If you’re a lover of ghost movies and all things paranormal, or you just love a good scare, then chances are spending the night at one of the most haunted hotels in America is on your bucket list. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily!) for you, the US is home to all sorts of historic hotels that have long been home to resident ghosts and spirits who aren’t shy about making themselves known.
Whether you’re staying in a former Union hospital in Savannah or the site of a burned-down school in New Orleans, each of these hotels has a long, tragic, and fascinating history.
Guests and staff at all of the hotels on this list have reported inexplicable events ranging from seeing faucets turn on and off on their own and experiencing chilling temperature fluctuations to hearing the ghosts of children playing in hallways and waking up in the middle of the night to someone standing over their bed.
If you spook easily, these hotels may not be for you. But if you want to test your limits, here’s a list of 8 of the most haunted hotels in the US!
- Short on time and don’t want to read the whole article? Here are my top 3 picks!
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The 8 Most Haunted Hotels in the USA to Spend a Spooky Night
1. Place D’Armes
If you’re New Orleans-bound and you’re just dying to stay in one of the most haunted hotels in the US, you might want to give the Place D’Armes a try. In a former life, the Place D’Armes was a school that tragically burned down in 1788, killing many schoolchildren as well as the headmaster.
The history of the buildings and the hotel itself is fascinating, and guests who brave staying the night here often report unusual activities, including hearing kids playing and running around, being woken up to a touch on the hip, and seeing and even talking to a bearded man dressed in old-timey garb, only to find out no such guest exists.
Paranormal activity aside, this place is located right in Jackson Square near all of the haunted happenings of the historically fascinating city of New Orleans.
2. 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa
Located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, The 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa is dubbed by many as “America’s Most Haunted Hotel.” So, if you’re looking for chills, you’ll have a good chance of experiencing them with an overnight stay in this haunted Victorian hotel.
After over 50 years in business, The 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa was taken over by Norman Baker in 1937, a fraudster who turned the property into a hospital and wellness retreat promising sick patients a cure for cancer. It is believed that hundreds of patients died under Baker’s care, many of whom have stuck around to haunt the place after the hotel reopened in 1946.
If you really want to test your limits, stay in Michael’s Room. It’s here in room 218 that a worker fell to his death, and it’s now (in)famous as being the most “spiritually active” room in the hotel.
A night in Michael’s Room isn’t for the faint of heart. Previous guests have reported seeing hands emerge from the bathroom mirror, doors opening, slamming, and then locking, and other chilling and inexplicable occurrences.
3. The Marshall House
Savannah is known for its ghostly past (and present!). So, if you’re looking to stay in one of the most haunted hotels in the US, booking a stay at The Marshall House is a no-brainer.
This building dates all the way back to 1851 and was taken over by Union troops and used as a Union hospital from 1864 to 1865. It was also a hospital during not one but two yellow fever epidemics. So it should be no surprise that there has been a lot of paranormal activity reported in this haunted hotel over the years.
Guests have heard children running around and laughing in the hallways, seen faucets turn on and off by themselves, had their ankles grabbed in the middle of the night, and smelled putrid odors in rooms that were once used to amputate the limbs of injured soldiers.
Room 414 is supposedly the most haunted room in the hotel. But book any room on the 4th Floor, and there’s a chance you might hear, see, smell, or feel something supernatural!
4. The Stanley
When it comes to haunted hotels in the US, The Stanley Hotel in Colorado is easily one of the most famous. This 1909 hotel is best known as being the inspiration behind Stephan King’s novel “The Shining.” But it looks like King was right about being creeped out by this place because paranormal activity has now been reported in almost every room in this hotel.
Many psychic mediums and ghost hunters believe that the hotel’s main staircase serves as a portal for ghosts and spirits, and it’s here that paranormal experts and everyday guests alike have spotted some of the most convincing evidence of ghostly activity at The Stanley.
If you’re looking for overnight scares, book a room on the 4th Floor. This is where many guests have spotted ghosts standing at the foot of their bed, having furniture get rearranged in the middle of the night, and hearing children play in the hallway during the wee hours.
For the spookiest room, though, Room 217 is rumored to be haunted by Elizabeth Wilson, The Stanley’s former head housekeeper. This also happens to be the room King and his wife stayed in during their spooky yet serendipitous stay in 1974.
5. Hawthorne Hotel
Anyone who’s on the prowl for the most haunted hotels in the US will want to consider a stay at the historic Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is best known for the Salem Witch Trials, which took place in the 1660s.
The Hawthorne Hotel is rumored to have been built on an apple orchard once belonging to Bridget Bishop, the first woman executed during the trials. And to this date, there are all sorts of mysterious happenings in the hotel that suggest Bridget and others still like to hang around from time to time.
Room 325 is known to be the most haunted room in the hotel. Guests often report seeing faucets turn on and off, lights flickering, and items mysterious getting moved around. There’s often a baby heard crying, even when there’s no baby checked into the hotel.
Room 612 is another treat for paranormal enthusiasts. Up here, it is believed that Bridget likes to roam the hallways on the 6th Floor, often allowing her presence to be known to overnight guests!
But you don’t have to stay in one of the Hawthorne’s most haunted rooms to be spooked. There are always inexplicable instances happening around the property, including spooky sounds, strong smells of an apple orchard, objects moving on their own, and even ghostly sightings.
6. Congress Hotel
Built in 1893, the Congress Hotel has a long, prestigious, and often sordid history with the many deaths and suicides that have taken place over the past 100+ years.
This is one of the most haunted hotels in the US, with many of the rooms being closed to the public due to high levels of paranormal activity. But if you are looking for a fright, you can stay in Room 441. This isn’t for the faint of heart, though, and its resident female ghost might even wake you up by giving you a swift kick!
No matter which room you stay in, you might spot the spooky apparition of the “Shadow Man” who committed suicide in the hotel in 1900, hear a boy named Karel Langer, who died here in 1939, playing on the 12th Floor, or see the ghost of “Peg Leg Johnny” limping through the halls.
7. The Emily Morgan Hotel
San Antonio is a city that’s just brimming with history, so it’s no surprise that there are plenty of haunted happenings occurring around town – including at its most historic hotels.
It makes sense that you’ll find one of the most haunted hotels in America just across from the Alamo. The Emily Morgan Hotel was built in the 1920s as a medical facility, complete with a crematorium and morgue in the basement.
Guests who brave staying the night here have experienced all sorts of spooky incidents. From smelling burning flesh in the basement to seeing the “ghost bride” on the 7th Floor to hearing nurses and doctors at work on the 12 Floor, don’t be surprised if you wake up with a fright!
8. Mizpah Hotel
Some say that the Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah, Nevada, is the number one most haunted hotel in the US. In a former life, the Mizpah was the site of all sorts of Wild West shenanigans, which means a fair share of murders, deaths, and sordid activities happened here over the years.
The most famous resident ghost at the Mizpah is “The Lady in Red,” a prostitute who was strangled by her scorned ex-lover. Despite her violent end, she still greets guests today by escorting them to their rooms and even whispering in their ears. If you’d like the best chance of meeting her, book a stay in Room 502, 503, or 504, which once comprised her boudoir.
Or, stay on the 3rd Floor and you might hear the ghosts of children playing in the hallway. While the basement is closed to the public, many employees refuse to even go down there because of so many eerie encounters!
