Suicide, murder and untimely deaths all set the grisly stage for macabre ghost stories that draw visitors to haunted hotels around the world. Over the years these very Haunted Hotels have grown with ghostly reputations of tales concerning that of spooky female specters, ghastly groaning gentlemen ghost…. Weird ghost photos, and of course scary things that always go bump in the night.
Driskill Hotel Austin, Texas
Built by cattle baron Col. Jesse L. Driskill. Today the Driskill remains one of the premier hotels in Texas, featuring lavish bridal suites, two restaurants, and a grand ballroom. It is also well-known for being one of the most haunted hotels in the United States, featuring a variety of alleged supernatural activity throughout the building including the spirit 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.
Hotel Del Coronado, California
Famous “resident” of the hotel is the purported ghost of Kate Morgan. On November 24, 1892, she checked into room 304 (then 3318, now 3327), to meet with her husband who was a doctor and he was going to give her medicine for her stomach cancer, but he never arrived. She was found dead on the steps leading to the beach three days later. The case was declared a suicide. She had shot herself. Ever since then, some guests that have checked into room 3327 have reported flickering lights and floating objects. Room 304 is now known as Room 3327, but Kate’s spirit is said to roam the entire hotel.
Stanley Hotel, Colorado
Many believe the Stanley Hotel is haunted, having reported a number of cases of ghostly activity, primarily in the ballroom. Kitchen staff have reported to have heard a party going on in the ballroom, only to find it empty. People in the lobby have allegedly heard someone playing the ballroom’s piano; employees investigating the music supposedly find nobody sitting at the piano. Employees believe that particular ghost is of Freelan O. Stanley’s wife, who used to be a piano player. In one guest room, people claim to have seen a man standing over the bed before running into the cupboard. This same apparition is allegedly responsible for stealing guests’ jewellery, watches, and luggage. Others reported to have seen ghosts in their rooms in the middle of the night, simply standing in their room before disappearing. Stephen King got the idea for The Shining after staying in the almost empty hotel on the night before it closed for an extended period.
At least four ghosts have been identified enjoying the hospitality of Le Pavilion Hotel. A teenage girl named Ava, Eva and the Crying Lost Ghost Girl, haunts the main entrance and lobby. The girl was reportedly set to board a ship when she was struck by a carriage and killed. She has fair skin, brown hair and eyes, carries a clutch purse and wears a long black skirt, shawl and hat that were the fashionable in the mid 1840s. She paces in the lobby and, sometimes, bumps into people, apologizes and says she’s lost before she abruptly vanishes. Sometimes, Adda has walked up to people on the sidewalk and asked them if they knew the way to the terminal.
An aristocratic couple has also been seen strolling the grounds. They appear to be from the 1920s. The man is said to have died suddenly, after they went for a walk. She died years later. When seen alone, she crying. When they are seen together, the duo appears to be happy as they walk in the halls and on the grounds, holding hands. The couple strolls through doors and vanishes into elevators. Many people believe her room was on the third floor because, at times, it’s filled with the fragrance of her perfume. His fourth floor room smells of cigars smoke.
A young man, also appearing to be from the 1920s, has been reported playing pranks on the hotel cleaning staff. He’s been seen running through the hotel as if someone was chasing him. He’s been seen walking on the pavement, then vanishing into a wall. Witnesses have seen his reflection in mirrors and his face peering into rooms windows from the third floor to higher ones.
The Sagamore, Bolton Landing, New York
The main feature of The Sagamore is the historic hotel, which overlooks the lake. 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.
