These Are The Most Haunted Hotels In America

Sure, watching scary movies and planning festive parties are great ways to gear up for Halloween. But why not up the ante this year and stay at one of the most haunted hotels in the country instead? From resorts that inspired horror novels to historic sites housing ghostly royalty, these accommodations are the best of the best when it comes to communing with the dead.

And we're not talking about one-off occurrences of paranormal activity. These hotel apparitions have been vetted by experts and are frequently spotted by guests. But don't be too scared: Most of the spirits you'll encounter are friendly ghosts — even the one who's managed to terrify multiple NBA teams.

This Halloween it's time to pack your bags, binge-watch your favorite ghost-hunting shows and book a room at one of these charming haunts. Not looking to travel? The stories behind these places will give you the Halloween shivers even from the comfort of your own home!

1. Le Pavillon Hotel In New Orleans, Louisiana

Originally built in 1907, this iconic NOLA hotel is a favorite for those who crave luxury with a side of old-fashioned haunting. Many guests have reported paranormal events like showers turning on in the middle of the night and sheets being pulled to the bottom of the bed while they sleep.

Anna is one of the hotel's most popular ghosts in residence. The little girl's spirit apparently has roamed the lobby ever since she was struck by a runaway carriage years ago. But one terrified hotel guest had a scarier encounter, claiming he was awoken by the ghost of an old woman stroking his head and whispering, "I will never let you go."

If you're feeling brave, book the hotel's "Haunted History" package (with the code PKGHH). It'll get you a deluxe room, a memoir of the hotel's ghostly activities, tickets to the Walking Ghost Tour and two drink tickets.

Book a room at Le Pavillon Hotel

2.The Historic Anchorage Hotel In Anchorage, Alaska

Paranormal encounters are so common at the Anchorage Hotel that the concierge keeps a ghost log where guests can record their spooky stories. Everything from rustling curtains and moving shower curtains to pictures flying off the walls has been documented over the years.

Locals believe these stories are related to Anchorage's first chief of police, who was murdered just steps from the hotel in 1921. It's rumored that each year he returns to the scene of the unsolved crime looking for justice.

Book a room at The Historic Anchorage Hotel

3. Hotel Del Coronado In Coronado, California

Fans of Marilyn Monroe might recognize this hotel from her 1958 film "Some Like It Hot." But the hotel is also well known for its resident ghost, Kate Morgan. As the legend goes, Morgan was a 24-year-old hotel guest who took her own life in 1892 after her lover never turned up for their planned rendezvous.

Book her third-floor guest room — the hotel's most highly requested room — and you might just catch signs of Morgan's ghost. Many visitors have reported odd goings-on, like flickering lights, a television that turns on by itself, inexplicable breezes, sudden changes in room temperature and strange footsteps and voices. If you can't book Morgan's room, try looking for her in the hotel gift shop, where merchandise (literally) flies off the shelves but never breaks.

Book a room at the Hotel Del Coronado

4. The Stanley Hotel In Estes Park, Colorado

If a hotel is haunted enough for Stephen King, you know it has some serious spook appeal. The thriller novelist got his inspiration for "The Shining's" Overlook Hotel (aka the scariest hotel in fictional history) while staying at The Stanley.

Stay in one of the hotel’s famous “spirited rooms,” which include The Stephen King Suite 217 (naturally), as well as rooms 401, 407, 428 and 1302. All of these accommodations get lots of ghostly foot traffic, according to the hotel and the paranormal experts from the Travel Channel series "Ghost Adventures."

Book a room at the Stanley Hotel

5. The Omni Shoreham Hotel In Washington, D.C.

In 1933, the wealthy Doherty family took up residence in a suite at the Shoreham Hotel, where they lived in lavish elegance for 40 years. But their beautiful suite was also the site of two tragic deaths. The family's housekeeper, Juliette Brown, died unexpectedly while trying to make a phone call. Then the Dohertys' adopted daughter, Helen, died under mysterious circumstances.

