Haunted Hotel Stays for the Spooky Season

Image courtesy of Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection

Spooky season is upon us. To celebrate, we’ve collected five spooky-cool hotels with a storied past — and ongoing haunted shenanigans. People have reported bumps in the night, unexplained sounds, moving objects, apparitions…Each hotel is filled with character, whether you experience uncanniness or not. Read on to learn about some of the stories our community has heard (or experienced first hand). Then, connect with Fora to plan and book your haunted hotel stay. 

Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection

Image courtesy of Hotel Jerome, Auberge Resorts Collection

In the late 19th century, Jerome B. Wheeler, a former president and partner of R. H. Macy & Company (a.k.a. Macy’s), financed what would eventually become his eponymous hotel. He took the construction project over the finish line, bringing his vision for a luxe European-style hotel in the Rockies to life. Since then, the downtown Aspen hotel has been a local mainstay — and has hosted its share of colorful characters. 

Mandi Meng, Hotel Jerome’s Director of Marketing and Communications, shared one of the hotel’s most famous stories: that of the water boy. In the 1930s, a young boy purportedly drowned in the former hotel swimming pool. 

“He is rumored to cause mischief around Hotel Jerome,” Mandi said, “and is said to leave puddles and footprints around the property.”

Indeed, Fora Advisor Kara Kassuba shared that she has returned to her room only to find her tub mysteriously filled with water.

Less spooky, but arguably more historically significant, is Hunter S. Thomson’s association with the hotel. The “godfather of gonzo journalism” ran for sheriff in 1970, and used Hotel Jerome’s J-Bar as a campaign office of sorts. His “Freak Power” campaign called for drug decriminalization, transforming streets into grassy pedestrian promenades and renaming Aspen “Fat City” to stave off outside investors. He lost by 31 votes.

Fora Perks:

• $100 hotel / resort credit, $60 daily breakfast credit, an upgrade and extended check-in/out whenever possible. 
  
  

Hôtel Sorrento

Image courtesy of Hôtel Sorrento

Seattle’s 115-year-old Hôtel Sorrento has several repeat guests — both living and dead. The hotel’s resident hauntess is Alice B. Tokas, once the lover of Gertrude Stein. Alice is often seen in dark-colored vintage clothing, parasol in hand. Barbara Malone, Hôtel Sorrento’s owner, shared how a writer guest remarked how cool it was that on one floor, everyone dressed up as Alice in period clothing — complete with the parasol: “We do not do that,” Barbara said.

Barbara added that the 3rd, 4th and 7th floors have “heightened paranormal activity,” particularly at 3 or 4 am: TV turns on, babies cry, invisible conversations are heard. On the lower level, motion cameras turn on, but no one is there. Water regularly runs in room 700’s bathtub. In the penthouse, the piano plays, but there is no player. (The latter is Barbara’s favorite uncanny occurrence.) The elevator stops; there are bumps in the night. At one spot in the restaurant, trays are repeatedly knocked over; glasses go flying.

On Halloween in 2015, an engineer was called to the 4th floor, only to find that all the hallway lights were turned off, the light bulbs unscrewed. 

“Security footage showed nothing and the staff present saw nothing,” Barbara said. “No idea how it happened.”

Two years later, on a particularly rainy spring day, dry footprints appeared on the wet walkway outside. Barbara asked the engineering team how this could be possible. Perhaps people had dust on their shoes? Yet there is still no viable explanation.

“Hôtel Sorrento is known for being spirited, but it should be prefaced that the spirits are not  malicious, but more mischievous,” Barbara added. “Boo come stay!”

The Hollywood Roosevelt

Image courtesy of The Hollywood Roosevelt

Hollywood’s Golden Era may be over, but at the Hollywood Roosevelt, it lives on. The Hollywood Boulevard hotel was built in 1927, and hosted the first Academy Awards two years later. 

Most of the Hollywood Roosevelt’s ghost stories involve Marilyn Monroe. She posed for her first photoshoot on the diving board at the hotel’s Tropicana Pool. The famed photo depicts the young model clad in a classic white high-waisted two-piece, her hair a manicured ensemble of shiny curls. In the 50s, she lived at the hotel for two years. You can still book the Marilyn Monroe suite today. It’s a sprawling space with vintage Eames furniture, wooden floors and a wrap-around balcony.

There’s a story about a haunted mirror that once hung in Monroe’s suite. After she died, people reportedly saw a sad-looking blonde appear in its reflection, only to turn around and find no one there. A hotel security guard told Fora Advisor Jane Henzerling that the mirror on the stairwell going up from the lobby bar is in fact the haunted artifact.

“He said that if you stand before it, in just the right light, you'll catch an image of Marilyn herself,” Jane recalled. “The security guards at the Roosevelt have the best stories. Use your charms to see if you can score some insider gossip.”

Fora Perks:

• $100 hotel / resort credit, a welcome amenity, breakfast daily, an upgrade and extended check-in/out whenever possible. 
  
  

The Driskill

Image courtesy of The Driskill

The Driskill has been an Austin landmark for over a century. It opened in 1886, in downtown. Today, it retains its classic, Southern charm and grandeur. The grand brick exterior looks like a haunted house of sorts, with an elaborate multi-tiered structure populated with columns and archways. Inside, the splendor continues: dramatic staircases, large oil paintings, towering ceilings, polished tiling.

A young ghost named Samantha is said to wander the hotel’s historic halls. In 1887, The Driskill hosted several of the city’s government officials for a function, as the state Capitol had not been built yet. A Texas senator gave his daughter a ball to play with, and she distractedly wandered over to the grand staircase, where she tripped and fell to her death. People have reportedly seen her apparition near a portrait of a young girl holding flowers. 

Another common myth involves cigar smoke, which people often smell, even though The Driskill is a non-smoking hotel. The culprit is said to be Colonel Driskill himself, the hotel’s former owner and namesake.

Fora Perks:

• $100 hotel / resort credit, a welcome amenity, breakfast daily, an upgrade and early check-in whenever possible. 
  
  

Timberline Lodge

Image courtesy of Timberline Lodge

In Mt. Hood, Oregon, you’ll find the famed Timberline Lodge. You may recognize its ski-lodge-like façade from The Shining, Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Many other scenes in the film (including those with the dreaded hedge maze) were in fact shot at a studio in England.

Timberline Lodge’s room 237, for instance, does not exist. In the book, at the Overlook Hotel, room 217 was the mysterious, forbidden suite. But Timberline’s staff had asked Kubrick not to include room 217 in his movie, lest future guests get scared off from staying there. Room 237 is a mockup. Still, the hotel claims room 217 is its most-requested accommodation.

Fora Advisor Jennifer Didonna shared that some guests and staff members have reported “odd experiences”: hearing footsteps when no one’s around, seeing objects move on their own, feeling uneasy (especially in the quieter corners).

Today, as in the movie, Timberline Lodge is a family destination and ski resort. Opt for an après-ski massage, dine at one of numerous restaurants (Jennifer loves the brunch at the main restaurant) and refresh tired muscles in the pool and hot tub. October, unsurprisingly, is the perfect time to visit. Gather for wine tasting and haunted storytelling in the hotel’s wine vault. Every Friday throughout the month (and on Halloween), it’s movie night. You can guess the film.