's Ghost Hunters investigated the property several years back and, through the miracle of modern technology, confirmed the presence of shadowy figures, ghost whisperings, things that go bump in the night, the works. Rooms on the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th floors were deemed to be hotspots for haunting mischief. Case closed? Nope—it's actually just been opened for you.

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4. The Knickerbocker Hotel, LA

Photo: Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection

The Knickerbocker Hotel, around since the 1920s, began its life as an apartment building. But it wasn't until it became a hotel that it became popular with the Hollywood set—producer Louis B. Mayer, inventor/aviator/filmmaker Howard Hughes, actress Betty Grable, and singer/songwriter Johnny Mercer were all guests at one time or another during its heyday. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio supposedly came to the hotel’s Lido Room bar for clandestine dates, and then, in 1954, spent their honeymoon here.

It’s alleged that Monroe stuck around post-mortem and haunts the the ladies' room; the bar is taken by the ghost of Rudolph Valentino. A maintenance worker told The Hollywood Reporter last year that a woman who threw herself off the roof also continues to haunt the Knickerbocker (since converted to senior apartments). He might have been referring to dress-designer-to-the-stars Irene (aka Mrs. Irene Gibbons), who threw herself off the eleventh floor of the building in 1962, according to an Los Angeles Times report from November 16 of that year. Who’s not haunting the Knickerbocker? Harry Houdini. His wife tried for a decade to contact him via an annual séance on the roof, but he never made an appearance.

5. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, LA

Photo: Most-Haunted - Skyrock.com

The glamorous Roosevelt opened in 1927 right in the thick of Hollywood and, as such, has a star-studded history. It was often used for movie premiere after-parties, and it hosted the first Oscars. The Roosevelt's clientele and striking Spanish Colonial Revival-style architecture “helped shape the image and myth of Hollywood as a place of glamour and luxury,” argues a 2010 survey of Hollywood-area historic resources.

Not even death can keep many of those stars away now. Marilyn Monroe, the busiest ghost in the biz, supposedly haunts her old room (1200), where she lived as her fame grew; it’s rumored that her first ad was shot at the Roosevelt’s pool.

“Many see Marilyn in the mirror. They also see a little girl in a blue dress,” a maintenance worker told The Hollywood Reporter. The apparition of silver-screen babe Montgomery Clift has been blamed for patting guests’ shoulders and watching maids in Room 928, where he stayed for three months while filming From Here to Eternity, and the ghost of Carole Lombard has also been spotted floating around the upper floors. In the Blossom Room—where the first Oscars were held—two ghosts have been, um, documented: a presence of a tuxedoed man, and a presence of a man in a white suit. Nothing's worse than an underdressed ghost.

6. Congress Plaza Hotel, Chicago

Photo: FrightFind

Al Capone – he’s the stuff that mob legend is made of. And, it would seem, a resident of the Congress Plaza Hotel (520 S. Michigan Ave.) to this very day. Yes, patrons of the 122-year-old, 871-room hotel have reported seeing the ghost of old Scarface roam the halls. In 2016, in fact, Leisure + Travel magazine declared the Congress Plaza Hotel the most haunted place in the State of Illinois, noting that Capone set up his headquarters here, and his ghost is most frequently seen near his old suite on the 8th floor.

Capone isn’t the only ghost taking up residence at the hotel, however. Our favorite phantom is the loveable Peg Leg Johnny. Little is known about this spooky hobo ghost, but the Internet tells us that the incorrigible spirit has an urge to turn room lights and electronics on and off, and generally cause havoc for guests.

However, ghost experts report that the hotel’s most haunted spot is Room 441, where a female ghost reportedly kicks guests awake from the foot of the bed. As you can imagine, it’s a frequently requested reservation.

Not to be outdone, the ghost of a boy also reportedly haunts the Congress. Lore contends that his mother, distraught over her immigrant status, became increasingly troubled and threw both her children from a hotel window in despair, jumping out herself straight afterwards. The boy’s ghost, like Peg Leg Johnny, causes mischief, but his shenanigans are largely limited to rearranging furniture and the like. That’s obnoxious but forgivable, right?

