Built in 1886,
the Crescent Hotel is widely considered to be one of America's most
haunted hotels. In its early years, the hotel had a difficult time
sustaining itself financially and changed roles a number of times,
briefly becoming a College, and then Junior College. In 1937 the
Hotel was bought by Norman Baker, a self styled "Doctor" (although
he had no training), who claimed to have found the cure for cancer.
He turned the hotel into a health resort. Needless to say, those
who came seeking treatment found no hope in his magic elixirs and
quite a few died at the hotel. Since this time, ghosts have been
sighted frequently by guests. Below are a few of the most compelling
pictures of ghost sightings at the hotel and video from the Sci-Fi
channel's Ghost Hunters which shows a ghost on a thermal video camera.
If you are looking to scare yourself, rooms in the lower portion
of the hotel where most of the paranormal activity has occurred
are available during the month of October. For something a little
less spooky, you may want to check out our New
York Hotels.
Video
Clip: Clip from the Sci-Fi channel show Ghost Hunters featuring
investigators at The Crescent Hotel examining thermal imaging video
of a mysterious apparition.
2. The Queen Mary Hotel
This 1,000 ft
ship took her maiden voyage on my 27th 1936, and for the next three
years hosted the world's rich and famous on their transatlantic
voyages. To get out a bit and see more of the world than their standard
London Hotels, many
of the upper class sought out these pleasure cruises. Notorious
name such as Clark Gable, Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo, and even Winston
Churchill took a ride on the beautiful Queen Mary. In 1939 the ship
was commandeered for military use as a troop ship and nicknamed
"The Grey Ghost." During the war, on a run across the Atlantic,
a tragedy occurred. As the Queen Mary was steaming full speed on
its mission, one of its escort ships, a British World War I era
light-cruiser named HMS Curacao cut across the bow, was rammed,
and cut in two. Around 300 of the Curacao's crew were killed.
Video
Clip: Video clip exploring the history and mysterious incidents
aboard the Queen Mary Hotel.
3. Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast
Lizzie Borden took an axe,
And gave her mother forty whacks,
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
On the morning
of August 4, 1892 Lizzie Borden brutally murdered her stepmother
and father with an axe. Her mother, Abby Borden, was found between
the bed and the bureau in the guest room. Her father, Andrew Borden,
was found lying with his head on the arm of a sofa in the downstairs
sitting room. Although acquitted because of a lack of evidence,
there is little doubt that Lizzie committed the crime. After the
trial, Lizzie was Ostracized by the Fall River, MA community where
she lived until she died in 1927. The house is now a bed and breakfast,
where frequent paranormal activities are reported. If you are brave
enough, you can stay in Lizzie's room, or even the rooms of her
murdered parents here.
Video
Clip: TV expose regarding the Lizzie Borden murders of
Fall River Massachusetts. Features interviews with the proprietors
of the current bed and breakfast and a reporter's attempt at spending
the night.
4. The Old Spot Hotel
Built in the
1830's, The Old Spot Hotel located in the township of Gawler in
South Australia was actually the town's first building. Over the
years it has housed many different businesses including a Post Office,
A morgue, and today a hotel. According to legends, after renovations
done to the building to create the hotel, strange things started
to happen. Today, many hotel guests report hearing unexplained noises
and seeing apparitions of a little girl. In the mid 1990's a hotel
guest caught a bizarre and terrifying image of 3 ghosts on camera.
Looked at by several photo experts, the image has thus far not been
debunked as fake. Many witch hunters find their way to the mystery
capital of the US midwest, Chicago. And when planning your trip,
make sure to check out our rates on Chicago
Hotels - spend your money on the tours, not your hotel room.
5. Hotel Del Coronado
A luxury hotel
just across the San Diego Bay in California, the Hotel Del Coronado
is a beautiful example of Victorian Architecture. Famed for it's
historical architectural lines, the Hotel Del Coronado is easily
one of the most beautiful San
Diego Hotels. Although frequented by many famous people including
Thomas Edison, L. Frank Baum, Charlie Chaplin, Charles Lindbergh,
and many US presidents, the hotel is best known for a more obscure
guest, Kate Morgan. Kate Morgan checked into room 302 (then 3312,
now 3327), to meet with her brother who was a doctor and was going
to give her medicine for her stomach cancer, but he never arrived.
She was found dead on the steps going to the beach six days later.
The case was declared a suicide. She had shot herself. Since this
incident, her ghost has been seen many times by hotel guests. Also
worthy of mention, the hotel served as the inspiration for the recent
movie 1408, after the book by Stephen King.
Video
Clip: Interview with a hotel guest describing her strange
experiences with the ghost of Kate Morgan.
6. The Stanley Hotel
This 138 room
hotel was built in Estes Park Colorado in 1909. The first owner,
Freelan O. Stanley and his wife are said to have loved the hotel
so much that their ghosts remained after their deaths. The ghost
of F.O. Stanley has been seen in the lobby, behind the bar and in
the Billiards Room, his favorite spots in the hotel. Flora's ghost
is believed to still play piano in the music room; many guests have
heard beautiful music coming from the room that stops as soon as
they enter to find no one sitting at the piano. After spending a
night at the hotel, famous author Stephen King was inspired to write
about the Overlook hotel in his book The Shining. The un-cut R-rated
version of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and the ABC miniseries
version play on a continuous loop on channel 60 on all guest room
televisions. When coming into town, you may want to stop at hot
spot, Denver. With it's restaurants, nightlife and outdoor activities,
a good night or two of sleep in one of our Denver
Hotels should help get you ready for your sleepless nights ahead
of ghost hunting.
Video
Clip: Clip taken from the Ghost Hunters second examination
of the haunted hotel on Halloween night.
Video Clip: Quick clip from Stanley Kubrick's film
adaptation of the Stephen King novel.
