Haunted Hotels

Tucked neatly away overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the easternmost point of Santa Catalina Island is the Banning House Lodge. The construction on this picturesque lodge is unknown, but its earliest origin is that of an actual hunting lodge from which hunters from California coast would visit. Beginning sometime in the early twentieth century the site was used a Coast Guard barracks both pre and post World War II. After the war, the property was converted into a sleep-away camp for teenage girls during the 1950s before finally being sold and converted into a scenic bed and breakfast lodge.

The Haunted Banning House Lodge

Three separate ghostly spirits are said to be haunting the property today. The most prominent entity is believed to be the ghost of a fisherman who perished nearby at sea. His formidable presence is felt with an overwhelming smell of freshly caught fish, as well as tobacco smoke that emanates from somewhere completely unseen.

Albeit the fisherman’s presence is just as harmless as another spirit dubbed, “The White Lady”. Her origin is an absolute mystery and she has been known to appear in any one of the lodge’s eleven guest rooms, as she quietly stares out the window waiting patiently until she fades away.

The third spirit is not directly on the Banning’s property, but on the nearby beach shore, visitors have reportedly seen the ghost of drowned actress Natalie Wood as her spirit wonders aimlessly. The romantic vineyards and scenery of this picture perfect lodging combined with the subtle feeling of the supernatural create for guests quite the sensory experience.

The Southern Mansion Inn was the summer estate of the Allen family. The mansion was sold when the last of the family died. It was sold and renovated in 1994. Ester Mercur and her husband were the last family members to live in the mansion and Ester is still there. Since the mansion has been restored, the spirits are very active.

Report of paranormal activity often surface when an old building is renovated. Ester seems delighted with the changes, and so do the other entities.

• There’s a scent of perfume when Ester is around
• A female apparition dances through the mansion
• Female laughter is heard
• Ester’s ghost has been seen in the kitchen

A paranormal group has investigated, picked up EVPs and photographed orbs. Investigators have been touched by something unseen and felt cold spots.

The Haunted Chateau Marmont

Hollywood is full of celebrities, glitz and glamour, but with all of that comes scandal, tragedy and shock. Chateau Marmont has been called “the place to go to misbehave.” Henry Cohn, head of Columbia, told two young stars, “If you must get in trouble, do it at Chateau Marmont.”

With its star-studded history and a touch of infamy, the Sunset Strip Chateau Marmont hotel is haunted. It has always catered to celebrities and the elite, and to this day, the chateau is not open to the public. You must have a room booked there in order to enter the premises.

If you do book a room as an overnight guest at the chateau, don’t be surprised if you experience paranormal events. Guests and hotel employees have reported windows opening on their own, furniture moving, the sounds of voices when no one’s there, strange noises in the night, feelings of being watched, even apparitions of floating heads and the sensation of ghosts getting into bed with you.

Celebrity ghosts in Chateau Marmont?

Some claim that the ghosts of famous celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Howard Hughes, Boris Karloff and Jim Morrison have made an appearance at the chateau. There are those who will insist that the Chateau is cursed since some people who have stayed there have went on to encounter terrible deaths afterwards.

Scandals and Deaths at Chateau Marmont

The history of the chateau is long and varied. Sharon Tate reportedly spent time in the building as a newlywed to Roman Polanski, but shortly after leaving the chateau and while pregnant, she was stabbed to death by one of the Manson family members. Natalie Wood was rumored to have carried on an affair with her director, Nicholas Ray, at the chateau.

Where did John Belushi Die?

On March 5, 1982, John Belushi was found dead at the age of 33 in Bungalow 3 of Chateau Marmont. He was pronounced dead, having overdosed on massive amounts of liquor and cocaine. His last roles on films were Continental Divide and Neighbors with longtime friend Dan Aykroyd.

Does the ghost of John Belushi reside in Bungalow 3?

Since Belushi’s death, strange happenings and paranormal activity have increased in Bungalow 3. A family staying in Bungalow 3 in 1999, reported that their 2-year old boy was laughing and talking to himself several times. When the parents asked him who he was talking with he would say, “the funny man.” Later, when the boy’s mom held up a photo of Belushi to the boy, he replied “The Funny Man!”

