As Halloween approaches, the veil between the living and the dead may thin, but many hotels across North America boast of hauntings year round.
Dozens of historic hotels claim to have ghostly lore, but these 10 are primed for guests to check in and mingle with ghosts who appear to have never checked out.
Click through the slideshow of these spooky hotels and scroll down to read about each one's ghostly lore.
Haunting: Coronado, California
Ghost story: The 938-room Hotel del Coronado, nicknamed The Del, opened originally in 1888, and its longest-staying guest arrived a few years later in 1892. Kate Morgan arrived at the beachside hotel notably glum and alone, and, after five sullen days, took her own life. At first, the hotel staff was unable to identify her and sent out her description across the country to try to piece together who she was, who she was waiting for and why her life ended the way it did, earning her the nickname the “beautiful stranger."
Get spooked: Morgan is rumored to haunt the room and the third floor where she died, and occasionally the gift shop where the hotel’s book, "Beautiful Stranger: The Ghost of Kate Morgan and the Hotel del Coronado," is sold.
Haunting: Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Ghost story: Built in 1886, the 72-key Crescent Hotel bills itself as "America's most haunted hotel," and touts several ghosts, including Norman Baker, a con man who pretended to be a licensed physician in the building when it was a hospital for cancer patients. One of his patients who died under his care, Theodora, also haunts the hotel by tidying up behind guests — rearranging their closet or stacking spare change on the top of the dresser.
Get spooked: Guests can choose from a plethora of spooky experiences — from tour options for all ages to premium stay packages and souvenirs.
Haunting: Austin, Texas
Ghost story: Located just blocks away from the Texas State Capitol, the 189-room historic hotel opened in 1886 by cattle baron Jesse Lincoln Driskill, who died just a few years after The Driskill's doors opened. His ghost has been noted to accompany the smell of cigars in the hotel lobby or bar. Additionally, two separate jilted brides haunt The Driskill after ending their own lives after being left at the altar. The last ghost of note is a little girl who died falling down the hotel's grand staircase. She haunts current guests by giggling down the hall, bouncing balls down the stairs or moving toys belonging to guests.
Get spooked: Learn more about The Driskill on a local ghost tour or book room 525, where one of the jilted brides stayed. The hotel is currently going through renovations that are expected to conclude next summer.
Haunting: Salem, Massachusetts
Ghost story: Known for its 1692 Salem Witch Trials, Salem is one of those towns that has so much history and lore, it can't help but have ghost stories at every corner. The spookiest example is the 93-key Hawthorne Hotel, which dates back to 1925 and is named for Salem resident and author Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Hawthorne Hotel's spirit sightings range from long-passed sea captains returning to their favorite haunt, a ghostly woman roaming the halls and unexplained noises in the night. The hotel was named to USA Today's top 10 haunted hotels list in 2023 and was featured in Syfy's popular paranormal show, Ghost Hunters, in 2007.
Get spooked: The hotel has many rooms rumored to be haunted, including room 325, which is presumed to have the most paranormal activity. Rooms 612, 621 and 325 also each have a haunted history among guests and hotel staff. Each year, the Hawthorne hosts a Halloween ball and offers guests a "Hocus Pocus" experience, a nod to the iconic movie filmed around the town.
Haunting: New York, New York
Ghost story: Known to have housed many creatives and socialites throughout its tumultuous 141-year history, The Chelsea Hotel was reopened as a 160-room luxury hotel in 2022. Two tragic heroines roam the halls of the hotel in their afterlives. A woman named Mary survived the Titanic sinking, but her husband did not. She ended up at the Chelsea Hotel distraught, later hanging herself rather than living another day without her beloved. The second ghost is that of a young woman named Nadia, who also took her own life at the hotel. She was raised at The Chelsea by wealthy parents, and, after becoming a young widow, returned to the property to rejoin her family. She found life unbearable and jumped out of a window and out onto 23rd Street.
