12 Spooky Historic Hotels in the USA You Can Actually Stay In

I have always loved the creak of an old staircase. There is a particular kind of quiet that settles into a century-old lobby after the front desk lights dim, a hush that feels less empty than watched, in the friendliest possible way.

Every grand old hotel keeps a few secrets in its walls, and the best ones are more than happy to share them with anyone who checks in for the night.

Old wallpaper, older elevators, a portrait whose eyes seem to follow you down the hall. It is part of the fun of staying somewhere with real history behind it, the kind of place where the bellhop has a favorite story ready.

Across the country, a certain kind of traveler seeks out these places on purpose, chasing the creaky grandeur of a hotel that has hosted a century of guests, some of whom, legend says, never quite checked out.

These are not roadside curiosities. They are working hotels with real rooms, real chandeliers, and staff happy to point you toward the stairwell everyone talks about. Below, discover twelve historic American hotels with ghost stories as rich as their architecture, every single one of them bookable tonight.

1. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado

Perched above Estes Park with the Rockies as a backdrop, the Stanley opened in 1909 as a mountain retreat for early auto tourists. Its white Georgian facade and long front porch look more New England than Colorado, which is half the fun of finding it in the mountains.

Stephen King stayed here in 1974 and later said the hotel inspired The Shining, a connection the hotel now celebrates with pride rather than hides from. Staff still swap stories of a piano that plays itself in the music room and a housekeeper who tidies rooms nobody asked her to.

A stay here comes with mountain hikes, a full concert hall, and nightly ghost tours for guests who want the stories straight from the source.

Where: 333 Wonderview Avenue, Estes Park, Colorado 80517

2. The Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas

Built in 1859 beside the Alamo, the Menger is the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi. Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders in its bar, and the lobby still hums with that same frontier energy today.

Guests report a chambermaid ghost who straightens up Room 217 and a soldier in a Texas Revolution uniform who wanders the halls near closing time. With more than thirty resident spirits by local count, the Menger wears its history proudly rather than quietly.

The courtyard garden and the original Victorian lobby, all carved walnut and tall mirrors, make it worth a look even for skeptics.

River Walk is a short stroll away, so a stay here doubles nicely as a base for exploring the rest of downtown San Antonio.

Where: 204 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio, Texas 78205

3. Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, Louisiana

In the heart of the French Quarter, this family-run hotel has welcomed writers like Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote since 1886. Its revolving Carousel Bar alone is worth the trip, brass rail, painted horses, and all.

The hotel is a favorite among paranormal researchers, who point to a little boy who plays hide and seek in the halls and an engineer named Red who still checks on the boilers each night.

Literary fans come for the Pulitzer Prize winners who once called it home. Everyone else comes for the drinks, the balconies, and the sense that the Quarter never really goes to sleep.

The rooftop pool is a good place to watch the sun set over the rooftops before the evening’s music starts up a few blocks away.

Where: 214 Royal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130

4. The Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah, Nevada

When it opened in 1908, the five-story Mizpah was the tallest building in Nevada, built to serve a silver boomtown at its peak. Stained glass windows and one of the state’s first electric elevators still greet guests today.

Its best known resident is the Lady in Red, said to leave a trace of perfume and, according to more than one guest, a pearl beneath the pillow. USA Today once named the Mizpah the most haunted hotel in America.

Tonopah’s dark desert skies make it a favorite for stargazers too, so a night here comes with two kinds of wonder.

Where: 100 North Main Street, Tonopah, Nevada 89049

5. 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Set on the crest of West Mountain, the Crescent looks like a Scottish castle dropped into the Ozarks, all limestone turrets and wraparound porches. It opened as a resort in 1886 and has worn a few colorful hats since, including a stint as a women’s college.

Ghost tours here are a nightly ritual, and guests swear the old elevator has a mind of its own, stopping on floors nobody requested. The views from the porch, spirits or not, are worth the climb up the mountain alone.

The on-site spa and restaurant make it easy to turn a curious visit into a proper weekend away.

Where: 75 Prospect Avenue, Eureka Springs, Arkansas 72632

6. The Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles, California

Built in 1927 by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, the Roosevelt hosted the very first Academy Awards in its Blossom Ballroom. Marilyn Monroe lived here for two years early in her career, posing poolside for one of her first magazine shoots.

Her old dressing mirror still hangs near the elevators, and staff say her reflection occasionally lingers a beat too long before fading. The pool itself, painted by artist David Hockney, is a Hollywood landmark in its own right.

