Note: All travel is subject to frequently changing governmental restrictions—please check federal, state and local advisories before scheduling trips. This article was updated October 2021.

Do you scare easily? With Halloween just around the corner, you’re bound to find out soon. Whether it’s ghost stories, things that go bump in the night, or famous masked maniacs, everyone has that something that causes a few extra goosebumps and makes their hair stand on end. For us, haunted hotels top the list. As avid travelers, we love exploring hotels — especially historic ones with extraordinary tales behind them. But sometimes as the chapters unfold, so do the mysteries … leaving you with a feeling that’s more creepy than cozy. If the chance of spotting a ghost on your next vacation sounds like your kind of getaway, these 13 haunted hotels may be just the kind of adventure you’re seeking.

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Cosmopolitan Hotel: San Diego, CA

The story of the Cosmopolitan Hotel begins in 1827, when Don Juan Bandini, one of San Diego’s first settlers, built the largest home in Old Town. His goal was to make his wife and daughters comfortable, and the result was absolutely stunning. A few decades later, the city began to grow around the grand house which was converted into a two-story hotel and restaurant. Legend has it room 11, where one of Bandini’s daughters enjoyed staying during her childhood, is haunted. From curtains opening to a cat purring in the night, there’s no shortage of ghost stories here. In 2015 the hotel underwent a renovation, but the ghosts have remained!

Crescent Hotel: Eureka Springs, AR

It’s been called a “symbol of hospitality” and a well-preserved piece of American history. But another reason to take interest in the beautiful Crescent Hotel? Well, it’s also considered to be America’s Most Haunted Hotel. Any hotel built as far back as 1886 is bound to have a few stories, but the Crescent’s are a bit more spooky than you might expect. The property’s lingering spirits include Michael, an Irish stonemason who fell to his death while building the hotel, and Theodora, a deceased cancer patient who’s still in search of her room key. The list goes on. Want your own haunted tale? Book a room and see who you’ll encounter. Yes, they offer ghost tours!

Hassayampa Inn: Prescott, AZ

It wasn’t long after the Hassayampa Inn opened in 1927 that it had a tragic turn of events. A newlywed couple were enjoying a romantic honeymoon in Grand Balcony Suite 426, when the husband left to run a quick errand. He never returned, and after three days of being alone in the hotel, his new wife Faith committed suicide. Since her untimely death, stories about her presence within the historic hotel have endured. Legend has it she can be seen floating down the hallway wearing a pink gown, and she’s caused more than a few disturbances in the late night hours by turning on radios and TVs, banging doors and even appearing at guests’ bedsides crying and holding flowers.

Hotel Galvez: Galveston, TX

At Galveston’s historic Hotel Galvez, room 501 boasts a commanding view of the Gulf of Mexico, and harbors a ghostly guest who has inhabited the room for the past fifty years. In the 1950s, a young woman named Audra was staying in room 501 while waiting for her seafaring fiancé to return. However, she learned via telegram that his ship had gone down at sea and that he was presumed dead. Overcome by despair, Audra took her own life, but to this day legend has it she still waits in room 501, looking out to the sea for her beloved to return.

Le Pavillon: New Orleans, LA

In a city famous for its apparitions, the Le Pavillon (which opened in 1907 as the Hotel Denechaud) in New Orleans is recognized as especially haunted. Guests have reported strange occurrences such as showers inexplicably turning on in the middle of the night, sheets being pulled to the foot of the bed, and travel items found in odd places around the room. Unlike the spectral descriptions of some ghosts, the Le Pavillon staff describes their resident spirits as being rather lifelike.

Omni Parker House: Boston, MA

Situated in downtown Boston, Omni Parker House is a beautiful 19th-century hotel within walking distance of Quincy Market, Beacon Hill, and more. But the oldest continuously operating hotel in the United States also supposedly boasts an inhabitant—original owner Harvey Parker. According to reports by various guests throughout the years, Parker roams the halls on the 10th floor in 19th-century attire. Along with sightings of the friendly owner himself, other 10th floor guests have claimed that they’ve heard the sound of a rocking chair (despite there being no such chairs in the hotel), as well as bright orbs of light floating down the corridor.

