The World's Most Haunted Hotels Where You Can Stay At

This historic Rocky Mountains hotel is best known for inspiring Stephen King's novel 'The Shining.' In 1911, there was a gas leak in Room 217. After the hotel's chief maid, Elizabeth Wilson, walked in with a lit candle, the resulting explosion destroyed the entire west wing of the hotel. Although Elizabeth recovered, it's believed that after she died, her soul returned to live at the place she once tended. She is one of the many characters that still haunt the premises, along with the spirits of the Stanley Hotel's original owners, Flora and F.O. Stanley. You may hear Flora playing the antique Steinway in the Music Room, catch F.O. overseeing a game of billiards, or find your belongings mysteriously unpacked by Elizabeth.

Downtown Los Angeles isn't the first place that comes to mind when one ponders the paranormal, but a quaint budget stay on Skid Row seems to be a hotbed for it. The Cecil Hotel, or Hotel Cecil, is known for its litany of unnerving incidents, seeing its first tragedy just a few years after it first opened its doors in 1927. Since then, its walls have witnessed 16 murders and a slew of suicides and even housed one of the most notorious serial killers in American history.

The Cecil Hotel saw its first suicide in 1934 when Army Sergeant Louis D. Borden slit his own throat with a razor. Less than four years later, Roy Thompson of the Marine Corps jumped off the hotel's roof, and his body was found on the skylight of a neighboring building. The bloodshed continued with more gruesome deaths and mysterious disappearances, such as that of Elisa Lam, whose body was found in a water tank on the roof after guests complained of foul-tasting water.

Some of the hotel's ghostly residents include the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who died after drinking heavily at the hotel; Sid Vicious, former bassist for the Sex Pistols, who allegedly stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death in Room 100; and "Pigeon" Goldie Osgood, a retired phone operator who was found raped and murdered in her room.

Many consider the Langham, built in 1865, to be the most haunted hotel in London, and most of the paranormal buzz comes from Room 333. Only the bravest (living) souls check in here, and they have seen the spirits of everyone from the Victorian-era doctor who allegedly killed his wife and himself while on their honeymoon to the German prince who jumped from the fourth floor and still dons his military-style jacket in death. Other spooky sightings include a man with a gaping wound on his face who walks through walls, a butler who knocks on doors and then disappears, and Napoleon III, who lived at the hotel during his exile and now likes to hang out in the basement.

This majestic castle-like hotel in Alberta's Banff National Park is surrounded by stunning natural beauty but also by some eerie legends. One of them is about a bride who died on her wedding day after falling down a stone staircase while trying to avoid a fire. Her ghost is said to haunt the ballroom where she was supposed to have her first dance with her groom, sometimes appearing in her wedding dress or leaving behind cold spots and flickering lights. Another ghost is that of Sam Macauley, a former bellman who worked at the hotel until 1975 and promised to come back even after he died. Guests have reported seeing him in his old uniform, carrying their luggage, or opening doors for them.

This iconic beachfront hotel in San Diego has been a popular destination for celebrities and presidents since it opened in 1888. It has also been the setting for several movies and books, including 'Some Like It Hot' starring Marilyn Monroe and 'The Ghost and Mrs. Muir' by R.A. Dick. However, not all of its guests have checked out peacefully. The most famous ghost is that of Kate Morgan, a young woman who checked into Room 3327 (formerly 302) in 1892 and never left. She was waiting for her lover to join her, but he never showed up. Five days later, she was found dead on an exterior staircase with a gunshot wound to her head. Her death was ruled as a suicide, but some believe she was murdered by her lover or someone else. Her ghost is said to cause strange noises, flickering lights, moving objects, and cold spots in her room and nearby areas.

This 16th-century inn in the medieval town of Rye is one of England's oldest and most haunted hotels. It was once a hideout for smugglers and highwaymen, who used secret passages and tunnels to escape from the law. Some of their ghosts still linger in the inn, along with other spectral guests. One of them is a woman in a white dress who walks through the walls of Room 1. Another is a man in a wig who sits by the fireplace in Room 10. A third is a pair of dueling gentlemen who fought over a lady in Room 16. Guests have also reported hearing footsteps, voices, laughter, and music throughout the inn.

This hotel in Colombia was built in 1928 near the spectacular Tequendama Falls, a popular tourist attraction and a sacred site for the indigenous Muisca people. However, the hotel also became a notorious spot for suicides, as many people jumped from its balconies or windows to their deaths in the river below. The hotel closed in 1990 due to pollution and low occupancy and was abandoned for decades until it was turned into a museum in 2013. However, some of the hotel's former guests never left, and their ghosts are said to haunt the empty rooms and corridors. Visitors have reported seeing apparitions, hearing screams, and feeling cold spots and touches. Some believe that the hotel is cursed by the Muisca gods, who were angered by the construction of the hotel on their sacred land.