Suicide, murder and untimely deaths all set the grisly stage for macabre ghost stories that draw visitors to haunted hotels around the world. These 10 destinations are perfect for thrill-seekers who enjoy hearing things go bump in the night!
1. Hotel Del Coronado
Coronado, California
(image credit: Rennett Stowe)
(image credit: slworking2)
Kate Morgan's body was found six days after she checked into Room 302 of the Hotel del Coronado to meet her estranged husband on Thanksgiving Day 1892. He reportedly never showed up. Kate's untimely death was ruled a suicide. Room 302 is now known as Room 3312, but Kate's spirit is said to roam the entire hotel.
2. Roosevelt Hotel
Hollywood, California
(image credit: Rice and D)
(image credit: Duncan Rawlinson)
The site of the first Academy Awards and the center of Hollywood during its heyday, The Roosevelt Hotel is said to accommodate the ghosts of Marilyn Monroe (Suite 1200) and Montgomery Clift, star of From Here to Eternity (Room 928). Marilyn Monroe was a frequent guest there. Her image reportedly appears in a mirror now located in the lobby.
3. The Sagamore
Bolton Landing, New York
(image credit: TEB471959)
(image credit: TEB471959)
The Sagamore in Bolton Landing, New York, is said to harbor the ghost of a boy from the 1950s. The boy would collect lost golf balls and sell them to the pro shop for extra cash. Running after a ball one day, he was fatally struck by a car. Apparently, guests still see the boy on the golf course sometimes.
4. Driskill Hotel
Austin, Texas
(image credit: Visualist Images)
(image credit: askpang)
The smell of cigar smoke can be detected when the ghost of Colonel Driskill, a Texas cattle baron and Confederate officer, is wandering the lavish Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas. In 1877, the daughter of a Texas senator took a fatal tumble down the grand staircase and legend has it that she can be heard bouncing a ball in the lobby and along the mezzanine.
5. Shieldhill Castle
Edinburgh, Scotland
(image credit: BinaryApe)
Guests tell stories of "The Gray Lady" who is said to haunt Shieldhill Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. According to legend, she was the daughter of the family who owned the castle until the mid-20th century. She is said to have fallen in love with one of the hired hands. When her father disapproved of the marriage, she committed suicide.
6. Hotel Provincial
New Orleans, Louisiana
(image credit: Hotel Provincial)
(image credit: Hotel Provincial)
New Orleans is renowned for its spooks and hauntings. Part of the Hotel Provincial was once a Confederate hospital. Maids have reported bloodstains mysteriously appearing and disappearing and, once as the elevator opened on the second floor, the vision of an entire hospital apparently came into view.
7. The Marshall House
Savannah, Georgia
(image credit: The Marshall House)
(image credit: The Marshall House)
Used as a hospital during the Civil War and during yellow fever epidemics in the 19th century, the Marshall House in Savannah, Georgia, is reportedly one of the most haunted hotels in the city. For more ghosts, also check out the famed Pirate House Restaurant with a tunnel dug by pirates that leads to the river.
8. The Heathman Hotel
Portland, Oregon
(image credit: Thomas Hawk)
(image credit: Merelymel13)
At The Heathman Hotel, guests who have left their rooms clean have returned to find items amiss or moved about even though no one else entered the room while they were out. Evidently these occurrences are frequent, especially in rooms ending in-03.
9. The Carolina Inn
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
(image credit: _heather_r_)
(image credit: alumroot)
Paranormal researchers have studied The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, investigating the spirit of Dr. William Jacocks who lived at the inn for many years. Orbs, piano notes, soft-spoken words and other ghostly happenings add to the spooky ambience.
10. Admiral Fell Inn
Baltimore, Maryland
(image via: The Baltimore *Gallery*)
(image credit: Darren and Brad)
In May 2007, room 218 of the Admiral Fell Inn in Baltimore was occupied by a scientist attending a lecture. In the early morning, he was awoken by the sound of creaking floor boards and looking up saw the image of a tall, slender woman wearing a white cap. The woman turned and smiled at him and proceeded to walk through the wall. The inn's main building was built in 1889 as a hospice for sick and injured sailors and it is believed the spirit was that of a Mission nurse.
Source: Reuters
Previously on Lists Galore!
Top 10 record-breaking hotels
10 of the world's most unusual places to spend the night
17 more unusual places to spend the night
Follow us on Twitter!
10 More Notable People Who Died From AIDS
2 minutes ago
