#25. The Biltmore Hotel
Built in 1926 by George Merrick in the city of Miami, this luxurious hotel became the main venue for all types of fashion shows, music galas, theater plays, ballets, and golf games. What’s more, it even hosted water shows in its great pool, which was considered at that time the largest pool in the world. Rumor has it that the ghost stories began after a murder on the hotel’s 13th floor when a gangster called Thomas “Fatty” Walsh was shot to death by another gangster. The shots were muffled by the sounds of the party.
During World War II, the hotel was converted into a military hospital on the order of the federal government and after the war, it still operated as a hospital for veteran soldiers. A few years later, the hotel-turned-into-hospital closed down and was abandoned for approximately 30 years, until it was bought back to life by Coral Gables in 1983. The ghost stories revolving this hotel are countless and the staff members will gladly retell them for you in a dark, windy night!
#24. Emily Morgan Hotel
Located in the city of San Antonio, this Gothic-style hotel is considered to be the third most haunted hotel in the world, according to USA Today. The freakiest part is that the hotel used to host a psychiatric ward and even a crematorium, on the 12th and 14th floor respectively.
Most guests at the hotel have reported hearing strange noises at night, especially on the floor where the psychiatric ward used to be. Telephones ringing at night, lights flickering, and even bathtubs filling themselves with water have been reported on numerous occasions. If you are brave enough, you may stay in the rooms on the 14th floor, but we must warn you that you may hear very unpleasant noises and even see the ghost of the woman in white!
#23. The Notchland Inn
In opposition to the rest of the hotels in this list, what is haunted here is the land where the inn was built, and it spells a tragic love story. In front of the inn lies the tomb of Nancy Barton, who died in a snowstorm in 1778 while chasing her husband. Sadly, she never caught up to him and died inside the snowstorm.
Several strange happenings have occurred to the guests at this hotel, such as flowers mysteriously appearing at the foot of the bed after taking a short nap, written names in the bathroom mirror (even though nobody had bathed in hours), and even “Happy Anniversary” messages written in bright red lipstick! Let’s look at the bright side: mysterious messages and flowers are way better than ghosts!
#22. Prospect Hill Bed And Breakfast Inn
Located in a small hill in Mountain City, Tennessee, this small yet comfortable Bed and Breakfast is the most famous in the city, but part of its fame has to do with the paranormal stuff that seems to happen inside it. Many guests have reported seeing ghosts wandering in the hallways and lights turning on and off repeatedly.
On the other hand, several guests have reported feeling the smell of recently cooked peanut butter cookies in the middle of the night, when neither the chefs nor the owners of the Bed and Breakfast had made them. Instead, it seems that the ghosts that haunt the place like cooking and drinking whiskey… I wish all ghosts were like this!
#21. Hotel Blackhawk
The most famous hotel in the city of Iowa is undoubtedly the Blackhawk Hotel, which was built in 1915 and nowadays can host more than 2000 guests in its 400 rooms and suites. In its more than 100 years of history, the hotel has seen a lot of guests come and go, including many famous celebrities, such as presidents Barack Obama and Richard Nixon.
British actor Cary Grant, famous for his roles in the films To Catch a Thief and An Affair To Remember was staying in this hotel in 1986 and had an accident in the nearby casino. Sadly, even though the ambulance got on time, he passed away, and many guests have reported seeing him floating around the hallways and entering their room. On top of that, if you pay close attention, you may even hear several strange noises in any part of the hotel!
#20. Hotel Burchianti
The Burchianti Hotel in Florence, which was opened in 1919 by the Burchianti sisters, is the preferred destination for every person going to Florence, as it is just a few steps away from the Piazza del Duomo and the Santa Maria Novella station. Nonetheless, not everything is as happy as one would think, as the hotel itself is riddled with ghosts.
Two of these ghosts stand out from the rest: the ghost of the kid jumping around the hallways at every hour, and the old lady sitting in a chair while knitting. However, some others have also seen the ghost of a maid cleaning at early hours and a woman screaming in room #209. If you rather stay at the Fresco Room – the same room where dictator Benito Mussolini stayed – be careful! Many people reported feeling icy breath upon their faces or either felt watched!
