The 5 Spookiest Hotels in the World

Published on: Tuesday, October 17, 2017
The 5 Spookiest Hotels in the World -

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Stay at one of these hotels and you’ll be sure of a night you’ll never forget - each is legendary for its nocturnal visitors, who range from friendly and helpful to downright terrifying

1. Langham Hotel, London

London’s first purpose-built luxury hotel is also the city’s most haunted. Since opening in 1865, many illustrious guests have passed through its doors – such as Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle, who set several Sherlock Holmes stories here – but some have stayed for eternity. Napoleon III’s ghost is said to haunt the basement after he spent the last days of his exile there before his death in 1873, along with the spirit of a German prince who jumped out of an upper window after the outbreak of World War I. Others include a butler who wanders the corridors with no shoes on, a footman wearing a powdered wig, and an unknown man with a hideous wound on his face. The most haunted room of all is No 333, where a doctor in fancy Victorian evening wear has appeared to several guests – only in October, though – after he murdered his wife, and then committed suicide, when they stayed at the hotel on their honeymoon. Although the hotel has been completely refurbished in recent years, the spirits defiantly remain – when the England cricket team stayed here in 2014 they too reported mysterious happenings.

Check out our Hotels in London guide


2. Ballygally Castle, Northern Ireland

This castle – now a smart hotel – was built in 1625 by a Lord James Shaw and his wife, Isabella. Apparently, the Lord locked his wife into a room in the tower after she gave birth to a daughter instead of a male heir, and she tried to escape by jumping out the window but plunged to her death instead; her ghost roams the castle incessantly, searching for the child she never knew. According to the hotel staff she’s a friendly presence who smells of musty vanilla, and her room is now exhibited for guests as “The Ghost Room”. Other reported paranormal goings on here include the sound of children playing, and the hotel’s manager said in 2003 that she’d been forced to revise her belief that ghosts don’t exist. Of course, an encounter is not guaranteed – fans of Game of Thrones can offset any disappointment from a lack of sightings by exploring the surrounding area, where many pivotal scenes in the TV series were filmed.

Check out our Where to Stay in Northern Ireland guide

3. Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles

Who else will you meet in Los Angeles but the ghost of a dead celebrity – and what could be more exciting than a spooky encounter with the late Marilyn Monroe? The Roosevelt Hotel opened in 1927, right at the start of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and hosted movie premiere after-parties as well as the first Oscars ceremony ever, in 1929. Monroe was a resident guest for two years at the start of her career, and her image has been seen in the mirror of her room – Suite 1200 – by many. Another ghost from this era, heard plaintively practicing his trombone, is Montgomery Clift – ironically, he stayed here while filming ‘From Here to Eternity’. Like Marilyn, Clift had a troubled relationship with pills and alcohol – Marilyn once referenced Clift in a 1961 interview as “the only person I know who is in even worse shape than I am” – and it’s believed that both spirits are drawn to the hotel as it was a period in their lives when they were happy.

Check out our Hotels in Los Angeles guide

4. Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai

This ornate hotel is probably best known for being the site of a terrorist attack in 2008, but the tragic incident did not dislodge its resident ghost. The hotel, which opened in 1903, was originally designed by an Indian architect and completed by the British engineer W.A. Chambers after his death. Chambers was back in England when it was being built; on his return, the legend goes that he was horrified to see that he’d approved plans where the courtyard was facing the wrong direction. As a result, he committed suicide by jumping out the 5th floor, and his spirit has been heard by guests and staff alike pacing the hallways and the roof terrace. “Is this hotel haunted?” someone asked on TripAdvisor, with one wag replying, ‘the only spirits here are in the bar”, but this hasn’t stopped curious ghost hunters from booking a stay.

Check out our Hotels in Mumbai guide

5. Nottingham Road Hotel, South Africa

A reputedly beautiful prostitute – or she may have been a chambermaid – by the name of Charlotte is said to have grown attached to a soldier stationed nearby at the turn of the last century, and when he did not return to her – either due to death or fickleness – she threw herself off the balcony of Room 10 at this Kwazulu hotel (or she may have been pushed; stories differ). Charlotte, at least, helps out: she is said to rearrange flowers, straighten bedding and tidy guests’ clothes. If you don’t meet Charlotte during your stay, the excellent food in the hotel restaurant might go some way to compensate you.

Check out our Where to Stay in South Africa guide