In 1918, entrepreneurs and philanthropists Spencer and Julie Penrose built The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, which evolved into the luxury resort it is today. Unfortunately, Julie disappeared into the surrounding woods one day and was found the next morning, confused and unsure how she had gotten there. She passed away shortly after.  

Today, some guests claim to encounter Julie’s spirit wandering the halls and visiting the penthouse where she once stayed.

The Broadmoor is just one of many hotels around the country famous not only for their luxury facilities and amenities but also for their resident ghosts. With Halloween approaching, thrill-seekers looking for a spooky stay have plenty of haunted hotels and paranormal experiences to choose from.

EERIE ELEGANCE

Other historic properties also have their own claims to ghostly fame. Parts of today’s Admiral Fell Inn have stood in their location since the 1770s, in what was once a crime-ridden, ship-building neighborhood of Baltimore. Given its history, it’s almost natural—or perhaps supernatural—that sailors have been spotted floating through the hallways. During a hurricane evacuation, a hotel manager once reported hearing the sounds of a loud party coming from within the inn, despite it being completely empty at the time.

 Even an iconic cruise ship, which sailed over the Atlantic Ocean from 1936 until 1967, is said to be inhabited by sea-faring ghosts. The Queen Mary is docked in Long Beach, California, where it serves as a hotel, restaurant and museum. 

Among reasons why Time magazine voted the vessel one of the “Top 10 Most Haunted Places in America” are sightings of an engineer who died at sea, a lady in white and children playing in a swimming pool. Haunted encounters tours are offered during the day, and twilight excursions and seances explore the ship’s haunted past and paranormal activity.

The Kennebunk Inn was built near Maine’s Atlantic coastline in 1799 as a residence, then evolved into a hotel. The spirit of a clerk who worked there and died in the mid-1900s is believed to haunt his former workplace, causing wine glasses and other objects to topple over or fly through the air. 

Other ghost-like figures have also taken up long-term residence. Among them is the “Pink Lady,” a young woman in Victorian dress surrounded by a rosy mist, who frequents the Omni Grove Park Inn. She is said to be a guest who stayed at the Asheville, North Carolina, property in the 1920s, fell to her death and now haunts the inn. 

FIVE-STAR PHANTOMS 

Another lady in white haunts the Hotel Alex Johnson in Rapid City, South Dakota, accompanied by the spirit of the man for whom the building is named. So many reports of eerie occurrences have surfaced over the years that the hotel maintains a Ghost Journal at the front desk, where guests can record their inexplicable experiences.

 At the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, the International Society for Paranormal Research encountered over a dozen earthbound entities. They documented a restaurant door that remains locked yet mysteriously opens and closes, an elevator that stops at the wrong floor and ghostly images of children playing.

 The top window in the tower of the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida, draws the attention of those hoping to spot the presence of Franklin Smith. He was the architect who opened the property in 1888 but soon ran into financial difficulties and sold it. After extensive and expensive renovations, the hotel was transformed into a luxurious throwback to the Gilded Age of the late 19th century. A man seen peering out from the ornate six-story tower is believed to be Smith himself, lamenting the turn of events that led him to lose his dream property.

 In the late 1800s, Deadwood, South Dakota, was a lawless, rowdy town that attracted the likes of Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok and Seth Bullock, who served as the community’s first sheriff. Bullock built the hotel named after him, and he is believed to haunt it. Items moving on their own and voices echoing through dark hallways add to the eeriness.

 The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, touts itself as “America’s Most Haunted Hotel.” The hands of a stonemason who plunged to his death from room 218 during construction have reportedly been seen emerging from a bathroom mirror. The door opens and closes on its own, and the cries of a falling man are said to emanate from the ceiling.

Whether you’re a firm believer or a skeptical observer, staying at a hotel known for ghostly activity can be a thrilling and spooky experience. And what better time to do so than during the Halloween haunting season? ν