It’s Halloween season, time to trot out the tales of mischievous ghosts who’ve taken up residence in some of our favorite hotels.
Many of these properties are historic, with famous guests who “go bump in the night.” In some, the specters go further, regularly making a spectacle of themselves.
Embrace the "spirit" of the season with an overnight, tour, or party at these five unforgettable hotels. Full transparency: I’ve visited these places and felt the presence of… something.
Olema House, Olema
(Courtesy of @olemahouse)
The History
Fans of the ‘80s John Carpenter thriller The Fog will recognize the scenes shot in Olema, a wide spot on Highway One near Point Reyes National Seashore. It was once a 19th century stagecoach stop with a reputation for housing ladies of rather ill repute. Now, the Olema House complex is a hip, boutique hotel that celebrates the bounty of West Marin at Due West Tavern and Due West Market. Local oysters and fish are nightly fare paired with craft cocktails and exquisite wine; but movie buffs will find the maritime horror film’s eerie, town anniversary scenes playing on a loop in their heads—brain fog, notwithstanding.
The Hauntings
Resident historian Willow Stalleup has been creeped out by the paranormal activity, especially on nights after the last human customers had left the tavern. “I’d hear banging pots and pans… water turning on and off.” One time she was cleaning the floor and put the mop in a bucket on wheels. “All of a sudden, I felt the mop hit the back of my leg. That means the mop bucket came around a corner by itself, then ran at me with full speed.” Could it be the ghost of Edgar Nelson? He was said to be a member of the original family that ran the property as a stagecoach stop. Local lore says he took his own life, upset that the U.S. Army had taken over the inn to use as barracks during World War II.
The Happenings
Due West Tavern is hosting an adults-only Halloween night party after dinner winds down at the restaurant. There’ll be live music, dancing, costumes, games, and themed cocktails (blood orange vodka, anyone?) Halloween After Dark runs from 8pm until the stroke of midnight with late-night bites and drink specials.
// 1005 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. (Olema), olemahouse.com
Claremont Resort & Club, Berkeley
(Courtesy of @claremontresort)
The History
Known as the “White Castle in the Hills,” this East Bay landmark has played host to the world’s most prominent people—and some high-profile phantoms. The grand Tudor Revival-style resort was built in 1915, just in time for the Pan Pacific Exposition. She was a gleaming white temptress with a siren call to wealthy San Franciscans. Today, the Claremont Resort & Club is focused on wellness, with three heated saline pools, a state-of-the art fitness center and outdoor FIT yard, and tennis and pickleball courts.
The Hauntings
What is it about ghosts and castles? The Claremont has so many supernatural hotspots, it regularly makes the Historic Hotels of America list of the Top 25 Most Haunted Hotels. Word has it there are several longtime inhabitants who are behind on their rent. A woman walking the halls in a high-necked Victorian gown is believed to be the former owner’s wife, Mrs. Thornburgh. She's quite a moaner and doesn't seem to be enjoying her time on earth. A more youthful specter, though just as moody, is the ghost of a six-year-old girl said to have tragically died at the hotel. Brave souls may ask for room 422, where guests have reported self-opening drawers and unexplained flickering lights.
The Happenings
Each October, the Claremont Resort & Club hosts its Haunted History Tours, taking guests to its most hallowed ghost hunting grounds. When I took this tour a few years ago, I was sure I saw the willowy white figure of Mrs Thornburgh drifting through the halls. We also dared to enter room 422, where even the bathtub gave me goosebumps. The historian-led tours are held every Friday and Saturday through October 31st. After the haunting, each guest gets a congratulatory cocktail for surviving the evening. Speaking of libations, the resort also offers The Witching Hour, with small bites (not from a vampire) and flights of “spirited” libations.
// 41 Tunnel Rd. (Berkeley), claremontresortandclub.com
The Holbrooke Hotel, Grass Valley + National Exchange Hotel, Nevada City
(Courtesy of @holbrookehotel)
The History
The Holbrooke Hotel (circa 1852) in Grass Valley and its sister property the National Exchange Hotel (1856) in Nevada City have the same owners but different architectural styles. The Holbrooke has a rugged, frontier façade, while the National Exchange is more feminine with its brick exterior and wrought iron accents. Both were built in the Gold Rush Era as mining towns in the Sierra foothills were seeing an explosion of growth. The National is, in fact, the oldest continuously operating hotel in California.
The Hauntings
The Holbrooke has played host to the good, the bad, and, more than likely, the ugly. Four U.S. presidents have supposedly slept there, along with author Mark Twain, and outlaw Black Bart. In the ghost category, there’s something for everyone, including a phantom cowboy (only visible from the waist up); a Victorian lady who straightens bedcovers; and a plethora of paranormal activity in room 15, where the sound of children jumping on mattress springs can be a bit… unsettling. For music lovers, the National Exchange Hotel has a phantom piano. Apparently, someone or something can be heard tickling the ivories, often accompanied by a rush of cold air and footsteps.
