3667 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas, NV 89109, USA
When most people think of haunted hotels, they think of older buildings, but the Planet Hollywood Aladdin Hotel proves that not all haunted hotels are old. The Aladdin Hotel sits on the land where the old hotel of the same name once stood and became Planet Hollywood Las Vegas in 2007. Guests of the former hotel included such big names as Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, but no one knows if they have a connection to the haunting of the hotel.
The most haunted spot in the hotel is the Panorama Suite, which offers amazing views of downtown Las Vegas. Dozens of guests reported waking in the middle of the night and hearing someone at the door. The unseen person apparently isn’t alone either. Guests will hear hushed voices in the hallway and the sounds of someone trying to unlock and open the door. Some even heard the buzzer at the door go off. Regardless of how quickly they rush to the door, they never find anyone there.
Guests also claim that they feel uneasy and unsettled while staying in this specific room. These is something that they just can’t put their fingers on, but many say that it feels like there is something watching them that wants them out of the room. The feeling is so intense that more than a few guests left abruptly or checked out before their reservations ended. Those hoping to experience haunted Las Vegas at its best should check out the Panorama Suite at Planet Hollywood.
The Shanley Hotel is a popular place in the tiny city of Napanoch, NY. The area itself is quite secluded and surrounded by the Shawangunk Mountains, Vernooy Kill State Forest, and Witch’s Hole Forest. Such ominous-sounding neighbors should indeed raise a red flag for anyone in tune with the paranormal. Not only is the Shanley supremely haunted, but it is haunted to a point that any guest who stays there must sign a waiver so as not to hold the hotel liable for any paranormal attack they may incur.
History of the Shanley Hotel
The hotel was originally built all the way back in 1845 and started as a luxury hotel for a time before becoming a bordello. The Shanley was originally called Ritch’s Hotel in 1845 and was renamed as the Mansion House. After changing hands several times, the hotel burned to the ground in 1895. Eventually, it was rebuilt and opened for business as the Colonial Hotel and again held a few different names until it was acquired by James Shanley in 1907. Shanley totally renovated and expanded the Hotel with the most luxurious and accommodating features for the times. It was so fancy that celebrities and major political figures often made it a vacationing spot. However, success for James and his wife Beatrice would not last as they incurred a slew of tragic deaths in their respective families with three of their own children dying. Times grew harder with Prohibition and the hotel resorted to being a speakeasy as well as a bordello once more. The Shanleys eventually passed away, and the hotel’s ownership changed many times, yet the three-story, thirty-five-room Dutch Colonial-style hotel is still a major draw, especially with the paranormal crowd.
Ghosts & Paranormal Activity at the Shanley Hotel
The most commonly reported paranormal activity is audible. Guests and employees alike have reported entering empty rooms and hearing the chatter as if a crowded party was going on yet nobody was in the room at all. Laughter and whispers have been heard in every part of the hotel’s property, including out in the yard! Beatrice Shanley’s ghost has been seen over the years, manifesting from a misty form, into a near full-bodied apparition in a white, 1920s-style dress, She is audibly crying, presumably for her dead children. James Shanley was fond of whistling, and to this very day, guests speak about a mysterious whistling noise in their rooms and up and down the hall with no “body” in sight. Chairs have been seen moving on their own, as well as one guest reported that the front door to the hotel opened up completely to her without anyone touching the door.
One of the more mysterious paranormal entities in the hotel is that said to be a man who died at some point during the hotel’s early years. Psychic mediums claim that he seems to frequent the basement and third-floor area of the hotel the most and there is an overwhelming feeling of his presence in particular with the hotel’s central staircase. The feeling is that there was some death possibly connected to that stairwell and it is theorized he is the one who caused it.
The Shanley Hotel Welcomes Paranormal Seekers
Today, the Shanley Hotel is very much open for business to the public. In addition to booked stays, the hotel is also very accommodating to paranormal groups who are looking to make an appointment to investigate the hotel.
The Mohonk Mountain House is a Victorian-Style resort hotel located in Ulster County, New York. With 259 guest rooms, a spa, pool, outdoor ice-skating rink, and many other features, this is one of the larger resort hotels in the United States. It was added as a National Historic Landmark in 1986, and has both a rich history as well as a commanding view of the New York countryside, making this a popular vacation destination.
The Smiley Family, Presidents, and a Little Dirty Dancing?
The Mohonk Mountain House stands tall above Mohonk Lake and was built in 1869 by the Smiley family. The family sought to create a place that allowed its visitors to feel at home in nature. Over the years, the original structure has been renovated and added onto many times, turning what started as a small guest house into a structure resembling nothing less than a castle, with turrets and ramparts to boot. The 6th generation of the Smiley family continues to run the hotel today.
