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Built in 1906, this quaint little hotel was once named the New California Hotel. It was built right after a fire destroyed most of San Fransisco. At one time, it was said to have been a brothel. One of the ghosts seen and heard in the San Remo is said to be the Madame who once ran the hotel. In 1922, the hotel was renamed San Remo, and the guests were more upscale. They provided a full dinner in the dining room, and served alcohol in coffee cups during the time of prohibition.

The mysterious “painted woman” roams the halls knocking on doors, but when guests open the door, there’s no one at the door or anywhere in the hallway. She seems to stay focused on room 33 but not much else is known about this woman’s history.

There’s been a small child, a little girl, spotted wandering the hallways and trying to enter room 42 too. Guests have seen ghostly apparitions. One guest reported a figure in the mirror behind her while she was brushing her teeth.

The hotel doesn’t have televisions or phones. The rooms are quaint and have period based furniture. The bathrooms are down the hall so wandering guests will have plenty of opportunities to meet a ghost in the hallway in the middle of the night.

It is easy for people to become attached to places and as far as the Santa Maria Inn goes this can especially be true in the afterlife. Since being established nearly a century ago, frequent visitors of the inn have become permanent fixtures even after passing. The ghosts of acclaimed celebrities and previous guests from the early 20th century have been reported to make their presence known through macabre creaks and vibrations throughout the night. Some of the paranormal activity suggests a musically inclined spirit weaving itself into the building’s fabric, as a piano plays by itself. Also, many guests may feel cajoled to choose the stairs, as an elevator can be seen going up and down even though no buttons have been pushed, and no tenants stand in its shaft at least none that can be seen. Sometimes the presence of ghosts is more vivid, as visitors have reported coming face to face with strangers who dematerialize before their eyes.

The Santa Maria Inn is nestled in beautiful Santa Maria, California a town in between the illustriously sunny cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. Built in 1917, the inn has a rich history which is punctuated by several famous visitors, including former Presidents and numerous celebrities. Although the inn has grown sizably since first being established (it began with a modest 24 rooms and now houses 164 rooms), the charm of the early 20th century remains as various fixtures in the inn, along with its macabre legacy of ghoulish experiences.

One of the most infamous stories of the inn involves acclaimed actor, Rudolph Valentino, who was a frequenter of the inn before his death in 1923. His ghost is said to be attached to room 210, where strange sounds and creaks reverberate throughout the night. Valentino’s alleged presence wasn’t the inn’s first experience with paranormal phenomena. After first opening its doors, the staff recalled strange occurrences and a male figure wandering the halls and famed gardens of the Santa Maria Inn. They named the ghost “Captain”, and he would sometimes even appear during the daytime, staring vacantly at the gardeners before dematerializing before their very eyes.

Various other occurrences have weaved their way into the fabric of the historical inn. In fact, the occurrences happen so frequently, staff hand out pamphlets to guests which include guest commentary. There are also a slew of visitors who have taken to comments sections for articles on the establishment to share the phenomena they became privy to during their stay. One woman recalled being awoken by the feeling of a man’s arms enveloping her as she slept. “He got out of bed once he knew I was awake,” she wrote of the experience. “Before he left, he said in my ear, ‘I drowned.'” Other experiences include those being awoken by various vibrations, loud knocking and shuffling during the night, and feelings of being watched.

As macabre as the aforementioned may sound, there has not been any indicators that the ghosts frequenting the Santa Maria Inn have any malicious intent toward visitors, so being spooked is definitely worth the trip. If anything, the ghosts seem to quite enjoy the company! One former guest recalled approaching what was known as a “haunted door” and after knocking “stepped back into a glass that was not there when I first approached the door. Weird…but fun. Must be a humorous, friendly ghost.” Indeed, when you visit the inn you may risk being awoken during the night (ghosts don’t really have a bedtime), but the experience and subsequent stories to share are well worth losing a few z’s.

The Haunted Ahwahnee Hotel

Thousands of people visit Yosemite National Park every year, but most don’t come for the ghosts. While checking out all of the majestic waterfalls and mountainous mountains, you might as well stay somewhere with some excitement. The Ahwahnee Hotel was built in 1927 to serve as a luxury hotel to all of the park’s visitors. The name was changed to The Majestic Yosemite Hotel in 2016, due to a legal dispute with the government, but the ghosts haven’t gone anywhere.

The Ghosts of The Ahwahnee Hotel

• Mary Curry Tressider, who was a major part of the development of the hotel, lived in her apartment on the 6th floor until her death in the 1970s. As soon as her passing, people started noticing strange and spooky happenings on Mary’s floor. Don’t worry though, Mary is a friendly ghost. Many guests have claimed to be tucked into bed at night. Sounds nice!
• Some say the 3rd floor is home to one of the hotel’s most important guests. John F. Kennedy stayed here in 1962. Apparently, his back wasn’t cooperating with him so he requested a rocking chair. Since Kennedy’s death, people have witnessed a rocking chair moving on its own, even though the chair was removed after Kennedy’s stay. We checked into it, there aren’t any rocking chairs on the premises.

The Ahwahnee Hotel Inspires The Shining

We know what you are thinking, The Shining was based on the Stanley Hotel in Colorado. That is correct, but Stanley Kubrick is said to have taken great inspiration from The Ahwahnee Hotel’s Native American decor. The hotel’s lobby and great lounge both offer amazing similarities to the film, but it’s the hotel’s double red elevator doors that really get the blood moving.

The Ahwahnee Hotel is now The Majestic Yosemite

They changed the name, but they didn’t move the graves! The Ahwahnee Hotel has changed its name to The Majestic Yosemite. The building and the Shining elevators are still there in all their haunted glory so don’t hesitate to witness this great bit of Shining history.

Haunted Hotels: Royal Hotel
When hearing news of the Royal Hotel in Yampa, CO, burning down and considering its haunted history, it causes one to wonder whether or not the fire had anything to do with any of the spirits that allegedly haunt the hotel. According to ABC News who obtained word from the lieutenant of the Yampa Fire Department, a coal stoker malfunctioned. Although everyone was evacuated from the building, the structure was completely lost. What many wonder after the hotel burned down in January 2015 is what happened to the hotel’s well-known ghost, Rufus.

Rufus

“Rufus” was the named given by patrons of the Royal Hotel to the ghost who was reportedly responsible for turning lights on and off, moving furniture around and flushing toilets throughout the facility. Much of his phenomena as well as other ghostly occurrences were reported to have occurred in Rooms 6 and 7.

Rufus’s story is unclear. Although some say that he is the spirit of one of the hospital residents who died in the building from the flu back in 1919, others argue that he was a gambler who was murdered after cheating at a poker game. Regardless, the ghost, fondly dubbed “Rufus” haunted the establishment for more than a century.

Other Paranormal Activity

Another spirit who supposedly haunts the hotel is that of a young woman who is seen rushing through the hallways of the hotel. In addition to seeing her running apparition, people report hearing her disembodied footsteps throughout the hotel as well. Also, some people have mentioned hearing a dog barking and running through the hotel hallways.