Haunted Hotels
Travelzoo senior editor Gabe Saglie has put together a list of his favorite haunted destinations for thrill seekers this Halloween. Travel to these destinations…if you dare.
Hay-Adams Hotel – Washington, D.C.
Before becoming the most famous hotel in our nation’s capital, The Hay-Adams’ real estate was home to the private estates of Secretary of State John Hay and his best friend, author Henry Adams. Adams’ wife committed suicide on the site in 1885 and when the houses were replaced by a hotel in 1927, her spirit became quite comfortable in the new lavish digs. Nearly a century later, housekeepers find themselves held in an invisible embrace while cleaning and guests hear a woman crying softly as doors open and close on their own.
Hotel del Coronado – Coronado, CA
In 1892, Kate Morgan checked into the 5-star San Diego oceanfront resort expecting to meet her husband, who never showed. After five days, the heartbroken young woman took her own life on the beach and her shadowy figure still walks along the shoreline in a black lace dress. The light over the steps where she died burns out whenever the bulb is replaced and electric equipment in Kate’s original room turn on and off on their own.
The Equinox – Manchester Village, VT
Predating the Revolutionary War, the historic inn is considered one of the country’s most haunted properties and the most famous spirit in residence is Mary Todd Lincoln. The First Family often found refuge from D.C.’s oppressive summer heat at Vermont mountain resort and to this day, guests report seeing apparitions of President Lincoln’s widow wandering the third floor halls with her son Willie, who died as a child.
Driskill Hotel – Austin, TX
The legendary Austin property is said to be haunted by its namesake owner, Civil War Colonel Jesse Driskill. In life, the businessman spared no expensive on the Romanesque building with marble floors and a stain-glass dome so it’s no wonder he stuck around to enjoy his hotel in the afterlife as well. Contemporary guests can catch a whir of his cigar smoke in the lobby or head to Room 525 where the young spirits of two suicidal brides still ready themselves for the happy occasion. It’s believe the girls took their lives 20 years apart to the day in the hotel popular as host of society weddings throughout the century.
Le Pavillon Hotel – New Orleans, LA
Paranormal investigators claim to have made contact with as many as one hundred spirits within this Big Easy establishment.Midnight hauntings including floating apparitions and banshee bedmates have been recorded in guest rooms. The most common sighting is that of a young woman on the third floor. Her appearance is always preceded by the overwhelming scent of rose perfume and staff members and visitors recall the ghost asking for a ride to the ship terminals.
About Gabe Saglie
Travelzoo’s Senior Editor Gabe Saglie is a leading expert on travel deals, tips and trends. He has appeared on dozens of highly-rated networks, including NBC, CNN and Fox News, as well as affiliate stations in top TV markets around the country, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco. Gabe is also regularly quoted in major publications, like the New York Times, Boston Globe and US News and World Report, and writes a regular destinations column for ABC News Travel. He’s a longtime wine and food writer, too.
Gabe’s extensive journalistic background includes stints as a TV news anchor and weathercaster for KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara and a news writer for KGTV-TV in San Diego. He has an MA in Broadcast Journalism from USC’s Annenberg School and a BA in English from UCLA.
Gabe is a Chilean native born in Norway to globetrotting parents. He has traveled to more than 20 countries and is fluent in Spanish, French and English. Gabe’s travel experiences allow him to be one of the industry’s foremost consumer travel advocates.
Gabe resides with his wife Renee, sons Gabriel and Greyson and daughter Madelyn in Santa Barbara, California.