The Dohertys moved out of the Shoreham in 1973, and their suite was condemned shortly thereafter. But as early as 1975, a number of guests said they experienced unusual occurrences in the wing that surrounded the suite. Televisions and lights frequently turn on at 4 a.m., and housekeeping carts will sometimes move on their own.

Today the suite is restored and aptly renamed The Ghost Suite, where you can choose to stay — if you dare.

Book a room at the Omni Shoreham Hotel

6. The Mason House Inn In Bentonsport, Iowa

According to owner Joy Hanson, the Mason House Inn is inhabited by several friendly spirits. "Some are previous owners who are still trying to take care of the inn and the guests," she says. If you're lucky, you might even encounter Josephine the ghost cat, who's been known to jump on guests' beds from time to time.

Various ghost-hunting groups and classes are hosted at the inn throughout the year, and a Ghost Stories Supper and program is offered annually around Halloween.

Book a room at the Mason House Inn

7. The Skirvin Hilton Hotel In Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Hotel management is quick to shut down any ghostly rumors surrounding this 103-year-old hotel. But ask any of the NBA teams who have stayed at the Skirvin Hilton during away games, and they'll tell you otherwise. Players from the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls are adamant the hotel's 10th floor is haunted by the ghost of a housekeeper named Effie. One Phoenix Suns player reported that his room's bathtub filled up with water on its own.

ESPN's Bill Simmons "swears on Tom Brady's ACLs" that he was jolted awake in the middle of the night by sounds of a baby crying in his hotel room. (Effie is rumored to have jumped to her death with her baby in hand.)

Whether the hotel is haunted or not, we're guessing the Oklahoma City Thunder appreciate the ghosts for depriving their opponents of a good night's sleep.

Book a room at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel.

8. The Omni Mount Washington Hotel In Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

When artisans and laborers built the Mount Washington Hotel in 1902, they followed Italian tradition and gave each staircase to the second floor a different number of stairs to confuse ghosts.

Butthey didn't anticipate that the owner's widowed bride, Carolyn Foster Stickney — who helped develop the hotel and visited every season — would eventually become one of the hotel ghosts. Needless to say, she is not the least bit tripped up by the stairs.

After Stickney married French royalty, she became known around the hotel as “the Princess" and often hosted lavish parties in her private dining room. Since her death in 1936, hotel employees have caught frequent glimpses of the elegant Princess coming down the stairs for dinner or switching lights on and off in one of the towers.

Today you can book her third-floor room and sleep in her original four-post bed. Just be prepared to wake up to the sight of a regal woman brushing her hair at the foot of it!

Book a room at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel

9. The Old Mystic Inn In Old Mystic, Connecticut

According to the owner of the Old Mystic Inn, Michael S. Cardillo Jr., there are a few ghosts who have roamed its halls for years. A few spirits of note include a woman spinning wool in the dining room, a little girl known to tug on guests' clothes and a woman the innkeeper once caught watching him as he prepared breakfast for guests in the kitchen.

Guests of the historic inn have also reported lights flickering, door latches opening on their own and the sudden smell of a cigar or pipe in their empty rooms. Stay in one of its eight rooms to see if you can sense the otherworldliness for yourself. But don't be alarmed — the hotel's owner insists that all of spirits are friendly.

Book a room at The Old Mystic Inn

10. The Crescent Hotel & Spa In Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Nestled deep in the Ozark mountains, The Crescent Hotel & Spa calls itself America's most haunted hotel — and for good reason. At one point the building was a hospital and morgue.

Sign up for one of the hotel's nightly ghost tours, where you might catch sight of Michael, the Irish stonemason who fell to his death while building the hotel in 1885; Theodora, the hospital patient who can't find her room key; the ghost nurse; or the woman often seen clad in Victorian-era lingerie.

Book a room at The Crescent Hotel & Spa