#19. French Lick Springs Hotel
This Indiana-based hotel was built in 1845 in a zone that served as a French trading post, as it was a source of rich minerals and even had a spring. More than 200 years have already gone by, and many guests have reported seeing ghosts.
The most famous ghost of all is no other than the owner Thomas Taggart. It is said that he was so devoted to the hotel, that he continued serving it after passing away, but as a ghost! He has been seen near the elevator and even operates it for guests at midnight! The hotel workers have even claimed to receive phone calls from rooms that are actually empty. Yikes!
#18. The Russell Hotel
This hotel in Sidney, Australia, built in 1887, operated at first under the name of Port Jackson Hotel and in 1933 its name changed to The Russell Hotel. The ground floor of the hotel is rented for different purposes while the top floors are used only for accommodation. In May 2002, it was included in the New South Wales State Heritage Register.
As with the rest of the hotels in this list, the Russell Hotel has its own ghost, although it is just one. The ghost of an unnamed sailor has been seen haunting the guests at all hours, and several members of the staff have reported hearing creaky noises in empty rooms. But do you know what the best part is? The owners seem to be proud of this reputation as they offer haunted tours for those who are interested in paranormal activity!
#17. Toftaholm Herrgard
Located on the shores of Lake Vidostern, Sweden, the Toftaholm Herrgard was built in the 14th Century for the Baron of the town at that time and ever since he passed away, it has operated as a hotel. Among the strange things that happened here, guests have mentioned that the windows that they left open the previous night were closed when they woke up the following day. Also, many people have heard creaking noises of doors opening around midnight!
This time, it seems the ghost that haunts the hotel is that of a peasant kid that fell in love with the daughter of the Baron, whose marriage was set up by the Baron himself. As such, the boy could not tolerate the sadness and decided to hang himself in room #324, on the morning of the wedding night! Since then, the ghost of the boy has not left the hotel.
#16. Battery Carriage House Inn
Located in the city of Charleston in South Carolina, this former carriage house was built on a plot of land bought by Samuel Stevens on June 7th, 1843. After several changes of ownership and more than 150 years later, the hotel is considered to be one of the hotspots of paranormal activity in Charleston.
If you are keen on experiencing paranormal happenings, there are currently three rooms you may book: Rooms 3, 8 and 10. The guests staying in room 3 have reported seeing several orbs floating around the room, while those staying in room 8 have been scared to death after seeing a floating headless torso! Finally, the ghost in room 10 is known as the Gentleman Ghost, so you needn’t be scared of him!
#15. Copper Queen Hotel
The Copper Queen Hotel was built in 1902 with the aim of hosting investors and dignitaries and it is considered to be the longest-standing hotel of Arizona. According to the owners and staff, it is also regarded as the most haunted hotel in the state of Arizona.
Throughout the hotel’s 100 years of history, the guests, staff and even the owners have reported not only strange sightings but also strange noises and bad smell coming from some of the rooms. Many people come here just to see the ghosts for themselves, and most find it disappointing to spend a night without witnessing any paranormal event. The staff is so keen on hearing ghost stories, that even at the front desk there is a ghost book next to the guest journals!
#14. Fort Garry Hotel
The construction of the Fort Garry Hotel began in 1911 and was finished by 1913 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Nowadays, it is considered a National Historic Site, mainly due to the fact that many famous movies were filmed here, such as Shall We Dance and Capote. Located in the city of Winnipeg, it is the most haunted hotel in Canada.
Rumor has it that Room 202 is haunted by the ghost of a woman whose husband died in front of the hotel. The couple had gone on vacations and stayed in the hotel around the 1920s, and as the wife was feeling a bit under the weather, she asked her husband to cross the street to buy some medicines. His husband was killed by a horse-drawn carriage while crossing the street, and she hung herself out of grief in the closet.
#13. Logan Inn
This small yet beautiful Pennsylvanian hotel started as a tavern in 1722, and was one of the most important meeting points for the inhabitants at that time, as it was located really close to the Delaware River and from Buck’s County Playhouse. It is considered Pennsylvania’s most important landmark and it’s also included in the National Register of Historic Places.