Old-school glamour is everywhere here, from the Spanish Colonial lobby to the rooftop bar with its view straight down Hollywood Boulevard.

Where: 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90028

7. Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

This dazzling white resort opened in 1902 beneath the tallest peak in the Northeast, and its wraparound veranda alone runs nearly a thousand feet. It is the kind of grand dame hotel that makes an entire mountain feel formal.

Mary Jane Stickney, the wife of the man who built it, is said to still glide through the halls in her wedding dress, keeping a fond eye on the place she loved so dearly.

Skiing, golf, and a full spa keep guests busy by day, while the octagonal Cave lounge keeps them entertained well after dark.

The dining room alone, with its arched windows framing the White Mountains, has been drawing travelers north for well over a century.

Where: 310 Mount Washington Hotel Road, Bretton Woods, New Hampshire 03575

8. The Read House in Chattanooga, Tennessee

A hotel has stood on this downtown corner since the 1840s, though the current Jazz Age building dates to 1926. It holds the title of the longest continuously operating hotel in the South, with a lobby that still gleams like opening day.

Its most talked about room, 311, was restored to its 1920s glamour, right down to the clawfoot tub, and the hotel offers a complimentary tour of it for guests who ask at the desk.

The rest of the hotel is just as handsome, with soaring columns and a grand staircase built for a proper entrance.

Where: 827 Broad Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402

9. The Marshall House in Savannah, Georgia

Savannah’s oldest hotel opened its doors in 1851 under businesswoman Mary Marshall, a rarity for the era and a point of local pride ever since. Wrought-iron balconies and heart pine floors give it the storied elegance the whole city is known for.

The building briefly served as a hospital in the 1800s, and guests today report footsteps in empty halls and the sound of children at play late in the evening. USA Today regularly ranks it among the most haunted stays in the country.

Its location on Broughton Street puts every Savannah square within an easy stroll, and the wraparound porch is a favorite spot for evening drinks.

Where: 123 East Broughton Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401

10. Jerome Grand Hotel in Jerome, Arizona

Clinging to a hillside above the Verde Valley, this fireproof brick building opened in 1927 as a state of the art facility for a booming copper mining town. It closed decades later and sat empty until it reopened as a hotel in 1996, fully restored.

The panoramic views from its restaurant stretch for a hundred miles, and every room still carries a hint of its original elegant, high ceilinged design. Guests say the old call system still seems to know when someone needs help.

Jerome itself is a former boomtown turned artist colony, so the whole hillside is worth a wander.

Where: 200 Hill Street, Jerome, Arizona 86331

11. The Lodge at Cloudcroft in Cloudcroft, New Mexico

High in the Sacramento Mountains at nearly nine thousand feet, this timber and stone lodge has welcomed guests since 1899, rebuilt after a fire in 1911. Its golf course claims to be the highest in North America, and the mountain air alone is reason to book.

The resident spirit, a red haired maid named Rebecca, is beloved rather than feared. The lodge named its restaurant after her, and guests in the Governor’s Suite say the phone sometimes rings from nowhere at all.

Cool pine-scented summers and snowy winters make this a year-round mountain escape.

Where: 601 Corona Place, Cloudcroft, New Mexico 88317

12. The Equinox Golf Resort & Spa in Manchester Village, Vermont

Vermont’s oldest hotel traces back to a tavern built in 1769, later growing into the white columned resort that anchors Manchester Village today. Mary Todd Lincoln stayed here in 1864 and loved it so much she planned a return trip with the president.

That second visit never happened, and employees say her spirit, along with that of a small child, still appears now and then in the halls she once walked so happily.

The Green Mountains fill every window, and the resort’s golf course and falconry school give guests plenty to do between sightings.

Where: 3567 Main Street, Manchester Village, Vermont 05254

Start Planning Your Own Haunted Getaway

None of these hotels need a ghost story to earn a spot on your travel list. The architecture alone, the porches, the turrets, the century-old bones, would be reason enough to book a room. The legends are simply the bonus that makes a good story even better.

Every one of them is a real, working hotel today, with a front desk, a wine list, and a wifi password, not a roped-off museum you can only peek into. That is what makes booking a night so much more fun than reading about it.

Whether you are chasing history, atmosphere, or just a great tale to tell over dinner, these twelve grand old hotels deliver all three at once. Pick one, pack a bag, and go see what the night has to say.

Featured image: @ The Read House