While the Congress Plaza is clearly teeming with apparitions, the hotel’s most enduring creepy legacy, perhaps, is connected to one of its real-life patrons, America’s first serial killer, Dr. H.H. Holmes. Holmes is known to have loitered around the hotel lobby in search of new victims. He was remembered most recently in the book Devil in the White City, where a retelling of Holmes’ story reveals that the psychopath would lure young women back to his pharmacy — and a hidden torture chamber.

Don’t believe the ghostly hype around the Congress Plaza? Check it out for yourself at the hotel’s Haunted Halloween Ball. The costume party promises to combine “elements of a lavish VIP nightclub and lounge experience, with the exclusiveness of a luxury hotel gala, and the terror and chills of a haunted house.” It runs from 9pm to 3am, with tickets priced at $20 per person.

7. The Drake Hotel

Photo: Elite Meetings

While the Congress Plaza Hotel reigns supreme in the world of Chicago’s haunted hotels, The Drake Hotel (140 E. Walton Place) is a strong second. The ghost of the famed Lady in Red still creeps around the hotel, nearly 100 years after her tragic death on New Year’s Eve. The legend goes that the crimson-adorned woman discovered her lover (or, in some reports, her husband) with another woman during a gala attended by the city’s elite, prompting her to jump from a window on the 10th floor (some accounts say it was from the roof). She has since been seen roaming the hallways, and is most commonly witnessed on the 10th floor and the sumptuous Palm Court – no doubt drawn by all those High Tea afficionados.

There’s also the case of the Woman in Black, who murdered socialite Adele Born Williams in 1944. Williams was a guest at the hotel, as the story goes, and entered her room to discover the Woman in Black, who pulled a gun from her purse and shot Williams dead. The case was big news at the time, but was never solved.

Perhaps the most poignant ghosts, however, are those of the parents of Bobby Franks. Franks was kidnapped and murdered by his cousin Richard Loeb and his accomplice Nathan Leopold in 1924. The two said they did it “for the thrill of it.” It was the court case of the century, and reports at the time noted that the Franks family left their home to avoid gawkers, moving to The Drake, where they spent the rest of their days. They remain there in the afterlife, it seems, and have been witnessed wandering the hotel, mourning their murdered son.

A great time to visit The Drake is during the Masquerade Ball: A Nightmare on Walton Street. Taking place in the stunning Palm Court, your $40 ticket allows you admission to a luxurious masquerade ball, filled with history and mystery. Live entertainment by the Flat Cats, masques and black tie attire add to the ambiance of extravagance. Seating will be available in the Palm Court and Club International rooms on a first-come, first-served basis.

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8. Chateau Marmont

Photo: TripAdvisor

Converted to a hotel in the 1930s, Chateau Marmont, the exclusive and elegant hotel off the Sunset Strip, has become a hideaway for celebrities. For some, including Britney Spears and Jim Morrison, it has been the setting for meltdowns, affairs, and drunken shenanigans.

John Belushi liked to party here so much, it would make sense he’d stop by in the afterlife. People say Bungalow No. 3, where he fatally overdosed in 1982, is the site of strange occurrences. The most disturbing story involves a toddler whose family stayed there for a stint in 1999. As the Travel Channel tells it, his parents would hear him laughing alone. They got up the nerve to ask him why, and he responded, “The funny man.” Then, “when his mother was leafing through a book of celebrity guests of Chateau Marmont, the boy pointed to John Belushi and exclaimed, ‘The funny man!’”

9. Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, Big Sur, California

Photo: TravelAge West

Ellen Brill, the set decorator of American Horror Story: Hotel, heard some ghostly footsteps and a door slam when staying at this hotel. According to Vogue, the innkeeper told Brill it was Grandpa Deetjen, referring to inn founder Helmuth Deetjen, who built the property in the 1930s with his wife, Helen Haight. Safe to say, Grandpa Deetjen doesn’t sound like a particularly threatening specter.

10. Malaga Inn, Alabama

Photo: Flickr

The Malaga stands today as the only boutique inn of its kind and has long been considered the most haunted hotel in Alabama. This historic property in the deep south is still reminiscent of the Civil War era, with 39 private rooms, Victorian furnishings, and an outdoor courtyard. Originally, the two townhouses were constructed by two brothers-in-law as a wedding gift for the two sisters in the family, and rumor has it they never really left... Guests claim to have spotted a ghostly lady in white, swinging chandeliers, lights that turn on by themselves, and even furniture that eerily moves on its own.