But guess what? Its rooms are not only booked by guests but also shared by the many ghosts that haunt it. From doors and windows opening and closing at all hours to a Revolutionary War soldier that shows up at the bar and the dining room, this building is as creepy as it gets. According to many historians, the hotel’s basement was used as a kind of morgue for dead soldiers until they could be properly buried, so this pretty much explains it!
#12. Chillingham Castle
The Chillingham Castle was built in the 12th Century to function as a monastery, but it was then used as a Castle. It even served as a fortress in Medieval times as it is located in a very strategic position, and during World War II it was used as a barrack for British soldiers. Nowadays, Chillingham Castle functions as a very modern hotel, and a very haunted one too.
The hotel advertises itself as the most haunted and chilling castle in the United Kingdom. Some of the castle’s ghost residents include the Castle Torturer, who still lingers around his torture chamber (and which may be visited by guests), the old Lady in White, and the Blue Boy, who disturbs every guest staying at the pink room.
#11. The Omni Grove Park Inn
Located in the state of North Carolina, specifically in the city of Asheville, The Omni Grove Park Inn is considered as the state’s premier hotel. It opened its doors for the first time in 1913 and was built by Edwin Grove, who got to Asheville on behalf of his doctor’s recommendation as it was known as a healing spot.
Among the hotel’s most famous guests of all time, we can count President Barack Obama, Harry Houdini, and Scott Fitzgerald. But the hotel’s most important resident is The Pink Lady, the ghost of a young woman who fell to her death from the balcony of Room 545. According to guests and staff, she is a kind ghost that spends time with kids and sometimes plays small pranks on adults.
#10. Gadsden Hotel
One of Arizona’s most historic hotels, the Gadsen Hotel was built in 1907 and enjoyed several years of fame until it was burnt down by a fire. In 1929 the hotel reopened and is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Gadsen is not only famous thanks to its beauty but also because it is one of the most haunted hotels in the whole world.
During these past decades, the staff has kept a written record of every supernatural activity ever witnessed, and you can even ask to see them at the front desk. Among the most terrifying stories reported by guests are those of televisions turning on and off, knocks on radiators, and keys turning in the door lock. A few guests have even stated that they felt their hair being pulled or people sitting on top of them while sleeping!
#9. The Marshall House Hotel
Located in the city of Savannah in the state of Georgia, this antique hotel is the oldest in the city and maintains pretty much all of its original architecture. While most hotels in the city were originally built to function as houses, this one here was specifically built as a hotel. During the Civil War and the breakout of the Yellow Fever, it was used as a hospital, so countless people have died within its walls.
The strangest events which have been reported both by guests and staff members include faucets being opened and closed on its own, lights flickering, toilets overflowing and flooding the bathroom, and the hearing of whispers in the hallways. There have also been reports of guests waking up with child-like teeth marks in their bodies!
#8. The Bourbon Orleans Hotel
Originally constructed and functioning as a theater for the rich people of New Orleans, its construction started in 1806 but finished in 1815. Sadly, one year later, the Theatre d’Orleans caught fire in an arson episode and had to be rebuilt. Afterward, and for the lapse of five years, more than 140 operas were presented in the theater. The hotel was bought in the 1960s by the Bourbon Kings Corporation Hotel and restored it to its former glory.
Boasting over 218 guest rooms plus the ballrooms of the opera, the hotel is bustling with activity all year round, and both normal and paranormal guests choose it every year. At the time of the yellow fever pandemic, the hotel operated as an orphan home and several kids died during the epidemy, many of whom still roam the hallways and guests can hear their laughs at all times. Another ghost living in the hotel is that of a Nun that committed suicide in Room 644, where everybody can hear her screams!
#7. The Langham Hotel
Built in 1865, The Langham Hotel is still considered the first grand hotel in England and was built to imitate the style of Florentian palaces in all its glory. Many important personalities have stayed in this hotel, including members of the royalty like Princess Diana and important politicians such as Winston Churchill. The hotel was also used as barracks during World War II but had to close due to the impacts of several bombs that caused substantial damage.
