Estes Park's iconic Stanley Hotel continues to be a focal point for those interested in local history and intriguing folklore, with stories of spectral encounters drawing visitors to the historic property. The hotel, located in Estes Park, Colorado, is prominently linked to former housekeeper Elizabeth Wilson, whose presence is reportedly associated with Room 217 following a lantern explosion in the room.
Guests staying at The Stanley have reported instances of moved belongings and unusual lights, contributing to the hotel's long-standing reputation. The hotel gained widespread recognition after author Stephen King's stay there inspired his renowned novel, *The Shining*. Those interested in specific room requests are advised to inquire directly with the hotel.
The Stanley Hotel is one of many historic properties across the country where legends of eerie encounters persist, offering guests the unique opportunity to spend the night within the walls where these tales originated. While the stays are real, the existence of the ghosts remains a matter of personal belief and "that’s up for debate."
In New Hampshire, the Omni Mount Washington is associated with Carolyn Stickney, whose four-poster bed once occupied Room 314; legend suggests she appears at its foot. The 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs has local lore connecting Room 218 to a stonemason named Michael and Room 419 to an employee of a fraudulent hospital, Theodora. Guests are advised that specific room requests depend on availability.
New Mexico's St. James Hotel, dating to 1872, has folklore tied to Room 18 and a gambler named T.J. Wright, reportedly killed after a poker game. This room is described as locked and unavailable to guests, though the hotel itself can be booked. The Menger in San Antonio, which opened in 1859, has its best-known ghost story centered on Sallie White, a chambermaid reportedly shot by her husband in the 1870s, with sightings of a woman carrying towels part of the legend.
On the West Coast, California's Hotel del Coronado is linked to Kate Morgan, who checked in under another name in November 1892 and died days later, a story that has inspired reported ghost encounters. The hotel approaches this as history mixed with legend, offering both accommodations and haunted-history activities. The Queen Mary in Long Beach, a historic ship, offers overnight stays and has introduced themed accommodations, such as staterooms B326, B328, and B334, styled around ghost legends, noting these are not presented as proof of hauntings. Guests should check current inventory before booking.
Other notable locations include the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs, which opened in 1893, where folklore describes a woman in a floral dress in Tower Suite 661 and a spirit named Walter linked to cigar smoke. In Tucson, Hotel Congress lists haunted rooms, with Room 242 linked to a woman in white and Room 212 to strangely behaving doors; guests are asked to contact staff directly for preferred room availability. Austin’s Driskill Hotel has legends of a cigar-smoking figure associated with its founder, Jesse Driskill, and a story of a young girl on the staircase, though historians found no evidence of her alleged fatal fall. Arizona's Jerome Grand Hotel, originally United Verde Hospital in 1927 and reopened as a hotel in July 1996, sees its owners acknowledge stories of strange experiences, with its history documented but reports about ghosts and deaths in specific rooms not. In St. Francisville, Louisiana, The Myrtles, dating to 1796, carries legends including William Winter, who died in 1871; rooms are reservable in the main house, garden, and cottages.
These historic hotels demonstrate a common thread: people pass along ghost legends, eager to imagine the stories an old building has witnessed. Spending a night in such a property allows visitors to experience the architecture and the history behind the tales. The intention for booking is the experience itself, allowing the ghost story to be an element of wonder afterward, with no supernatural encounter required.
