October heralds the arrival of autumnal foliage, pumpkins, and the season of fun ghostly tales. The spooky season is officially upon us, and Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide are unveiling their ghost stories featuring several friendly, yet mischievous ghosts and superstitious lore. Numerous historic hotels are reported to be haunted by spirits with some spectral guests who never checked out. Venture through the veil and uncover the haunted histories, mysteries, and lore of these storied historic hotels! | |
Historic Hotels of America With Legendary Lore | |
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Nestled on a barrier island off the Georgia coast, Jekyll Island Club Resort opened in 1887 as a hunting retreat for America’s wealthiest families. Here, millionaires wintered in scenic seclusion until the onset of World War II, when the property was abandoned. Restoration work in 1986 revealed the club’s original beauty and elegance, qualities that exude in abundance from the leaded art glass, ornate woodwork, and Rumford fireplaces. From the lofty tower to the encircling verandas and original heart pine floors, Victorian charm still permeates the public areas and rooms once occupied by the Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Astors, and more.
Guests at the resort have been surprised to find their coffee already sipped and morning paper read. Every morning at this exclusive hunting club, Samuel Spencer, President of Southern Railway, insisted that The Wall Street Journal be delivered to his room. For years, it was his ritual to drink a cup of coffee while scanning the paper. In 1906, he was killed instantly in a train accident. Over the years, club members and hotel guests who occupied Spencer's room have found copies of their newspaper disturbed, moved, or folded in their absence. Coffee cups have been mysteriously emptied when guests returned from the shower or after a brief outing.
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Hawthorne Hotel (1925)
Salem, Massachusetts
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Hawthorne Hotel has been an integral part of the city of Salem since it opened in 1925. The stately, beautifully restored, Federal-style hotel is named for author Nathaniel Hawthorne, who grew up in Salem, worked as Surveyor of the Port at the Salem Custom House, and wrote The Scarlet Letter from his nearby home.
Hawthorne Hotel, which overlooks Salem Common and the Witch Museum, is the perfect base for exploring Salem and the North Shore. Hawthorne Hotel is often ranked as one of the most haunted hotels in the country. Guests have reported furniture moving, sightings of a ghostly woman, and unexplained noises.
The classic television show Bewitched filmed an episode in one of the elevators during the 1970s. In 1990, the hotel held a séance in the Grand Ballroom to try and contact Harry Houdini. In 2007, Syfy's popular paranormal show, Ghost Hunters, visited the hotel to investigate. According to lore, Room 325 is the most haunted room in the hotel, while Room 612 and the entire sixth floor, have had reports of a ghostly woman walking the halls.
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The Menger Hotel was constructed in 1859 under the direction of owner William A. Menger and architect John M. Fries. The original two-story building occupies a prominent location in downtown San Antonio, only 100 yards from the site of the Alamo. This original section of the hotel welcome famous guests such as Theodore Roosevelt, Sidney Lanier, Babe Ruth, Mae West, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Sarah Bernhardt, and Gutzon Borglum—just to name a few. More than 130 years of refinements have created a masterpiece hotel with traditional elegance and atmosphere. The hotel now boasts five stories, 316 guestrooms and unparalleled amenities.
Sallie White, a housekeeper at The Menger Hotel during the late19th century, met a tragic end after being attacked by her husband on March 28, 1876, and succumbing to her injuries two days later. The hotel covered her $32 funeral expenses. Her ghost, often seen in her uniform, is reported to continue her duties on the third floor, gently walking the halls with towels and linens, adding a poignant touch to the hotel’s haunted history.
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Historic Hotels Worldwide: Full of Mystery
Staying in a Historic Hotels Worldwide property can be an enchanting experience, especially for those who love a good mystery. Imagine walking through grand hallways where the past whispers through every creak of the floorboards and flicker of candlelight. The rich history and timeless elegance of these hotels can make even the most skeptical guest feel a twinge of mystery.
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The Savoy London (1889) London, England, United Kingdom
Situated on the River Thames in the heart of the West End, The Savoy London has been one of London’s defining luxury hotels since 1889. Boasting some of the most well-known bars and restaurants in London, The Savoy has set world-class standards of excellence for over a century. Many Hollywood legends have stayed at this astounding holiday destination since it first opened including Katharine Hepburn, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor.
In 1898, a wealthy South African named Woolf Joel hosted a small private dinner at The Savoy. A prominent businessman in the diamond mining industry Woolf Joel was a frequent guest at The Savoy and would often entertain his friends and business acquaintances with dinner at the hotel. On this evening, Woolf decided to invite his guests to dine with him in the Pinafore Room. Renowned hotelier Cesar Ritz, a friend of Woolf’s, even arranged a special menu for the occasion, enlisting the legendary French chef Georges Auguste Escoffier. Unfortunately, one of the guests had to cancel, which resulted in only thirteen people gathered for dinner on that fateful evening. Over the course of the meal, there was some discussion about the various superstitions associated with the unlucky number thirteen, including the one that the first person to get up from a table of thirteen would also be the first one to die. Woolf scoffed at the suggestion and sportingly offered to dispel his guests’ fears by leaving the table first. Just a few weeks later, on March 14, 1898, Woolf was assassinated in Johannesburg.
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Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan (1899)
Aswan, Egypt
Situated on the banks of the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt, Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan is an oasis reminiscent of a dream. Blending historical significance with a stunning setting across from Elephantine Island and unrivaled, luxury accommodations, the hotel is a destination unto itself.
Many illustrious guests visited the Old Cataract Hotel including the renowned archeologist Howard Carter and Agatha Christie. Carter visited the hotel to celebrate his discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb during the early 1920s. Agatha Christie spent her time at the hotel to pen her famous novel, Death on the Nile, a decade later. Christie used the hotel and its surrounding environment as the inspiration for the book’s setting. The popularity of the Old Cataract Hotel remained strong well into the middle of the 20th century, incentivizing ownership to expand the building yet again. The addition of a massive, nine-story section called the Nile Wing served the heightened demand. Dozens of new illustrious guests frequented the revitalized Old Cataract Hotel, including U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who stayed on-site while he negotiated the end of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Several years later, the hotel hosted the entire cast of the film adaptation of Death on the Nile, which included Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith, Mia Farrow, and Angela Lansbury. Director John Guillermin even shot a few scenes inside different parts of the hotel, such as its brilliant Moorish-style ballroom.
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