The Happenings
You thought things were wild during the Gold Rush? Nevada City locals say Halloween is just as crazy. In fact, the managers at the National Exchange Hotel say it will be absolute mayhem—in a good way—in its restaurant, Lola Dining, and in the National Bar. Nevada City’s free shuttle takes trick-or-treaters downtown to collect candy and trinkets from merchants, who go all out with their decorations. In Grass Valley, the Holbrooke Hotel’s speakeasy style bar, the Iron Door, will have more than a few goblins hanging around as they serve Halloween-themed drinks to their human guests. The city of Grass Valley has also added a Howl-O-Ween Dog Parade and an evening wine walk.
// Holbrooke Hotel, 212 West Main St. (Grass Valley), holbrooke.com; National Exchange Hotel, 211 Broad St. (Nevada City), thenationalexchangehotel.com
Fairmont San Francisco, San Francisco
(Courtesy of @fairmontsanfrancisco)
The History
The Fairmont Hotel opened a year after the 1906 earthquake and fire that almost destroyed the city. In fact, the structure was almost complete when the ground started shaking. The bones of the building held up but the fire gutted the inside. The owners, the Fair sisters, brought in the famed architect, Julia Morgan to restore the luxury Nob Hill property. Much later, in 1945, the hotel debuted its indoor tropical tiki bar, Tonga Room. There are so many milestones, it’s hard to keep track; but locals will remember the Fairmont’s connection with crooner Tony Bennett, who first performed his hit song “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 1961 in the Venetian Room. The hotel erected a statue of Bennett after he died.
The Hauntings
A night at the Fairmont San Francisco may come with free tuck-in service—courtesy of the Fair sisters. Guests have reported someone gently touching their cheeks while they sleep. Most likely, it’s the daughters who built the hotel to honor their father, silver tycoon James Graham Fair. They are, after all, the caretakers. Not to be outdone, the Nob Hill neighborhood’s “wandering bride” seems to be obsessed with California Street near the hotel. Flora Sommerton runs between the Fairmont and Grace Cathedral as if fleeing a forced engagement to a man she never wanted to marry. And yes, she’s wearing a tattered wedding gown.
The Happenings
The Fairmont San Francisco has fun the whole month of October, with a spirited afternoon tea featuring “eerie-elegant bites and hauntingly sweet confections.” On the hotel’s garden roof there’s a pumpkin patch, complete with colorful gourds and hay bales. The Fairmont is also the venue for Aykut Events’ October 31st Halloween International Ball, with five theme rooms, 10 DJs, dancers, drummers, and decorations. Even the hotel’s famous tiki bar, Tonga Room, takes on a more mysterious air in October. Never mind that a Hollywood set designer created the lagoon and the rainstorms and the thatched boat that appears from the mist. Its legendary past and spirited atmosphere make for a hauntingly good time.
// 950 Mason St. (Nob Hill), fairmont-san-francisco.com
Bonus: The Queen Mary, Long Beach
(Courtesy of @travelandtourismmarketingassoc/@thequeenmary)
The History
Down in Southern California, The Queen Mary sits silently in her slip at Long Beach harbor, perhaps pining for the days when she reigned supreme in the world of transatlantic ocean travel. Though no longer seaworthy, she still turns heads. Weighing in at 81,000 tons and built with more than 60 types of exotic wood, The Queen Mary was more luxurious than the Titanic when she made her maiden voyage from England to New York on May 27th, 1936. Her impressive promenade featured the finest shops and her dining rooms, parlors, and library were adorned with murals from some of the finest artists of the day. Today, the Art Deco ocean liner hosts overnight guests in some 350 spacious staterooms and suites, along with several restaurants, an observation bar, and a marketplace.
The Hauntings
If The Queen Mary could talk, imagine the stories she’d tell. Some say she does, through the ghosts who grace her salons and suites and long hallways. There was many an untimely death on the grand ocean liner and some of the ghosts have refused to leave, like the poor soul whose moans can be heard in the echoing chambers of the ship's long-dry swimming pool. Ship pianist Scott MacDonald has seen ghosts many times over the years and felt a powerful presence in his cabin, almost like someone laying on top of him. “I just kept putting out ‘look I love the ship and I respect your home… I mean no harm.’ And after about 25 seconds, which was a very, very long time, it just dissipated.”
The Happenings
During October, the ship and its surrounding harbor transform into SoCal’s largest haunted attraction: Dark Harbor. Think haunted mazes, carnival rides, themed bars and hundreds of monsters lurking in the bowels of the creaky old ocean liner. Year round, the Queen Mary wears her haunted lore like a badge of honor. The Haunted Encounters Tour reveals some of the most famous stories in a one-hour walk that’s guaranteed not to frighten the little ones. The two-hour Paranormal Ship Walk ramps it up a bit with an exclusive after-hours expedition into hidden rooms and compartments purposely closed to the public. Each space has a specter, if you truly believe. Then there’s the aptly named Graveyard Tour, which defies the old saying that “nothing good happens after midnight.” As they say on the ship, “every corner whispers of those who never left.”
// 1126 Queens Highway (Long Beach), queenmary.com