Over the years, many important dignitaries have stayed at the Mohonk Mountain House, including five presidents (Chester A. Arthur, Rutherford B. Hayes, William Howard Taft, Teddy Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton) and many famous entertainers.
The Mohonk also has a small claim to fame as a “Dirty Dancing” family vacation. While the hotel wasn’t featured in the film, the resort experience reminds you of the movie. People will come just for the “Dirty Dancing experience,” however I don’t believe Patrick Swayze’s ghost is making any appearances.
Is the Mohonk Mountain House Hotel Haunted?
While actual reports of ghostly activity are mostly unsubstantiated, hotel employees have long told stories of a “ghostly giggler” that likes to go between empty rooms, laughing as it travels through the Mohonk. Most employees say that the giggles sound like they are coming from a small child.
Guests have also commented they’ve seen rocking chairs inexplicably start rocking, packs of dogs disappearing into thin air, eerie feelings, and visions of people who suddenly disappear. The Mohonk area has a lot of history and does have ties to the Revolutionary War so it’s possible that the ghosts go back quite a ways. With such a rich history and so many great places to investigate, we would say there is a good chance that there is some sort of paranormal activity at play from time to time. We wouldn’t call it one of the most haunted places in America.
Is the Mohonk Mountain House the hotel that inspired The Shining?
In addition to presidents and the like, one of the Mohonk’s claims to fame is that it has been a regular haunt of none other than famed horror novelist Stephen King. Because of this, the Mohonk is thought to be one of the possible inspirations for King’s classic work The Shining, a story that just happens to be about a haunted hotel. While the haunted Stanley Hotel in Colorado is usually credited as “The Shining Hotel” — and has done everything it possibly can to capitalize on this legend — fans have conflicting opinions. And while the Stanley Hotel may or may not have been the start of the “official” story, it’s hard to imagine that so many frequent trips to the Mohonk wouldn’t have made some sort of lasting impression on King’s mind as he wrote his famous novel.
The Mohonk even has a hedge maze of sorts.
As a side note, Mohonk Mountain House stationery was featured in Stephen King’s novel, The Regulators, in 1996. He wrote it under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.
The Mohonk is a great place to go if you’re looking looking to get away from it all, or possibly encounter a spirit. The stories of the child-like giggler still circulate among the many employees, and if that’s not enough, the 1,200-acre estate, the 30,000-square foot spa, and the commanding view of the countryside can make the trip worthwhile. There are also plenty of great haunted and/or spooky places to visit nearby the Mohonk area.
Additional spooky places of note near the Mohonk Mountain House
The 145-year-old Widow Jane Mine in Rosendale, NY is about a 12-minute drive and many have claimed to see the ghost of Widow Jane wandering the mine. The spectral vision of the young Widow in a long white dress has been witnessed in the cavernous mine among the stone columns. The old cement mine has a lot of history and several paranormal sightings have been reported over the years.
Energy Vortex. The Hungry Ghost Guest House has no haunted happenings, but the owners confirmed that it sits on the edge of an energy vortex. In fact, the Northeast end of the Mohonk Preserve is supposed to be an energy vortex. They say that people will come up for the overwhelming peaceful feeling and energy.
Alien sightings. There is a 50-mile wedge shaped cliff that runs along the Catskills. In the town of Pine Bush, and along that wedged cliff, several alien sightings have been reported. The town is famous for its Pine Bush UFO Fair. It’s about a 30-minute jaunt over to Pine Bush from Mohonk Lake.
Halloween at Mohonk Mountain House
The Mohonk features several activities and events during Halloween including a haunted house, a costume ball, trick-or-treating, and more. The haunted house is typically for guests over age 7. You can check out the Mohonk events calendar for updated information.
New York City’s Hotel Chelsea is one of the most haunted hotels in the world, and it is a storied location as well due to the many artists, writers and musicians who have passed through its doors. From Jimi Hendrix to Eugene O’Neill to Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin and dozens of others, the hotel, originally built in the late 19th century, was long a center for bohemian culture. The hotel has seen its share of deaths as well including the murder of Nancy Spungeon by her boyfriend, Sid Vicious of the punk band the Sex Pistols; the alcohol-induced death of poet Dylan Thomas; and the suicide of writer Charles Jackson.
These former residents are among its most famous ghosts, and visitors report seeing the spirits of Sid and Nancy haunting the corridors and the room where she died. Although Sid died elsewhere several months later, it was said that he never wanted to be separated from his true love.
More gruesome reports include a woman who reported a disembodied head appearing in midair during a sleepless night that included footsteps in the room behind her and being gripped by an almost unbearable sense of fear. On later seeing a photo of Dylan Thomas, she identified the head as his. Some report that spirits mingle in the lobby on their way to another realm, and at least one resident says that the elevator is as likely to deposit its riders in a bygone era as to open on the floor they intended to visit.
