15 Haunted Places You Can Actually Stay Overnight
Visiting a haunted location during the day is one thing. Spending the entire night there is something else entirely.
Across the world, historic hotels, centuries-old inns, castles and even a former ocean liner have built reputations for paranormal activity. Guests have reported footsteps outside empty rooms, apparitions wandering corridors, doors opening by themselves and mysterious haunting figures appearing beside their beds.
The best part, or maybe the worst, depending on how brave you are, is that the places on this list aren’t abandoned buildings or locations normally closed to the public.
You can actually stay overnight in them!
Planning a haunted getaway? Many of the places featured in this guide can be booked for an overnight stay, while ghost tours and paranormal experiences are also available nearby.
Some even allow guests to sleep in rooms directly associated with their most famous ghost stories.
From the hotel that inspired Stephen King’s The Shining to an English inn with medieval cellars, a Scottish castle haunted by a Grey Lady and the house where one of America’s most notorious unsolved murders took place, here are 15 haunted places around the world where you can actually spend the night.
Just don’t expect every guest to check out in the morning.
1. The Stanley Hotel – Colorado, USA
The Stanley Hotel was the inspiration behind The Shining.
Few haunted hotels are as famous as The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.
Opened in 1909 by inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley, the grand hotel overlooking the Rocky Mountains would eventually become synonymous with one of the most famous horror novels ever written.
In 1974, Stephen King and his wife Tabitha arrived at the Stanley as the hotel was preparing to close for the winter. They were virtually alone in the enormous building and spent the night in Room 217.
King later described experiencing a terrifying nightmare during his stay. By the following morning, the foundations for The Shining had begun to form.
Room 217 already had an unusual history. In 1911, head housekeeper Elizabeth Wilson entered the room while carrying a flame during a power outage, unaware that gas had accumulated inside. An explosion tore through the room and Wilson was seriously injured, although she survived and eventually returned to work at the hotel.
According to the hotel’s paranormal folklore, Wilson may never have completely left.
Guests staying in Room 217 have reported lights apparently operating by themselves and personal belongings mysteriously being unpacked or tidied up.
Elsewhere in the Stanley, visitors have reported hearing children running through empty corridors, unexplained piano music and seeing mysterious figures around the building.
Guests can still book a stay at the Stanley Hotel today, including rooms within the historic property. Room 217 remains one of the hotel’s most sought after rooms
2. Jamaica Inn – Cornwall, England
A silent figure and child spirits are said to haunt Jamaica Inn.
Standing high on windswept Bodmin Moor, Jamaica Inn already has the perfect setting for a ghost story.
The historic coaching inn was established during the 18th century and later became famous around the world after inspiring Daphne du Maurier’s 1936 novel Jamaica Inn.
Its real history and its fictional association with smugglers have become intertwined with decades of paranormal stories.
One of the best known legends concerns a mysterious stranger who was drinking ale in the inn when someone apparently called him outside. He left his unfinished drink behind and walked out into the night.
His body was reportedly discovered on the moor the following morning, and the circumstances surrounding his death became part of Jamaica Inn folklore.
Over the years, people have reported seeing a silent figure sitting outside the inn who has been associated with the murdered stranger.
Other accounts include footsteps in apparently empty corridors, the sound of horses and carriage wheels outside when nothing is there, conversations seemingly spoken in an unfamiliar language and the apparition of a man wearing a tricorne hat and cloak.
The inn itself also reports stories surrounding child spirits, including a young boy known as Tommy.
Jamaica Inn embraces its paranormal reputation and hosts organised paranormal events. Guests can also book an overnight stay at Jamaica Inn, including designated haunted bedrooms.
Considering its remote moorland location, long history and extensive collection of ghost stories, this might be one of the most atmospheric overnight stays anywhere in Britain.
3. 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa – Arkansas, USA
The morgue in the basement of the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa is particularly scary.
The 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs doesn’t shy away from its supernatural reputation. It openly promotes itself as “America’s Most Haunted Hotel.”
The building opened in 1886 as a luxury resort but experienced several dramatic changes of use during its history.
