Whether it’s ghosts, vampires, werewolves or witches, the supernatural in some form or other always seems to be in fashion thanks to various movie industry offerings. For the ghost-seekers out there, perhaps a trip to a haunted hotel would be the perfect way to turn supernatural movies into real life!
The US has no shortage of haunted hotels, with one of the most famous being the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in LA. The hotel comes with a whole heap of history – and ghosties!
The hotel is supposed to be haunted by the ghost of Marilyn Monroe, where guests and staff have claimed to have seen her peering out of the mirror in her favourite room. A man in black is also said to haunt the room in which the inaugural Academy Awards were held. Voices have been heard in empty hallways, cold spots appear, and various items get lost and are moved around.
Another Hollywood-themed offering is The Stanley in Colorado, famous for being the inspiration for Stephen King’s book and Stanley Kubrick’s film “The Shining”. The Stanley is home to a number of ghosts, including the hotel’s builder and owner. Children have been heard playing at night, and a homeless woman who died in the hotel has been seen wandering the hotel stage.
Over in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, they have more than just a haunted hotel – they have a haunted town! Ghosts have been known to wander the town, but one of their favourite places to visit is the Crescent Hotel.
Formerly a cancer hospital in the 1930s, the hotel has spectre nurses wheeling corpses around on guerneys, while the ghost of a former surgeon and a lady in white both float around the place. However, only guests with iron stomachs should stay in room 218. The room is said to be haunted by a builder of the hotel who fell to his death, who apparently reaches for guests out of the mirror and screams in terror above their bed.
Up in Canada, the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel has a much more helpful resident spirit. A former bellhop, the ghost has been known to lead guests to their rooms, even carrying their luggage at times – but never hanging around for a tip!
Guests looking for less of a spooky and more of a kooky hotel can find a wide range of themed hotels around the world. The Ice Hotel in Sweden, made up of over 6000 square feet of ice and snow, is the largest ice hotel in the world. Guests can enjoy an average temperature of -6°C, and after sleeping on a bed of ice, can thaw out in the morning with a sauna.
Or why not try an underwater adventure? At Poseidon Undersea Resorts in Fiji, guests can sleep in a water-tight pod 40 feet below the waves and gaze at fish as they swim past their bed, while over in Sweden, guests at Utter Inn can sleep on their own underwater island!