For the paranormally minded, there’s nothing better than a haunted hotel. Sure, a five-star resort or an apartment rented from an app are all well and good, but they don’t come with the same gruesome amenities as a haunted hotel room. Screams coming from down the hall, inexplicable cold spots in the corridors, and the feeling that you’re being watched as you sleep - you can only get those in a creepy hotel.
Nearly every major city in the United States from Los Angeles to New York City has a scary hotel, but these are the most haunted hotels in the country. Some of these paranormal hotspots have been around since the late 1700s, which means they’ve had plenty of time to accrue all those sweet, sweet poltergeists that you want out of a hotel stay. Some advertise their ghostly residents; others would rather you not know about them. It really depends on whether the things that go bump in the night at a given hotel are friendly or not.Â
Keep in mind, these haunted hotels aren’t some fly-by-night operation; there’s no outdoor parking or doors that face a highway like at some kind of haunted motel. These haunted hotels are classy, and that means the ghosts are, too. If this survey whets your appetite for some paranormal travel, don't forget to sign the guestbook!Â
Haunted History: The Redmont Hotel has its fair share of ghostly guests. The spirit of country music hero Hank Williams is said to roam the halls - but if he's not there, visitors won't be so lonesome that they would cry, as a ghostly woman in white has also been seen drifting through its halls. Moreover, the spirit of Clifford Stiles, a former owner of the hotel, has been known to keep tabs on his old property.
When Was It Built: 1916 (with an annex added in 1936)
Haunted History: A plethora of hauntings have occurred at the Anchorage Hotel, but one of the most unsettling ghosts is that of former Chief of Police Jack Sturgus. He was slain just outside the building; it's said that each year, near the time of his passing, he returns to the scene of the incident to search for the culprit.
Haunted History: This hotel was a swinging place for local syndicates in the 1920s until Thomas "Fatty" Walsh was taken out on the 13th floor. The Biltmore was used as a military hospital during World War II but was reopened in 1987. Since then, people have reported stories about ghostly hospital patients and severed limbs.
Haunted History:This hotel is so haunted that it was the basis for Stephen King’s horror classic The Shining. Visitors to the Stanley have seen and heard all manner of spooks and spirits, and one couple even managed to capture photographic proof of a haunting - two girls walking down a set of stairs.
Haunted History: The haunting in this hotel is a family affair, with the spirits of the Thayer family roaming the halls. The spirit of 5-year-old Walter Nelson Thayer III, who lost his life here, plays in the attic of the hotel; his father has also been sighted making his way around the hotel.
Haunted History: Yet another hotel that's so haunted it serves as the basis for a creepy film, the Yankee Pedlar has been spooking out visitors for years. According to local legend, the hotel's founder, Alice Conley, perished in Room 353 and walks the halls of the Pedlar to check up on her customers. Those who haven't seen the ghost of Conley have smelled something strange in Room 353, and a few people have even seen Conley's rocking chair move on its own.