Perhaps its darkest period came after businessman Norman Baker purchased the property in 1937 and transformed it into a hospital where he claimed to treat cancer despite having no medical training.
Today, stories of paranormal activity are found throughout the building.
One of the best-known spirits is Michael, a young stonemason said to have died during construction of the original hotel. His presence is particularly associated with Room 218.
Another reported spirit, known as Theodora, has been associated with Room 419.
Then there is the basement.
The hotel’s former morgue has become one of its most notorious paranormal locations and is now included on ghost tours and investigations.
The Crescent takes its haunted reputation further than most hotels. Guests can book an overnight stay at the Crescent Hotel, as well join ghost tours and even participate in late night paranormal investigations.
In 2024, the hotel was voted the number one Best Haunted Hotel in USA TODAY’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
4. The Mermaid Inn – Rye, England
The cellars date back to 1156 and the building dates from 1420. Enough time to gather some ghosts.
With cellars dating back to 1156 and much of the present building dating from 1420, the Mermaid Inn in Rye has had more than enough time to collect a some ghosts.
Its sloping ceilings, timber beams, creaking floors, secret passages and enormous fireplaces only add to the atmosphere.
The inn was once associated with the notorious Hawkhurst Gang of smugglers during the 18th century, but some of its strangest stories centre on the Elizabethan Bedchamber, Room 16.
Guests have reported hearing what sounds like a violent sword fight taking place inside the room.
According to one account recorded by the hotel, a guest woke up to witness two figures apparently fighting with swords before one seemed to dispose of the other through a hidden passage.
Another couple staying in the same room reported suddenly waking up during the early hours to hear the sounds of a fight near the fireplace, accompanied by moving shapes and an unexplained drop in temperature.
Other guests have reported doors opening without explanation, figures passing through walls and the sensation of an unseen presence moving past them.
Unlike many supposedly haunted hotels where the supernatural stories come primarily from outside sources, the Mermaid Inn documents numerous accounts submitted by its own guests.
And yes, you can book the Elizabethan Bedchamber, but whether you’ll actually get much sleep is another matter.
5. The Queen Mary – California, USA
The Queen Mary is one of America’s best known paranormal locations.
This one isn’t technically a haunted hotel. It’s an entire haunted ocean liner.
Launched in 1934, the RMS Queen Mary carried passengers across the Atlantic before serving as a troopship during the Second World War. After returning to passenger service, the ship was eventually retired and permanently moored at Long Beach, California.
Today, its historic Art Deco staterooms operate as hotel accommodation.
The Queen Mary also has a personal connection for me. My uncle worked aboard the liner before she was retired from service in 1967, so I’ve always had a particular interest in the ship and the stories surrounding it.
The Queen Mary has also developed one of America’s best known paranormal reputations.
Among the many locations associated with ghost stories is the former first-class swimming pool, where visitors and staff have reported unexplained voices and apparitions.
Another frequently mentioned location is Door 13 in the engine room, where crew member John Pedder was killed in an accident in 1966.
Other stories include mysterious children, unexplained footsteps, voices and figures seen around the enormous ship.
Its haunted reputation has become part of the attraction. The Queen Mary offers haunted tours alongside its historical experiences, and during the Halloween season the ship becomes home to its Dark Harbor event.
But you don’t have to leave when the tours finish. Guests can check into one of the ship’s historic staterooms and remain aboard overnight.
6. Dalhousie Castle – Scotland
The Grey Lady is the famous apparition often seen at Dalhousie Castle.
If spending the night inside an 800 year old Scottish castle isn’t atmospheric enough, Dalhousie Castle also comes with its own resident ghost.
The castle near Edinburgh dates back to the 13th century and is described as one of Scotland’s oldest continuously inhabited castles.
Its most famous apparition is known as the Grey Lady, traditionally identified as Lady Catherine.
According to the legend, Catherine fell in love with a man that her family considered unsuitable. She was supposedly confined within the castle and eventually died after refusing food.
Her ghost is said to appear as a grey female figure around the castle’s stairways, corridors and dungeon area.
