The country has its fair share of haunted hotels, rife with rumors of paranormal activity and uninvited guests.
Some relish the opportunity to finally spot a ghost or get a good scare. Others, like All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts, prefer to stay far away. While his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates stayed at the infamous Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee for their game against the Brewers, Betts chose to stay at an Airbnb for the second straight year.
Regardless of which camp you fall into, here are five of the most haunted hotels in the United States and the circumstances that led to their haunting:
Stanley Hotel - Estes Park, CO
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The picture-perfect Stanley Hotel is what inspired one of the most classic horror stories of all time: "The Shining."
Long before Stephen King wrote the iconic novel in the 1970s, however, guests and paranormal experts have alleged unsettling activity in the hotel. Rooms 401, 407, 428 and 217 are said to have the highest levels of spiritual activity, according to some visitors, with reports of an unfriendly ghost in 401, an invisible force in 407 and unsettling noises — and a cowboy — in 428.
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King and his wife stayed in room 217. It is said that the author awoke from a nightmare of his son being chased through the hotel's halls by a firehose. By the next day, the outline of "The Shining" was formed.
Built in 1909, the Stanley Hotel is one of the oldest in Estes Park. It is open to travelers, and ghost hunters can book night tours to learn more about the hotel's history.
The Hotel Chelsea - New York City, NY
Since its opening in 1884, Hotel Chelsea has attracted famous creatives, including Mark Twain, Andy Warhol and Janis Joplin (whose spirit is said to still roam Chelsea's halls).
But what gives the property its haunted reputation is the many suicides and murders that have occurred within its walls. After cutting off her left hand with a pair of small sewing scissors, 38-year-old Etelka Graf jumped from the fifth-floor window of the Hotel Chelsea, according to a newspaper clipping from New York Daily News. A survivor of the Titanic, Mary, allegedly hung herself on the fifth floor after losing her husband in the ship's disaster. She's said to roam the western end of the building. Visitors also report that a ghost named Larry will talk to anyone who listens.
One journalist recounted her experience growing up among ghosts in the hotel, which you can still stay at today.
1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa - Eureka Springs, AR
The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Arkansas is widely regarded as America's most haunted hotel, and it markets itself as such, offering ghost tour guides.
Before it was a hotel, the 130-year-old property served as a women's college and a hospital. The latter was run by Norman Baker, who infamously claimed to have found a cure for cancer. The many patients who died in his care are said to haunt the building, including Theodora, who guests claim will tidy up their rooms when they leave. Less helpful ghosts include Michael, an Irish stonemason who allegedly fell to his death during the hotel's construction and haunts room 218. Then there's the friendly ghost of Morris the cat, whom some still call the hotel's general manager.
Hotel del Coronado - Coronado, CA
The Hotel del Coronado is said to be the most haunted hotel in San Diego, thanks to Kate Morgan, a young woman who checked into the hotel in 1892 and never left.
According to Historic Hotels of America, Morgan, 24, had been waiting for a partner to join her. When he didn't arrive after several days, she took her own life on the staircase leading to Coronado Beach. Guests say they have felt her presence in the third-floor room where she stayed, as well as the hotel's gift shop. Reports of paranormal activity include flickering lights, faucets turning on by themselves and unexplained footsteps and voices.
The Pfister Hotel - Milwaukee, WI
The Pfister Hotel is a popular four-star hotel, deemed good enough for former President Donald Trump, who stayed at The Pfister during the 2024 Republican National Convention. Yet, the hotel has built a reputation for unnerving MLB players since the early 2000s and is said to be haunted by owner Charles Pfister.
Former Minnesota Twins center fielder Carlos Gomez said he heard voices and that his iPod went haywire, which had him running for the lobby — without pants or shoes on. The next time he went back in 2009, he brought a Bible for "extra protection," according to the Associated Press.
Most recently, St. Louis Cardinals player Carlos Martinez posted an Instagram video in 2018 saying he saw a ghost.
“I just saw a ghost. In [Marcell] Ozuna’s room, he saw another one," Martinez said in Spanish, according to the MLB. "We are all in Peñita’s [Francisco Peña] room. We are all stuck here. We are going to sleep together…If the ghost shows again, we are all going to fight together.”
