Halloween and hotels go together like candy and costumes, and spooks and specters are only too happy to oblige after the sun goes down.
Related: 24 Halloween Costume Ideas for Any Budget for 2018
Now, Conde Nast is out with its list of the “most haunted hotels” in the world.
From English castles to Hollywood haunts, here’s a thumbnail glimpse at some of the hotels that made the list – and that have made macabre memories for tourists – whether they wanted it or not.
The Omni Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. This revolutionary-era hotel reportedly hosts a ghost on its 14th floor. Visitors regularly report seeing the ghost of a young man roaming the hallway. Legend says he’s a jilted lover waiting for the return of the young women who scorned him.
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, Canada. This hotel, nestled in the Canadian Rockies, allegedly houses multiple spooks wandering the premises. Hotel staff regularly reports seeing the specter of a woman in a wedding gown peeking around corners and crying in anguish after falling down the hotel’s stairs on her nuptial day.
Another ghost, known at the hotel as “Sam the Bellman” reportedly promised that he’d come back after death to haunt the Fairmont. He’s apparently made good on that promise and is known to return to his old job and move bags around to the surprise of guests.
The Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles, California. The entertainment industry has made a good living making monster movies and ghost stories over the past 100 years or so. But that doesn’t prevent Hollywood from dealing with some scandalous spooks of its own.
Exhibit “A” is The Roosevelt, Hollywood’s scariest hotel where movie stars have been known to check in long after the klieg lights are off. The home of the first Academy Awards in 1929, the Roosevelt reportedly hosts Marylin Monroe’s ghost, who likes to show up in mirrors, peaking over a stunned guest’s shoulders. Additionally, Montgomery Clift’s spirit hovers over this favorite suite, which allegedly looks out over the fabled “Hollywood” sign.
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The Ruthin Hotel & Spa in Ruthin, Wales. This old English hotel conjures up visions (literally) of King Henry VII, a regular visitor to the Castle. Tucked away near the dominant Clwydian Range in North Wales, the hotel has been hosting guests and ghosts since it opened in 1277.
King Henry’s daughter Mary, more ominously known by historians as “Bloody Mary” was (and reportedly is) also a frequent guest, as was Lady Jane Gray, who briefly served as queen and in 1554 was executed for treason in London. Imagine touring the hotel’s dungeons and drowning pool while sipping a Bloody Mary and seeing the real deal float by.
The Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, India. One of the “Seven Wonders of the World”, the five-star Taj Mahal draws up to 8 million visitors annually, some of whom are lucky enough (or unlucky enough) to see the hotel’s now-deceased architect roaming the halls and inspecting the roof.
He’s also been heard wailing near the Palace’s fifth floor where he reportedly pitched himself off to his death after realizing he built the hotel facing the wrong direction.
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