Nowadays, the hotel boasts several different ghosts that go from a friendly type to a not-so-friendly type. For example, Room 333 is the most haunted one in the building, and guests may spot the ghost of a doctor who killed his wife and later committed suicide in their honeymoon. There is also a playful ghost in that same room that likes to push sleeping guests from their beds, so steer clear of that room! This one time, a guest was pushed so hard that he left the hotel in the middle of the night!
#6. Nottingham Road Hotel
The oldest known hotel in South Africa, located in the small city of Nottingham, has been around for several centuries. Just like most very old hotels, it has its own ghost, a young woman by the name of Charlotte.
Even though there are no official records that prove this, legend has it that Charlotte was a prostitute that operated in the hotel around the 17th Century and who fell in love with a British army officer. As this love did not go both ways, she committed suicide by jumping off a balcony and her ghost lingered around ever since then. She has been seen cleaning and arranging the flowers in many rooms!
#5. Captain Grant’s Inn
Originally built by Captain William Grant in 1745 as a retreat house, Captain Grant’s Inn was used during the Revolutionary War and it served as barracks for soldiers, and during the Civil War era it was used as a “deposit” for escaped slaves. This house was used by three generations of Grant family members and was remodeled in the 1990s to become the hotel we all know today.
The hotel has several rooms, a spacious dining room, an attic, and even a cemetery in its backyard. The most haunted room, the Adelaide, seems to host the spirit of a colonial-era young lady and two small children. These ghosts are not dangerous at all, as many guests reported having been caressed by the hands of the little children, but as they are young kids, they like to play the occasional prank as dropping the bathroom curtain.
#4. HI Ottawa Jail Hostel
Former Carleton County Gaol Jail, which was built in 1862 to serve as the main detention center in Ottawa, was considered a model prison back then, which many jails to come would try to imitate. The prison was used to lock up from petty to very serious offenders. It stayed open for more than 100 years until it was closed in 1972, due to the inhumane conditions that the prisoners went through.
The prison was bought by Hosteling International and the seven floors of the prison were remodeled to modern rooms. The hotel has several ghost tours that show the non-renovated areas of the prison, such as death row, the gallows, and the solitary confinement in the basement. It is said that the ghost that haunts the hotel is that of an innocent man condemned with weak evidence and publicly hanged.
#3. Queen Mary Hotel
If you are ready to embrace the most haunted night of your life, then you should, without a doubt, visit the Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach, California, where the ship docked for the last time. The ship was used in World War II to transport Allied soldiers and was known as the Grey Ghost. You should also know that many people lost their lives onboard the ship.
Even though the whole ship is haunted, the most haunted room is Stateroom B340, and the owners converted it into a tourist attraction where you can spend the night for a modest price of $499. You will be offered several items to make your stay more terrifying, and maybe you will witness some of the paranormal experiences that have been reported, such as toilets flushing on their own and faucets turning on and off!
#2. Colonial Inn
Many of the United States’ most famous hotels and inns were built before the Civil and Revolutionary War, during which countless soldiers lost their lives, and the Colonial Inn is not an exception. This hotel was built in 1716 and located in Concord, a few miles away from the bridge where the Revolutionary War started. Of course, the hotel is completely haunted, and most of the ghosts are former soldiers.
The two most haunted rooms are #24 and #27, where the surgery room and morgue were located. Many guests staying at those rooms have reported strange sightings, such as transparent figures next to the bed, floating orbs, whispers in the closet, and some even saw the door being slammed shut! Other guests have reported seeing the lights of the room turn on and off repeatedly for no apparent reason!
#1. The Stanley Hotel
One of the most famous haunted hotels in the world is located in Colorado, United States. It is said that horror master Stephen King stayed here while writing one of his best-selling books, The Shining. If you take a close look, you’ll see that the hotel resembles the one where the movie was shot!
Paranormal activity is most present in room 217, where it is said that the spirit of Mrs. Wilson, who was the head housekeeper in 1911, is living. She was injured in an explosion and even though she survived, her spirit took a liking to the room. And as the old-fashioned woman she is, she does not like couples cuddling up together, and that’s why many couples have experienced cold puffs of winds when wanting to cuddle!