Visitors and staff have also reported hearing unexplained rustling and other strange sounds.
Dalhousie is now a luxury hotel where guests can stay overnight, but much of its medieval character remains. Guests can sleep within the castle itself, dine in its barrel-vaulted dungeon restaurant and explore a building with more than eight centuries of history.
Ghost or no ghost, it’s difficult to imagine a more appropriate place to spend a dark Scottish night.
Visiting Edinburgh? You can also explore the city’s darker history on one of its many ghost tours and underground paranormal experiences.
7. Lizzie Borden House – Massachusetts, USA
Brutal murders took place inside Lizzie Borden House that led to its paranormal reputation.
Few overnight stays come with a history quite as disturbing as the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, Massachusetts.
On 4 August 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally murdered inside the house.
Andrew’s daughter Lizzie Borden was charged with both killings but was later acquitted, leaving the murders officially unsolved and creating one of America’s most enduring true-crime mysteries.
The original house survives and today operates as both a tourist attraction and overnight accommodation and visitors can even sleep in the John Morse Room, where Abby Borden was murdered.
Unsurprisingly, the house has developed an enormous paranormal reputation.
Guests and investigators have reported unexplained footsteps, voices, moving objects, shadowy figures and other unusual activity throughout the property.
The current operators actively embrace its haunted history, offering ghost tours and overnight paranormal investigations in addition to normal room bookings.
For particularly determined ghost hunters, there is even an overnight investigation experience allowing access to the basement after midnight.
This isn’t simply a hotel with a ghost story attached to it. You’re sleeping inside the actual house where one of America’s most infamous unsolved murder cases took place.
8. Ettington Park Hotel – Warwickshire, England
The gothic mansion was used as the exterior of Hill House in the classic film The Haunting.
Even before its ghost stories are considered, Ettington Park Hotel looks like somewhere that belongs in a supernatural film.
And in fact, it was.
The imposing Gothic Revival mansion was used as the exterior of Hill House in Robert Wise’s classic 1963 horror film The Haunting. And its own paranormal reputation is arguably even more interesting.
The best known apparition is Lady Emma, a mysterious woman in white who has reportedly been seen gliding through corridors before apparently disappearing through walls.
Another spectral woman, usually described as the Grey Lady, has been reported around the main staircase.
Stories associated with the property also include a phantom monk, mysterious children near the River Stour, unexplained voices, footsteps and objects apparently moving on their own.
Ettington Park has an exceptionally long history. The Shirley family was associated with the estate for centuries, while the building has also served as a nursing home and was used during the Second World War.
Today, guests can stay overnight at Ettington Park Hotel, surrounded by acres of Warwickshire countryside.
You don’t need to participate in a staged ghost hunt to experience this one. You can simply book a room and wait to see whether Lady Emma decides to introduce herself.
9. Hotel Monteleone – New Orleans, USA
Spirits of children have been reported inside Hotel Monteleone.
If there is one city where finding a haunted hotel shouldn’t be difficult, it’s New Orleans.
The historic Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter has welcomed guests since 1886 and remains owned by the Monteleone family.
It also openly acknowledges its supernatural reputation.
Among its most famous ghost stories is that of Maurice Begere, a young boy who died while his family was staying at the hotel.
According to the hotel’s history, Maurice’s grieving parents repeatedly returned, hoping somehow to encounter their son again. His mother eventually claimed that Maurice appeared to her and reassured her that he was all right.
Guests have since reported a childlike presence around the hotel.
Other stories involve doors apparently opening on their own, elevators unexpectedly stopping on particular floors and shadowy children playing in the corridors.
In 2003, the International Society of Paranormal Research conducted an investigation at the hotel and claimed to identify several possible entities.
Hotel Monteleone is still a luxurious working hotel, complete with its famous rotating Carousel Bar, meaning that you can spend the night in one of New Orleans’ best known haunted buildings without sacrificing modern comforts.
If you want to explore more of haunted New Orleans, the French Quarter also has numerous ghost, voodoo and paranormal tours.
