10 Haunted Hotels That Leave Guests Petrified

5. Gadsden Hotel Douglas, Arizona

Named for the Gadsden Purchase and designed by famous architect Henry Trost, the Gadsden Hotel opened for business in 1907, but was leveled by a fire that led to its reconstruction in 1929. In the beginning the hotel was a popular stop-over for ranchers, businessmen and miners, but in later years it became a trendy location for numerous movies including The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean starring Paul Newman and Terminal Velocity with Charlie sheen. When word of its ghosts got out, The Gadsden was also featured on Sightings in 1995.

Both staff and guests have reported numerous paranormal encounters, with many of the encounters having been recorded. Room 333 is mentioned the most, with guests referring to strange knocking sounds, televisions operating on their own, or their hair being pulled. Activity has also been noted in other areas of the hotel including odd noises, sensations of being watched, and the impression of someone lying down next to guests while they’re in bed.

4. Hotel Provincial New Orleans, Louisiana

The Hotel Provincial is a unique hotel consisting of five buildings, each with its own unique history that lends to the paranormal atmosphere of the establishment. Parts of the hotel were slave quarters, while others were a military hospital, retail store and private living quarters. The Dupepe family purchased the property in 1958 and began renovations, finally opening the hotel in 1961.

There are a wide variety of reports of haunting activity at the Hotel Provincial from both guests and the staff. Building five is considered to be the most haunted, with visions of bloody soldiers crying out in pain having been noted in the rooms, quickly disappearing when the lights are turned on. Guests have also reported seeing blood stains appear on their bedding, only to disappear a few moments later. Phantom footsteps are heard; doors open and close by themselves and disembodied voices whisper – all common occurrences at the Hotel Provincial. Several séances have been held at the hotel, resulting in the capturing of recorded audio messages as well as the manifestation of wraithlike visions.

3. The Crescent Hotel & Spa Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Built as a luxury resort and spa where the carriage set could come and partake of the healing spring waters of the Ozarks, the Crescent Hotel & Spa was built by The Eureka Springs Improvement Company in 1886 and included not only the spa itself but also an abundance of other activities such as afternoon dances, elaborate parties, stables and a full orchestra all intended to entertain the well-to-do. While initially the hotel was prosperous, after the turn of the century people began to doubt the remedial properties of the healing waters of the spa and stopped frequenting the resort. This resulted in the Crescent being purchased by Norman Baker in 1937, who advertised the location as a health resort and cancer treatment hospital with promises of patients leaving the resort full of health and cancer free. Ultimately, Baker was found to be running a scam and was convicted for practicing medicine without a license in Iowa.

Today, the Crescent Hotel is one of the most popular – and one of the most haunted hotels in the South. The apparition that is most often sighted is that of an Irish stonemason that the staff has fondly nicknamed Michael. It is believed that Michael died while working on the hotel in 1885, falling to his death from the roof. He still resides within the building, and in particular he favors room 218, where many guests have experienced his roguish personality. Guests report flickering lights, televisions that turn on and off, doors that open and close and loud banging on the walls when they stay in room 218. Still others have seen hands manifest from the bathroom mirror and heard the disembodied cries of a man as if he were falling, while at least one guest claimed to have seen blood appear on the walls.

Guests have also reported seeing apparitions that seem to be linked to the hotel’s time as a cancer hospital. A nurse has been seen wandering the halls on the 3rd floor and many guests have reported hearing the sounds of an old gurney being pushed down the hallway. The apparition of Dr. Baker has also reportedly been spotted. He is usually seen in the basement or on the first floor stairway looking rather confused as if he isn’t sure where he is at.

2. The Stanley Hotel Estes Park, Colorado

Anyone who has read Stephen King’s book The Shining or seen the movie or miniseries will recognize the Stanley Hotel, making it one of the most famous haunted hotels in the country. It was opened to the public in 1909 by F.O. and Flora Stanley and is located approximately five miles from the gateway to the Rocky Mountains National Park. Intended as a luxurious mountain resort, the Stanley is an isolated retreat that is steeped in the beauty of its surroundings along with a haunted history that has tantalized its guests for years.

As early as 1911 the hotel has seen paranormal activity. It seemed to start when housekeeper Elizabeth Wilson was electrocuted in room 217 during a severe lightening storm. Wilson didn’t perish from this event, but from that moment, the room became known for an excessive amount of paranormal activity.

All of the rooms at the Stanley Hotel have played host to some type of strange activity. Guests have reported their suitcases being unpacked, electrical issues and items seemingly moving about on their own. Ghostly children can be heard laughing and playing on the fourth floor, and it’s also reported that the Stanleys themselves still remain at the hotel, with Mr. Stanley frequently watching over employees at the front desk while Mrs. Stanley plays the piano in the music room.

1. The Cecil Hotel Los Angeles, California

The Cecil was built in 1924 by William Banks Hanner, who intended for the hotel to be an establishment for upper class tourists and business individuals who were travelling in California. Unfortunately, the brilliant vision that Hanner had for the Cecil came to an abrupt halt when the economy took a hard downward turn during the depression in 1929. There was a brief resurrection for the Cecil in the 1940s, but in later years the hotel continued to decline along with the area that it was built in.

The Cecil has a long, dark history filled with countless suicides and accidents as well as violence, drugs and prostitution. The earliest death was noted in 1931 when W. K. Norton checked into the hotel and then killed himself by taking poison capsules. Over the next 13 years several other guests committed suicide, and in 1944 19-year-old Dorothy Purcell threw her infant son from a window of the hotel. In 2013 Elisa Lam died under mysterious circumstances at the Cecil. She was found dead in a rooftop water tank several weeks after she disappeared and hotel video footage that was later released showed her acting in a bizarre manner while she was on one of the hotel elevators. There has been much speculation about her death, with many feeling that some type of paranormal influence had lead to her death. All total, there has been at least 16 deaths at the Cecil and in addition, there have been two serial killers who have lived at the Cecil while they were actively pursuing victims. One was Richard Ramirez the Night Stalker, who killed 13 people and raped 11 before being captured in 1985. The other was Austrian Jack Unterweger, who killed at least three people in Los Angeles before he was captured in 1992.

Guests at the Cecil have reported a wide range of paranormal activity including apparitions, strange noises, ghostly touches and cold spots. Most notably, a photo taken by a hotel guest depicts the ghostly figure of a man hanging out of a fourth story window of this haunted hotel:

The reputation of the hotel is so notorious that the 2015 season of American Horror Story: Hotel was based on the Cecil.

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So there’s our list 10 Haunted Hotels That Leave Guests Petrified. Did this listicle make you wanna do some travelling? What do you think, are these hotels really haunted? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on any of our socials.