The Top 5 Haunted Hotels

Haunted hotels offer the chance to experience the spookiness of a real haunted house as a temporary guest. You might experience apparitions, poltergeist activity, knocking, mysteriously moving objects, strange noises, or reappearing handprints.

The hauntings in these five hotels let you know whether you’ve made a good decision to stay the night — or a bad one.

5.) Ostrich Inn — Colnbrook, England

Ostrich Inn Colnbrook Website

Don’t let the beautiful façade of the Ostrich Inn fool you. This modest-looking hotel hides a gruesome story.

The charming 12th-century inn located in Colnbrook is the third-oldest in Britain and was the scene of more than 60 brutal murders in the 17th century.

The owners devised a scheme eerily reminiscent of Sweeney Todd. They supposedly plied wealthy travelers with drink and then showed them to their “best room.” There, a tilting bed and trapdoor were rigged so that the owners could pull some bolts from the kitchen, the bed would tilt, and the sleeping guest would slide through the trap and into a boiling substance.

The owners would then steal the guests’ money and sell their horses and clothes. Not surprisingly, people have reported poltergeist activity in the hotel. But even if one doesn’t encounter poltergeist activity, the Ostrich Inn is a decidedly spooky place to stay.

If you want to see the inside of this hotel by yourself and ask the locals about all the rumors, here is how to find the inn:

• Website: The Ostrich, Colnbrook 
• Address: Ostrich Inn, High Street, Colnbrook, Slough, Berkshire, SL3 0JZ
• Phone: 01753 682628

4.) Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel — Los Angeles, California

Ian Ivanovic Dan / Shutterstock

This is a hotel of the classic Hollywood era. In its heyday, the Hollywood Roosevelt hosted hundreds of stars and the first Academy Awards. It was also where Shirley Temple took her first tap-dancing lesson from Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.

The Roosevelt’s real draw today, however, is that guests may encounter the ghosts of one of their favorite stars. Montgomery Clift is said to haunt room 928, where he used to pace the halls of the ninth floor to memorize his lines while making the From Here to Eternity. People have heard his spirit recite lines, pace the floor, and practice on the trumpet. Marilyn Monroe stayed at the hotel when she shot her first-ever ad on the hotel’s pool. People have seen her apparition in a mirror that once hung in her favorite suite.

It’s the perfect hotel for ghost hunters who are also suckers for Hollywood glamour. To gorge yourself with stories of A-list celebrities (some of whom still stay at the hotel today!), here is how to reach the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel:

• Website: The Hollywood Roosevelt 
• Address: 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028
• Phone: +1 (323) 856-1970

3.) Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel — Alberta, Canada

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Situated at the edge of Rocky Mountain Park, the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta is one of the most luxurious resort hotels in the world. Built in the 1880s, it’s known as one of Canada’s most haunted places. It’s proof that luxury and terror can co-exist!

Room 873 was walled off because of strange sounds and children’s handprints that kept reappearing on the walls. Neighboring rooms still report noises.

One of the most famous ghosts is the Ghost Bride. Her story dates back to the 1920s when a young bride died on the premise. Some say she slipped in the marble staircase of the hotel, and some others say that her dress caught fire in that same spot. Whatever the reason, the result is that today, visitors report seeing a veiled figure moving up and down those stairs.

Another one of the hotel’s most famous — and helpful — spirits is Sam the Bellhop. He is a former employee who enjoyed his job so much that he never left. He’s been known to open doors for people, make wake-up calls, and help guests find their rooms. He’s not the only employee who has signed a lifetime contract with the hotel though. There have also been reports of a ghost bartender and a headless bagpipe player.

If you want to go ghost hunting and happened to be in Canada, head to the Fairmont Banff Springs.

• Website: Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel 
• Address: 405 Spray Avenue, Banff, Alberta, Canada, T1L1J4
• Phone: + 1 (403) 762-2211

2.) The Myrtles Plantation — St. Francisville, Louisiana

Bogdan Oporowski / Wikimedia

Many characteristics can make a hotel cool, and being called one of America’s most haunted homes is one of them!

The Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville has turned its unique history into a profitable and interesting bed and breakfast. That’s what we call a successful career change!

Built in 1796, the house has an unfortunate history of tragedy that undoubtedly contributed to the paranormal activity now reported there. It includes handprints on mirrors, mysterious smells, and vanishing objects. Several apparitions haunt the Myrtles, such as children who play on a veranda, a woman in a green turban, and a girl with curly hair who peers into the game room.

In 1992, the owner of the Myrtles took a picture of what seemed to be a girl standing on the plantation. The National Geographic filming crew confirmed that it was indeed a little girl on the image.

Be careful, though — these ghosts aren’t as friendly as the Stanley’s.

• Website: The Myrtles Plantation 
• Address: Myrtles Plantation, 7747 U.S. Highway 61, P.O. Box 1100, St. Francisville, Louisiana 70775
• Phone: +1 (225) 635-6277

1.) Stanley Hotel — Estes Park, Colorado

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The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park is famous for inspiring Stephen King’s The Shining. That alone should be enough to earn it its first place in our haunted hotels list.

The Stanley Hotel has been referred to as the “Disneyland for ghosts.” It reportedly hosts many ghosts, including a Ms. Elizabeth Wilson. She is said to take special care of guests in room 217, where she was involved in an explosion in 1911. It is also where Stephen King wrote his best-seller. Did Elizabeth Wilson lend a bit of inspiration to the famous writer? We’ll never know.

Other common reports are of sounds of children laughing and running down empty hallways, a piano being played by ghostly hands, glimpses of the former hotel owner walking the halls, and guests being tucked into their beds a night. Contrary to The Shining, all the ghosts that populate the real-life Stanley Hotel are friendly.

You can learn about all these ghosts and the history of the hotel with the Stanley’s paranormal investigator (what a cool job!). She leads monthly ghost hunts on the premises during multiple time slots throughout the day.

• Website: The Stanley Hotel 
• Address: 333 Wonderview Avenue Estes Park, CO 80517
• Phone: (970) 577-4040

Now that you know which hotels can offer you the best ghost experience while keeping you on your toes, head to our next article to go on a global ghost hunt. There are many haunted places in many countries, and this article lists those that will make your toes curl!