About HauntedHotelsUSA.com
A guide to America’s most intriguing haunted hotels and historic inns, built on the experiences guests describe in their own words, and honest about what is known and what remains unexplained.
The story behind the directory
Welcome to HauntedHotelsUSA.com.
If you’ve ever experienced something you couldn’t explain – footsteps on an empty staircase, a door opening when nobody is there, or a presence you can’t quite put into words – you’ll know how difficult it can be to talk about it.
You know the look. The raised eyebrow. The polite smile. The quiet suggestion that there must be a perfectly rational explanation.
For some people, these experiences are nothing more than stories. For others, they’re something far more personal.
For me, this began long before HauntedHotelsUSA.com existed.
As a child, I lived in a house where unexplained things happened regularly. I remember the sound of the front door opening when nobody was there, followed by distinct footsteps moving up and down the staircase.
These weren’t stories I’d heard from somebody else. They were experiences I lived with, events that became part of everyday life and shaped the way I see the world today.
I can’t tell you exactly what caused them. What I can tell you is that they left a lasting impression on me – and made me interested in the experiences other people have in places they believe are haunted.
That personal history is the reason behind this directory.
HauntedHotelsUSA.com isn’t simply a collection of old buildings with spooky reputations. It’s an ongoing project to investigate the stories, examine the accounts and identify the places where guests have repeatedly described experiences they struggle to explain.
Because if people are reporting similar things in the same places, I want to know more.
Our mission
America has no shortage of hotels that claim to be haunted. Some have centuries of folklore behind them. Others have become famous through a single story, a paranormal TV show or a reputation passed down over generations.
But how do you distinguish a well-known legend from a place where guests have repeatedly described unusual experiences? That’s the question at the heart of HauntedHotelsUSA.com.
Rather than relying on a hotel’s reputation alone, I’ve personally sifted through thousands of hotel reviews, guest comments and written accounts, looking for descriptions of unexplained experiences.
I’m interested in the details people include in their own words: footsteps, voices, unexplained noises, objects moving, strange sensations and sightings they can’t readily account for. I’m particularly interested in accounts that appear spontaneously in guest reviews, rather than stories repeated simply because a property is already famous for being haunted.
I look for patterns, similarities and consistency across accounts. I also consider whether the reports come from different guests and whether the available information supports the story being told.
This doesn’t mean I can prove that a supernatural presence exists. It means I can investigate what people have reported, assess the information available and make a more informed judgement about which places deserve closer attention.
My aim is to look beyond the legend and find the stories that have substance behind them.
Our verification system
Every property in the directory is assigned a status based on the volume and consistency of the available reports of unexplained experiences. The system is designed to help you understand why a hotel has been included and how much supporting information is available.
Tier 1
Featured HauntThese are the properties that stand out in our research. Featured Haunts have a high volume of consistent, compelling reports across multiple guest accounts. The experiences described may involve recurring phenomena, similar sightings or repeated reports of unusual activity in particular rooms or areas.
A Featured Haunt is not simply a hotel with a good ghost story. It’s a property whose reported experiences make it especially interesting to investigate.
Tier 2
Verified Haunt“Verified” means we have checked that written accounts of unexplained experiences exist. It does not mean a ghost has been proven: we verify the reports, not the supernatural.
These properties have written accounts describing unexplained experiences, but the volume or consistency of the available reports may be lower than for our Featured Haunts.
The accounts may describe unusual sounds, sightings, unexplained disturbances or other experiences that guests have struggled to understand. They give us a reason to include the property, while recognising that the available information may be more limited.
Tier 3
UnverifiedSome hotels have fascinating histories and longstanding haunted reputations but little supporting guest testimony available to us. We include them as potential haunted stays where appropriate, but distinguish them from places for which we have found written accounts of unexplained experiences.
A property may remain Unverified until further information becomes available, including a first-hand account from somebody who has stayed there.
If you’ve experienced something unusual at one of our Unverified hotels, your account could help us build a clearer picture.
I believe it’s important to be clear about what our system can – and cannot – tell you.
Our verification process assesses reports of unexplained experiences. It does not scientifically establish that a ghost or paranormal presence exists.
A guest describing an experience is evidence that the experience was reported; it doesn’t, by itself, establish its cause. Likewise, several websites repeating the same story don’t necessarily represent several independent accounts.
Where possible, I look for distinct reports, identifiable sources and recurring details that make a property particularly interesting. I also recognise that not every account can be independently checked and that some stories may have become embellished over time.
The labels are intended to communicate the strength and quantity of the available reports, not to offer a guarantee that you’ll experience something yourself.
We investigate the reports. We look for patterns. We let you make up your own mind.
The most valuable part of this project is the information shared by people who’ve actually visited these places. Official histories and local legends can tell us a great deal about a building. But first-hand accounts can add another dimension, particularly when different visitors describe similar experiences independently of one another.
I’m interested not only in the dramatic stories, but also in the smaller details: a noise that keeps occurring, a figure seen in the same corridor, or an experience that prompts someone to mention it in a hotel review even though they weren’t expecting anything unusual.
One account may raise a question. Several similar accounts may make that question worth investigating further. Over time, the aim is to build a more useful picture of America’s reported haunted hotels – one shaped by the experiences people share, rather than reputation alone.
Although unexplained experiences are at the heart of this directory, the places themselves matter too. America’s historic hotels and inns have stories that extend well beyond their haunted reputations: their architecture, past occupants, local connections and changing fortunes.
HauntedHotelsUSA.com brings these elements together so you can explore a property’s history, discover the stories associated with it and find practical information to help plan a visit. Whether you’re an experienced ghost hunter, a history enthusiast, a curious traveler or somebody who simply enjoys the possibility of an unusual night away, there’s something here for you.
You don’t have to believe in ghosts to enjoy exploring the places and stories behind them. And you certainly don’t have to take my word for anything.
5 haunted stays
Hotels and inns across the USA
4 states
From coast to coast
Thousands of reviews
Researched for first-hand accounts
One goal
Honest, sourced information about every haunt
Have you experienced an American haunt?
HauntedHotelsUSA.com is an ongoing project, and I want it to grow through the experiences and knowledge of the people who visit these places. If you’ve stayed at one of our listed hotels and experienced something you couldn’t explain, I’d love to hear about it.
You might have heard unexplained footsteps, seen something unusual, experienced strange activity in your room or simply noticed something that stayed with you long after you left. Please tell me what happened, where it happened and, if you can remember, when you stayed. First-hand accounts are particularly valuable, and the more detail you can give, the easier it is to assess alongside other reports.
You can also get in touch if you know of a haunted hotel we haven’t listed, have historical information to share or spot something on the site that needs correcting. Every submission is considered on its merits.
Share your experience or suggest a haunted hotel →
This directory began with my own childhood experiences and a desire to understand what other people have experienced in places like the house I grew up in. It continues because people are willing to share their stories.
I can’t promise that you’ll encounter anything unusual when you stay at one of these hotels. I can’t tell you what every reported experience means, either. But I can keep looking, keep researching and keep building a directory that takes these accounts seriously while being honest about what is known and what remains unexplained.
Because behind every haunted hotel is a real place – and often a story somebody believes is worth telling.
We’re collecting accounts, investigating the stories and exploring AmericaBritain’s most intriguingrsquo;s most intriguing haunted stays, one experience at a time.
Real places. Extraordinary stories.