America’s landscape spans from the beautiful sun-kissed beaches of Florida to the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains. In the West, travellers make their journey over the rolling prairie lands and deserts, and in the Northeast and Northwest, through incredibly dense wild country.
But there’s also another side to the land of the brave and the free: America’s famously haunted hotels. In fact, many travellers know that some of the oldest hotels in the country have residents that have long overstayed their arranged accommodation – guests that once were, but now may or may not be human.
And so, whether you’re looking for five-star accommodation or a hidden gem for next big breakaway, an experience out of this world awaits.
Below is our list of suggestions for those interested in more than just a hot meal and comfortable bed in which to sleep.
Colorado’s Stanley Hotel
Remember Stephen King’s The Shining? His famous novel was inspired by none other than the (in)famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.
The story goes that King and his wife stayed in the Stanley’s Room 217 in 1974, and that it had been this stay to inspire the paranormal events in the book.
Bourbon Orleans Hotel
This majestic two-century-old property was only converted into a hotel in the 1960s. Before that, it served many purposes: a theatre with ballroom dancing, a convent, and even an orphanage.
Long-departed guests said to roam its corridors include children and women from the building’s days as a convent, a dancer from the old theatre, and a Confederate soldier. If you’re scared of ghosts you’d better spend your time with Casino Mate for Canada players rather than sleeping here.
Battery Carriage House
Battery Carriage House is located in Charleston, South Carolina, and is Charleston’s self-professed most famous haunted inn.
Room 10 is reportedly home to a male apparition, room 3 boasts an entire congregation of spirits, and in room 8, guests may encounter a spirit with no head.
Salem’s Hawthorne Hotel
Salem, Massachusetts, is no stranger to stories of the haunted and the paranormal.
91 years old, the Hawthorne Hotel is a reported hotspot for activities with origins out of this world. Some of the paranormal happenings reported by past guests include human-like apparitions, faucets opening and closing on their own, and flickering lights at night.
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
LA’s Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel sits on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many of its famous guests reportedly still roam its halls.
One of its most epic guests, and someone who regularly frequented the halls of the spooky hotel, is none other than Marilyn Monroe.