World Famous Chateau Marmont Room 64

• Room 64 is one of the most famous rooms in the world with A-list history and is also where Howard Hughes holed up for several months spying from his balcony on the pool. Some theories have Evan Peters American Horror Story: Hotel character loosely tied to this room.
• Bungalow 3 is said to be haunted by the ghost of John Belushi. Guests have reported children talking to an imaginary “funny man” which is presumed to be the ghost of John Belushi.
• Room 79 is said to be the most haunted room of them all. Staff try to avoid this haunted place. Ghostly sightings and activities of moving furniture, visions of ghosts knocking on the door, even a floating head outside the window have been reported.

Ghost Stories from the Chateau Marmont

Angela Bassett, of American Horror Story, asked the front desk if someone had cleaned her room in the middle of the night. The front desk begrudgingly responded “no.” Bassett told the story that she had left her clothes and jewelry out of sorts before going to bed, but once she awoke everything had been put away neatly and things were tidy. No explanation was available other than she had a “tidy ghost.”

A man researching a book on the rock band The Doors was in his suite in a room that the band had stayed in back in the 60’s. He awoke to the sounds of a party. Once he opened the window to see where the noises were coming from, he quickly realized the noises were in his room and all around him. He was quite disturbed and left the hotel in the middle of the night.

One woman reported that someone opened her window and got into bed with her. She was freaking out, but stayed still in bed hoping that she was unseen. Nothing happened and after awhile she looked up to see that she had bars on her window. She then noticed nobody was in bed with her, however the window had definitely been opened.

The Broadview Hotel dates back to 1922. Despite its classic appearance, it’s one of Wichita’s scariest locations. The hotel was the scene of a tragic murder/suicide when a guest named Clarence found out his wife was unfaithful. In desperation, Clarence killed his wife then jumped from the hotel balcony. Clarence is the most active of the spirits and makes his presence felt in many ways.

• Makes phone calls from guest rooms
• Makes crank calls to the front desk
• Moves items around in bathrooms
• Appears to paranormal investigators

Other spirits in the hotel have caused disturbances. Ghost hunters have picked up EVPs. Spirits move furniture around. Lights in guest rooms are turned on and off by unseen entities and cold spots have been reported.

Is the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Haunted?

Even if you never heard of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, you might recognize it. This legendary hotel made appearances in films and television shows like Chinatown, Entourage, Fight Club and Columbo. Built in the 1920s and opened in 1923, the hotel is a cultural landmark in Los Angeles and one of the city’s most haunted places as well.

Ghosts of the Biltmore Hotel

One of the more common stories involves a ghostly troop of soldiers passing through the lobby. It isn’t surprising that some guests see the men walking through the hotel or hanging out in the lobby. The hotel served as a temporary boarding house for sailors arriving in Los Angeles prior to entering World War II. Guests may also catch a glimpse of the Black Dahlia herself. Elizabeth Short, the infamous unsolved murder victim, allegedly visited the hotel just before her death.

The second and ninth floors are among the most haunted. Guests staying on the ninth floor sometimes hear the sounds of a little girl giggling and her footsteps racing down the hallway. Others even spotted her watching them from the corner of their eyes, but when they turned, the little girl was gone. Those staying on the second floor may also encounter the spirit of a former nurse.

Guests of the hotel also claimed that they saw a woman in black in the lobby, and workers recall hearing the sounds of a party taking place on the first floor. At least one person encountered a ghostly little boy as well. No one who visits the Millennium Biltmore Hotel knows what they might see or experience.

The Black Dahlia last seen at the Biltmore Hotel

In 1947, Elizabeth Short was last seen alive at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Short went missing on January 9th and was found on the 15th of January, 1947. Her tortured and naked body was sheared in half at her midsection and left in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. Her body was found completely drained of blood and posed intricately, which sounds like something out of an episode of Dexter. Elizabeth Short was nicknamed “The Black Dahlia” by the media who made every effort to sensationalize the story beyond its already morbid details. Short’s murder is still one of the oldest unsolved mysteries in Los Angeles.

Haunted Places at the Millenium Biltmore Hotel

• The 2nd and 9th floors are rumored to have the most paranormal activity in the hotel.
• The lobby is said to have some ghostly activity.
• The first floor has had reports of noises from a ghoulish party with no one around.