Would You Ever Stay in a Haunted Hotel? Why Some Properties are Embracing Their Ghostly Past

Whether you’re spending a night at a quaint bed and breakfast or splurging on a buzzy accommodation, a hotel is often more than a convenient place to stay while away from home. If you look closely—and do some research—many spots are packed with history. Some sites once served a completely different purpose and only recently started their second life as a hotel. There are also plenty of properties with a roster of star-studded guests. And other hotels? Well, their legacies rest in some unexplainable—dare we say paranormal—visitors. However, instead of hiding their haunted history, many hotels are embracing it. 

“Many guests are sensory,” explains Gina Petrone, heritage manager of Hotel del Coronado.  “They want to feel a historic place, connect with its past, and essentially become a part of its history. Whether it’s general history, architectural details, famous guests, or spiritual guests who never left, hearing these stories in the places they occurred creates an authentic and memorable experience.”

Hotel del Coronado

The most ghostly guest at the Southern California property was Kate Morgan, a young woman who checked into Hotel del Coronado on Thanksgiving Day in 1892—and was found dead on a staircase leading down to the beach several days later. Though the hotel first experienced paranormal activity on the fifth floor in 1969, it wasn’t until 1989 that the haunted happenings were linked to Morgan and her guest room on the third floor. Today, the hotel showcases the spine-tingling story with its Haunted Happenings Tour, a 45-minute look into Morgan’s life and legacy. 

“Many of our ghost tour guests are already aware of and intrigued by Kate Morgan and her story,” Petrone says. “The tour not only attracts hotel guests but visitors as well who want to physically be in the same areas that Kate would have experienced in 1892.”

While Hotel del Coronado hosts its sinister offerings year-round, the Claremont Club & Spa leans into its eerie past around Halloween with the Haunted History Tour. The Berkeley property’s program takes guests through the Claremont’s most legendary halls, providing behind-the-scenes access to some areas not generally open to the public.

Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel

“Since the Claremont opened in 1915, stories of ghostly encounters have persisted, fueled by the hotel’s rich history and dramatic location,” says Laura Christensen, the hotel’s concierge supervisor. The most frequent sighting at the Claremont Club & Spa is a Victorian woman in a high-necked collar, who many believe to be the spirit of Mrs. Thornburg. As the wife of Bill Thornburg, the property’s original owner whose estate was lost during a wildfire in 1901, Mrs. Thornburg reportedly died of a broken heart after her daughter eloped to Europe with an Englishman she met at a party.

Both hotels agree that their haunted pasts are well-received by guests. In fact, some might argue that these otherworldly occurrences is what takes these properties from another hotel option to the ultimate destination. But what about guests who are a little creeped out by the ghost stories? Given the subject matter surrounding Morgan’s death, Hotel del Coronado prohibits guests under 12 years old from attending the tour. Meanwhile, Christensen reminds us that hauntings are seldom what we see in horror movies. “They say that guests haunt where they were happiest,” she quips. 

Claremont Club & Spa, A Fairmont Hotel

If you want to visit a paranormal property, talk to the staff. In fact, many hotel employees might be itching to share their own ghost stories—or point you in the direction of potentially “active” areas. Meanwhile, Petrone recommends arriving prepared. “Take photos [because] you never know what you’ll capture—and we receive many photos and videos every year,” she recommends. “We also encourage tour guests to utilize ghost detection apps during the tour and the content that is often generated adds a fun, in-the-moment experience.”

But the most important thing to pack for your stay? An open mind. Petrone says: “Some of our tour guests are non-believers in paranormal activity, only accompanying family or friends, and seeing them begin to question what they’ve seen or heard is always fun.”