A ROOM WITH A BOO

THE HOTEL IN-SPECTRE Check in & Check Out!

By Amanda R. Woomer (Spook-Eats)

Let’s be honest: paranormal investigators need to be a bit crazy (some might say brave, mad, or stupid). It takes a lot of nerve to willingly enter an old jail, asylum, or hospital late at night, searching for shadows and ghostly voices. There is a heightened sense of awareness—you know exactly how a room is set up, how the energy feels, and what noises belong to the building and what might be… unexplained. You are wide awake and (ironically) never felt more alive when you are investigating the paranormal.

But there is another way investigators can prove their chutzpah outside of the usual doom and gloom haunts. Check-in to a

haunted hotel.

Not many people think of hotels when asked to come up with some of the most haunted locations out there. But many of these hotels are historic landmarks where hundreds and thousands of people have passed through over the years, no doubt leaving imprints and impressions on the energy of the location. But don’t just visit a haunted hotel. Check-in. Spend the night. Go to sleep. Yes, that’s right, GO TO SLEEP!!

There is a vulnerability when you sleep. Unlike your usual paranormal investigation, your guard is down when you sleep, and you are no longer on edge. The number of tales that come from sleeping hotel guests is enough to give any investigator and ghost hunter the shivers… and those very tales should also be enough to get them to book a hotel room for just one night.

Here are five of America’s most haunted rooms for you, remember: Check in, relax, open the mini-bar without breaking the seal, check out (the room) and don’t forget to get some BOOty sleep…. before you check out (of the room, in the morning))

THE CRESCENT HOTEL

If you are into former hospitals turned spa and resort, then the Crescent Hotel is a perfect fit for you. Opened in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in 1886, the wealthy and elite were drawn to the area by the supposed healing springs that bubbled up in the area. Over time, the hotel could not support itself, and it was transformed into the horrific Baker Cancer Clinic. Run by a charlatan named Norman Baker (who had absolutely no medical training), the hospital only lasted several years. However, remnants of those days (both physical and spiritual) can still be seen and felt today.

The most haunted room in the grand hotel is Room 218, most famously known as Michael’s Room. It was here that a carpenter named (you guessed it!) Michael fell to his death. Today, both patrons and staff report strange sensations in the room as well as strange sights and sounds. Electronics like to turn on and off for no apparent reason. The water in the bathroom likes to come on by unseen hands, and doors will mysteriously slam shut on their own. People have also reported being violently shaken awake while they try to sleep in their beds. Michael’s Room is the most popular haunted room in the Crescent Hotel, so it is wise to book as far in advance as you can.

THE STANLEY HOTEL

If hospitals aren’t quite your thing and you prefer historic locations with a literary connection, might I suggest the (in)famous Stanley Hotel, Colorado? It is possibly one of America’s most famous haunted hotels thanks to Stephen King, who was inspired to write The Shining after spending a night in room 217.

According to stories, Room 217 is haunted by Mrs. Elizabeth Wilson, the former head maid from when the Stanley first opened in 1909. The story claims that Mrs. Wilson was lighting a gas lamp in Room 217 when a freak explosion happened, injuring the maid. Shockingly, Mrs. Wilson survived the accident and lived until 1950… the same year paranormal activity began to occur in Room 217.

If you’d like to follow in Stephen King’s footsteps and try to spend the night in Room 217, you’ll have to call the Stanley Hotel directly as that particular room is not available to book on their website. And it would not be a bad idea to book far in advance since this is the most popular room in the hotel. And if you cannot get into the King Room—have no fear! Rooms 301, 401, and 418 are just as haunted.

FARNSWORTH HOUSE

Fancy a bit of Civil War history? Be sure to check into the Farnsworth House, nestled right in the middle of the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The iconic brick structure you see today was built in 1833 and was used by Confederate soldiers during the three-day Battle of Gettysburg (most famously, the sharpshooters in the attic that supposedly killed Jennie Wade, the lone civilian casualty of the battle).

Its role in the town’s violent history has led to an impressive haunting. According to claims, the restaurant and inn is now haunted by at least 16 spirits, including a former midwife, Civil War soldiers, and an 8-yearold boy named Jeremy. And while every inch of the building seems to be overrun with paranormal activity, the #1 hotspot is the Sara Black Room.

For just $175, you can stay in the most haunted room in one of the most haunted hotels in the country. Paranormal claims include heavy breathing, the smell of cigar smoke, and even the sensation of being tucked into bed at night. There are also reports of ghostly figures appearing in the Sara Black Room window that people have spotted from the street below.

THE HAWTHORNE HOTEL

Can’t get enough of America’s dark history? Let us jump from one American tragedy to another—the Civil War to the Salem Witch Trials. The Hawthorne Hotel opened in 1925 as a luxury hotel for the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Over the years, it has built up a reputation as being haunted—a séance was even once held there to try to communicate with Harry Houdini (which was unsuccessful… unsurprising since Houdini spent years trying to disprove psychics and séances… but I digress…).

Today, The Hawthorne Hotel’s most haunted room is Room 325. Over the years, overnight guests have reported hearing the sound of a child crying as well as invisible hands touching people inside the room, and the lights and water in the bathroom turning on and off all on their own. No one knows for sure who is haunting Room 325 (or the rest of the hotel for that matter), but with a history of devastating fires, many believe the land is cursed. THE CONNEAUT HOTEL Our final hotel may not be the site of a former hospital, battle, or tragedy, but Hotel Conneaut in Pennsylvania has just as many scary ghost stories as some of the most famous hotels we know and love. While Hotel Conneaut was not built until 1902, its roots lie in a previous hotel built in 1893 along the shores of Conneaut Lake. The original 1893 hotel was demolished to make way for the new hotel. A single wing of the hotel was left as part of Hotel Conneaut, and it is still there to this day. At the time, the 150room hotel rented rooms for $1 a day. In 1943, the hotel was struck by lightning, damaging nearly half the hotel. And it is that fire that has directly affected the haunting we see today.

According to legend, a young woman named Elizabeth and her husband checked into the hotel to celebrate their honeymoon. The night of the storm, Elizabeth’s husband made it out of the building safely, but Elizabeth was tragically trapped inside. Today, people report hearing the voice of a female both audibly and in the form of EVPs. If you are feeling particularly brave, room 321/323 is said to be the most haunted in the entire building, home to restless spirits and some non-human entities. Photos have been captured as well as EVPs and the staff have seen a little boy so often, they recognize him… and he even recognizes them.

So, if you think you have what it takes, why not pack up your equipment along with your sleeping bag and check-in to one of America’s most haunted hotels? It is a paranormal experience unlike any other, and (let’s be honest) if you make it through the night, you will have some major bragging rights. After all, not everyone can handle a good ghost story once the lights go out, and it is time to shut their eyes… Sweet dreams! Amanda xx