Get spooked: Known as the Vain Ghost because she is said to always be looking at herself in the mirror, Mary haunts the western side of the building. Nadia, meanwhile, also haunts the halls of the building as well as 23rd Street. She appears in a long, wispy gown.
Haunting: Banff, Alberta
Ghost story: Two ghosts haunt the 724-key luxury, Accor-owned Fairmont Banff Springs that's known as the "Castle in the Rockies." Built in 1914, the hotel is said to have a bellhop who seemed to have never ended his shift. Sam McCauley worked as the hotel’s lead bellhop in the mid-1900s, but his ghost continues to aid guests today. The story goes that two women sought out help from the front desk when their room key didn't work, but no one was there to help. They returned to their room to find a bellhop — matching McCauley's description — ready to unlock their door and let them in. The second ghost at the Fairmont is known as The Bride. The unnamed ghost was set to get married in the 1920s shortly after the hotel opened. However, she mysteriously tripped at the top at the hotel's staircase and fell to her death. Her ghostly figure is rumored to billow like that of her gown.
Get spooked: McCauley haunts his old office — now a guest room — on the mezzanine floor, while The Bride can be found in the ballroom awaiting her first dance with her husband.
Haunting: Concord, Massachusetts
Ghost story: The 56-room Colonial Inn's history dates back to 1716 and played a role in the Revolutionary War. A local doctor, Dr. Timothy Minot, ran his practice out of the building, operating on many of the Continental Army soldiers who were injured in the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Unrelated to the war, a pair of ghosts — a man and woman, thought to be Henry David Thoreau and his aunt — and a young girl in a bonnet have been seen roaming the halls in 18th-century attire.
Get spooked: The two spots in the hotel that have the most paranormal activity are the Liberty Room, which operated as Minot's hospital, and room 24, his operating room.
Haunting: Denver, Colorado
Ghost story: With it's 130-year history, the 243-room Brown Palace Hotel and Spa, Autograph Collection has haunted lore on many of its floors. The hotel structure itself is considered creepy, with its right-triangular design — rumored to be rooted in Masonic geometry — and the 720-foot-deep artesian well at its center — thought to be a spiritual portal. The founding hotelier Henry C. Brown is known to linger around his old office. Floors eight and nine, which used to be apartment units, are known for haunted activities, including the deceased resident of suite 904, who was said to place phone calls to the switchboard long after her passing.
Get spooked: Each Halloween season, The Brown Palace leans into its spooky nature by offering daily haunted tours, and each ticket includes a cocktail of your choosing.
Haunting: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ghost story: Despite its vicinity to American Family Field, home of the MLB's Milwaukee Brewers, many visiting baseball players refuse to stay in the 307-room Pfister Hotel. The hotel, which opened originally in 1893, is known as "baseball's most haunted hotel" — with many current and former players having their own ghost stories to tell, from their belongings moving around in the night to unexplained noises and electrical activity. Charles Pfister, the hotel's founder and namesake, is thought to be at least one of the culprits of the paranormal mysteries at the hotel.
Get spooked: No specific room or floor at The Pfister stands out as being particularly haunted, but guests can take a ghost tour led by a local Milwaukee group to learn more about the hotel's haunted past, as well as hear ghost stories from the city as a whole.
Haunting: New Orleans, Louisiana
Ghost story: New Orleans has long been known as a spooky or eerie city, and the 226-key Le Pavillon, New Orleans, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, has been known as the “Belle of New Orleans” since opening in 1907. The hotel embraces its history at every opportunity, and guests must occasionally also embrace a friendly ghost who comes with the property. Phillipe is known as a playful spirit, playing pranks on guests and hotel staff alike — tugging on bedsheets, missing housekeeping equipment and suitcases self-stacked on carts.
Get spooked: Phillipe is known to be most active on the hotel's third floor, but even without encountering a prank from the friendly ghost, guests can opt for the Boo’z & Beads package during spooky season. The special booking provides cocktails and snacks, two tickets to a walking ghost tour and a set of black, orange and purple beads. During October, the hotel's complimentary peanut butter and jelly sandwiches come pumpkin shaped.