10. Ballygally Castle – Northern Ireland
Dating back to 1625 a lot of paranormal activity is reported at Ballygally Castle. Especially in the Ghost Room.
Standing beside the sea on Northern Ireland’s dramatic Antrim Coast, Ballygally Castle dates back to 1625.
Its most famous supernatural resident is Lady Isabella Shaw.
According to local legend, Isabella’s husband locked her inside a room at the top of the castle after the birth of their child. Attempting to escape, she fell from a window to her death and her spirit is said to have remained behind.
Guests have reported hearing unexplained knocking on bedroom doors and encountering a mysterious female presence wandering through the corridors.
The hotel has embraced the story by creating a dedicated Ghost Room in one of the castle’s turrets.
Despite the name, however, the Ghost Room isn’t currently an overnight guest room, but visitors can go inside and see it, while accommodation is available elsewhere in the original castle and its newer sections.
Other ghost stories associated with Ballygally include the apparition of Madame Nixon, whose silk dress is reportedly heard rustling through the building.
For anyone wanting a haunted castle stay as part of a trip along the Causeway Coastal Route, Ballygally is difficult to beat.
Guests can stay overnight in the original castle and newer accommodation overlooking the Antrim coast.
11. Fairmont Banff Springs – Alberta, Canada
The Ghost Bride is just one of the famous legends connected to Fairmont Banff Springs.
Looking like a castle rising from the Canadian Rockies, Fairmont Banff Springs has been welcoming guests since the late 19th century and guests can still stay inside the castle-like Fairmont Banff Springs today.
It has also accumulated several famous ghost stories.
Perhaps the best known is Sam the Bellman, a real hotel employee who worked at Banff Springs during the 20th century.
Guests have claimed to encounter an elderly bellman who helps them with doors or directions before mysteriously disappearing.
Another famous legend concerns the Ghost Bride, supposedly a young woman who fell to her death on a staircase during her wedding celebrations and is now seen wandering the hotel in her bridal gown.
However, there is an important twist to that story.
The hotel itself has investigated the legend and says it has found no written record of a bride dying or even being injured there during the period in question.
In other words, the Ghost Bride appears to be folklore rather than documented history.
That doesn’t necessarily stop people from reporting encounters with her.
Another story concerns the mysterious “missing” Room 873, which paranormal folklore claims was sealed following a tragedy. The hotel offers a much more ordinary explanation though. Renovations combined two smaller rooms into a larger suite, leaving architectural features that helped fuel the tale.
Banff Springs is therefore particularly interesting because the hotel acknowledges its ghosts while also openly challenging some of its own most famous stories.
12. The Marshall House – Savannah, USA
Children have been heard running along the corridors at night, when no-one is around, at The Marshall House.
Savannah regularly appears on lists of America’s most haunted cities, and The Marshall House has one of the city’s most interesting hotel histories.
The building opened as a hotel in 1851 and during the American Civil War, it was used as a hospital for wounded Union soldiers, while the building also served as a hospital during yellow fever epidemics.
Its past has inevitably become connected with reports of paranormal activity.
Guests have described hearing what sounds like children running through corridors late at night when no children are present.
Others have reported taps or faucets apparently turning on by themselves.
The more dramatic stories include sightings of ghostly soldiers, sometimes described as having injured or missing limbs that is commonly linked to the building’s period as a military hospital.
Today, the Marshall House is an elegant boutique hotel in Savannah’s historic district.
Savannah itself is famous for its ghost stories, and visitors can join numerous ghost walks and paranormal tours around the historic district.
Its history alone makes it worth visiting, but for paranormal enthusiasts, spending the night inside a former Civil War hospital in one of America’s most famously haunted cities adds another dimension entirely.
13. Coombe Abbey Hotel – Warwickshire, England
A hooded figure believe to be Geoffrey, who was murdered in 1345, haunts Coombe Abbey Hotel.
Before becoming a hotel, Coombe Abbey had already accumulated more than eight centuries of history.
Founded as a Cistercian abbey in 1150, the site survived the Dissolution of the Monasteries before passing through the hands of several aristocratic families.
