The Best Ghost Stories at America’s Most Haunted Hotels

WASHINGTON, DC- September 24, 2015- Historic Hotels of America caters to all things paranormal and spooky. With over 120 hotels with rumored hauntings and friendly ghosts—often known to visitors as the “guests that have checked out of the hotel but never leave”—there are many spirited stories and sightings from travelers. Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, one thing is certain, these friendly hauntings are sure to make for a visit you’ll talk about for years. To learn more about these haunted hotels, visit: http://americandreams.historichotels.org/haunted-america.

Here are a few tales for the traveler interested in haunted hospitality:

1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa (1886) Eureka Springs, Arkansas

1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa hosts a wide variety of spirits, hence 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 guestroom 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. Throughout the history of the hotel, employees have referred to this entity at "Michael," a classified poltergeist due to the nature of the unexplained activity. 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 guestroom 218 for the chance of experiencing something haunted.

The Francis Marion (1924) Charleston, South Carolina

In the early 1930s, New Yorker Ned Cohen was visiting his Southern lady friend in Charleston. Whatever happened was never clear, but he was found face down, body smashed in the middle of King Street facing toward the old Citadel’s parade grounds. Today, visitors hear eerie and unexplained sounds at night, all too familiar to the bell staff and room attendants walking the halls. 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, South Carolina.

Lord Baltimore Hotel (1928) Baltimore, Maryland

Fran Carter has worked at the Lord Baltimore for many years. She is captain, supervising a team of people overseeing the food, beverage, and setup needs of the hotel. In 1998, Fran was on the nineteenth floor of the building, preparing a small meeting room for future use. She was working at a table facing the wall with an open door to her left. She bent over to her left at the doorway, and a little girl, wearing a long, cream-colored dress and black, shiny shoes, ran by the open doorway, bouncing a red ball before her. Fran immediately ran outside, calling after her, “Little girl, are you lost?” The hallway was completely empty. The hotel has had many guests since its construction in 1928, and several have reported seeing a little girl roaming the hallways with a bouncing red ball.

The Stanley (1909) Estes Park, Colorado

When precisely the strange events began happening at the Stanley Hotel has never been documented, but interesting occurrences are a part of the history of this hotel. Elizabeth Wilson was the chief housekeeper at The Stanley Hotel in its very early days. On the evening of June 25, 1911, during a storm, she was involved in an explosion that took place as she was lighting the acetylene lanterns that were the back-up system for the hotel’s electricity. Wilson was shot down in the explosion from what is now guestroom 217 to the floor of the MacGregor Room one story below. She was not killed, but her ankles were broken. Since the 1950s, it has been reported that she takes special care of people who stay in guestroom 217. Sometimes guests staying in that room encounter extra housekeeping services, including having their things put away or unpacked.

Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa (1901) Honolulu, Hawaii

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. 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.

For more haunted stories, visit: http://americandreams.historichotels.org/haunted-america.