Kiwi Curated
5 Storied Hotels for Halloween
by Joy PecknoldWho doesn’t love a good, old-fashioned ghost story? With Halloween upon us, we’ve handpicked six hotels steeped in history that rate on a scale of one “a ghost town with no known ghosts,” to ten “used to be a prison.”
5 Storied Hotels for Halloween
Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Established in 1885, Dunton was a hard-to-reach mining town. When the ore ran out, residents left and the town was deserted by 1918. After half a century as a cattle ranch, it was bought in 1994 and the town restored to provide a unique resort experience. While it was once a ghost town, it doesn’t have any ghosts that we know of, but one could argue the spirit of John Wayne possesses some people as soon as they saddle up to ride. It’s a magical place, that’s for sure.
5 Storied Hotels for Halloween
Malmaison Oxford, England
The medieval castle erected in 1071 by William the Conqueror was a prison before it became a cushy boutique hotel—how’s that for a 180? They celebrate their criminal past here, by retaining some of the old architectural elements, such as stone walls, metal doors and barred windows, and even the dungeons remain downstairs. There are a few ghost tales floating around cyberspace about the place, including one that Mary Blandy can sometimes be seen wandering the grounds. She was hanged for poisoning her father in 1752. Apparently, she claimed that she thought the arsenic was a love potion that would make him approve of her suitor.
5 Storied Hotels for Halloween
The Fairmont Empress, Victoria, Canada
Across the Strait of Georgia in Victoria, another old property in the Fairmont family has a rich history. Opened in 1908, they’ve had some big name guests come and go, including Rita Hayworth, Katharine Hepburn, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. And then there are the stories of guests who never really left, such as Lizzie the chambermaid who died in 1909 when she stepped out onto a fire escape that had been removed for construction, or the Empress’ architect Sir Francis Rattenbury who was murdered in 1935 by his chauffeur-slash-wife’s lover—that happened in England, so who can blame him for retreating to the solace of his work back in British Columbia.
5 Storied Hotels for Halloween
The Shelbourne Dublin, Ireland
Since 1824, The Shelbourne has overlooked St. Stephen’s Green. In 1922, the Irish Constitution was drafted in its room 112, and since then it has welcomed many illustrious guests. One of its more recent visitors, actress Lily Collins, Phil Collins’ daughter, encountered one of its old regulars. Recounting her experience on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2013, Collins said she felt someone in the room, and upon opening her eyes she heard a giggle and felt a rush of wind, which could be attributed to Mary Masters, a young girl ghost who’s made herself known to a few guests over the years.
5 Storied Hotels for Halloween
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Canada
Hotel Vancouver dates back to 1888, but it’s current 76-year-old structure was opened just in time for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth’s Royal visit. So it seems fittingly that such an elegant building with an elegant past would have an elegant ghost. She’s known as the Lady in Red, but her real name was Jennie Pearl Cox, and she was a regular at the hotel’s ballroom through the Roaring Thirties. After she died in a car crash in 1944, she apparently moved into the hotel. She’s friendly, kind of like a volunteer greeter, and the 14th floor is her favorite. With renovations to some of the ground floor shops and restaurant recently done, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Lady in Red sporting some fresh threads from the new Dior boutique.
Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Established in 1885, Dunton was a hard-to-reach mining town. When the ore ran out, residents left and the town was deserted by 1918. After half a century as a cattle ranch, it was bought in 1994 and the town restored to provide a unique resort experience. While it was once a ghost town, it doesn’t have any ghosts that we know of, but one could argue the spirit of John Wayne possesses some people as soon as they saddle up to ride. It’s a magical place, that’s for sure.
Malmaison Oxford, England
The medieval castle erected in 1071 by William the Conqueror was a prison before it became a cushy boutique hotel—how’s that for a 180? They celebrate their criminal past here, by retaining some of the old architectural elements, such as stone walls, metal doors and barred windows, and even the dungeons remain downstairs. There are a few ghost tales floating around cyberspace about the place, including one that Mary Blandy can sometimes be seen wandering the grounds. She was hanged for poisoning her father in 1752. Apparently, she claimed that she thought the arsenic was a love potion that would make him approve of her suitor.
The Fairmont Empress, Victoria, Canada
Across the Strait of Georgia in Victoria, another old property in the Fairmont family has a rich history. Opened in 1908, they’ve had some big name guests come and go, including Rita Hayworth, Katharine Hepburn, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. And then there are the stories of guests who never really left, such as Lizzie the chambermaid who died in 1909 when she stepped out onto a fire escape that had been removed for construction, or the Empress’ architect Sir Francis Rattenbury who was murdered in 1935 by his chauffeur-slash-wife’s lover—that happened in England, so who can blame him for retreating to the solace of his work back in British Columbia.
The Shelbourne Dublin, Ireland
Since 1824, The Shelbourne has overlooked St. Stephen’s Green. In 1922, the Irish Constitution was drafted in its room 112, and since then it has welcomed many illustrious guests. One of its more recent visitors, actress Lily Collins, Phil Collins’ daughter, encountered one of its old regulars. Recounting her experience on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2013, Collins said she felt someone in the room, and upon opening her eyes she heard a giggle and felt a rush of wind, which could be attributed to Mary Masters, a young girl ghost who’s made herself known to a few guests over the years.
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Canada
Hotel Vancouver dates back to 1888, but it’s current 76-year-old structure was opened just in time for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth’s Royal visit. So it seems fittingly that such an elegant building with an elegant past would have an elegant ghost. She’s known as the Lady in Red, but her real name was Jennie Pearl Cox, and she was a regular at the hotel’s ballroom through the Roaring Thirties. After she died in a car crash in 1944, she apparently moved into the hotel. She’s friendly, kind of like a volunteer greeter, and the 14th floor is her favorite. With renovations to some of the ground floor shops and restaurant recently done, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Lady in Red sporting some fresh threads from the new Dior boutique.