Today, visitors can stay overnight at Coombe Abbey Hotel, surrounded by hundreds of acres of Warwickshire countryside.
Its most famous supernatural story concerns Abbot Geoffrey.
Local tradition claims Geoffrey was murdered at the abbey in 1345 and that his killer was never discovered.
A hooded figure believed to be Geoffrey has reportedly been seen around the grounds, while unexplained disturbances within the building have also been attributed to him.
Another legend concerns Matilda, traditionally described as a former stable worker whose tragic story became associated with a curse on the building.
As with many centuries-old ghost stories, separating historical fact from later folklore is difficult.
What isn’t in doubt is the age and atmosphere of the location.
Guests can stay in rooms featuring four-poster beds and historic styling, making Coombe Abbey an appealing choice even if its resident monk fails to make an appearance.
14. Dragsholm Castle – Denmark
A grey lady and a white lady or both known to be haunting Dragsholm Castle.
If an 800 year old Danish castle that once held prisoners doesn’t sound like an obvious location for ghost stories, nothing will.
Dragsholm Castle dates back to the early 13th century and has served as a fortified residence, royal prison and aristocratic estate. Today it is a hotel.
Traditionally, three ghosts are particularly associated with the castle.
The Grey Lady is generally described as a benevolent presence, while the White Lady is connected with a much darker legend involving a young noblewoman supposedly imprisoned within the castle.
Then there is James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Unlike many figures attached to haunted locations, Bothwell’s connection with Dragsholm is historical. He was imprisoned there after being captured in Norway and died at the castle in 1578.
His ghost is said to remain within the building, with some stories describing the sound of horses or a carriage echoing around the courtyard.
Claims that Dragsholm contains dozens, or even around a hundred ghosts have circulated for years, although most of these should be treated as folklore rather than an actual paranormal headcount.
The important part for our purposes is much simpler. Dragsholm isn’t a ruined castle. You can book a room and spend the night there.
15. Toftaholm Herrgård – Sweden
A tragic love story is said to be behind a haunting at Toftaholm Herrgård.
Our final haunted overnight stay takes us to the shores of Lake Vidöstern in Sweden.
Toftaholm Herrgård is a historic manor house turned hotel with a tragic legend attached to one particular room.
According to the story, a young man traditionally called Matts fell in love with the daughter of the wealthy baron who owned the estate.
The baron refused to allow the relationship and instead arranged for his daughter to marry a more socially suitable husband.
Devastated, Matts is said to have taken his own life on the morning of the wedding.
His death became associated with what is now Room 324.
Guests have subsequently reported strange activity in and around the room, and the story of its unhappy ghost has become part of Toftaholm’s folklore.
As with many historic hauntings, the romantic tragedy has been retold many times and some of its details are difficult to verify, but the reputation has endured.
Today, guests can book an overnight stay at Toftaholm Herrgård, surrounded by the peaceful Swedish countryside.
Whether Room 324 is genuinely haunted is something guests will have to decide for themselves.
Would You Spend the Night in a Haunted Hotel?
There’s a big difference between walking around a haunted building during a daytime tour and switching off the lights knowing you’re expected to remain there until morning.
That’s what makes haunted hotels and overnight paranormal locations so fascinating.
These aren’t abandoned ruins that can only be viewed from behind a fence. They’re working hotels, inns and historic properties where people continue to eat, sleep and go about their normal lives, often in the same rooms where strange experiences have been reported for decades.
Some of the stories are supported by well documented historical events. Others have grown through folklore, local legend and generations of retelling. And, as Fairmont Banff Springs demonstrates, sometimes even the location itself admits that one of its most famous ghost stories probably didn’t happen as described.
But perhaps that’s part of the appeal.
You don’t necessarily need to believe every ghost story to appreciate the atmosphere of sleeping inside an 800 year old castle, a former military hospital or the house where an infamous unsolved murder took place.
And if you do hear footsteps outside your room at three in the morning?
You can always tell yourself it’s another guest.
Which of these haunted places would you be brave enough to stay in, and is there somewhere haunted you’ve already spent the night?
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About the Author: Paul Nichol