Kingsmill Resort: Williamsburg, VA

Any town as old and historic as Williamsburg is bound to host a few chain-rattling ghosts, right? At the Estate House at Kingsmill Resort, be on the lookout for the “woman in a white dress” and the sounds of a child laughing—at midnight. Apparitions should come as no surprise though considering the resort is built partially over a 17-th century cemetery. Then again, who wouldn’t want to haunt these digs? The bookable Estate House (first owned by the Busch family of Budweiser fame) recently underwent a $3 million renovation including new fixtures and furnishings from Restoration Hardware.

Santa Maria Inn: San Luis Obispo, CA

The century-old Santa Maria Inn was a popular stopping-off point for celebrities going to and from California in the early days of the movie industry. So popular, in fact, that at least one silent film star has overstayed his reservation by almost 100 years. One room is said to still be a favorite spot of Rudolph Valentino, who can sometimes be seen relaxing in bed, while another room reportedly harbors a sea captain who was murdered by his mistress soon after the hotel’s original opening. 

The Drake Hotel: Chicago, IL

Now here’s a tragic tale. It was the age of opulence when The Drake Hotel first opened its doors in 1920, and still to this day considered one of Chicago’s grandest hotels. But behind the glitz and glamour, there’s a darker side to the luxurious icon listed among the Historic Hotels of America. The Drake has had its share of famous guests, including Walt Disney and Marilyn Monroe, but perhaps the most recognized is one who chose to never leave. According to legend, the hotel’s magnificent opening-night gala turned mournful when a woman caught her husband enthralled with another female guest in attendance. The devastation resulted in her climbing to the roof and jumping to her death, and ever since guests have reported seeing the “Woman in Red” in various places throughout the hotel.

The Mayflower Hotel: Washington, DC

The Mayflower Hotel has a wealth of history behind it, and quite a bit is presidential in nature. Sworn in after the death of Warren Harding, President Calvin Coolidge held his first inaugural ball at the hotel on January 20, 1925, but at the last minute decided to skip the event, as he was mourning the recent passing of his son. Every year on January 20 at 10pm, the lights in the Grand Ballroom flicker and one of the hotel’s elevators pauses on the 8th floor for several minutes… the same floor Coolidge was staying on.

The Queen Mary: Long Beach, CA

Lots of people will tell you the Queen Mary, SoCal’s famous oceanliner-turned-hotel is home to spirits, but that’s because most folks visit the storied property during Halloween’s Dark Harbor event, when the hull of the ship is literally turned into a haunted maze! But overnight guests visiting other times of year tell a similar story. Namely, that the ship is inhabited by the ghosts of a sailor who died in the ship’s engine room, a “lady in white,” and children who drowned in the ship’s pool. Book a Paranormal Investigation or Haunted Encounters tour to learn more.

Whitehall Mansion Inn: Mystic, CT

Light sleepers beware, Whitehall Mansion Inn is known for rousing guests in mysterious ways. Built in 1771 by Dr. Dudley Woodbridge, the hotel has served many purposes over its long history, including as Woodbridge’s medical clinic and later as a refuge for runaway slaves. Offering only five rooms complete with fireplaces, the hotel certainly has its charms—that is, if you don’t mind the chance sighting of “floating clouds,” footsteps in the night, encounters with a young girl in a long dress, and children laughing. If you keep in mind this is an adults-only inn, the appearance of children makes it even spookier.

The Mizpah Hotel: Tonopah, NV

The fear factor is high in this old mining town located midway between Reno and Las Vegas. Not only does the “World Famous” Clown Motel boast hundreds of freaky clown dolls and happen to sit nearby an allegedly haunted cemetery, but its most famous landmark is similarly spooky. The Mizpah Hotel is long on haunted history. Supposedly there is a keno game board that still lights up (even though it’s been unplugged for decades), the sounds of children can be heard playing on the third floor hallway late at night, and then there is the Lady in Red whose spirit wanders the fifth floor. You can even stay in the room named after her—if you dare.

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