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Even for the least superstitious travelers among us, spending the night in a purported haunted hotel can be exhilarating.
Hotel employees are often more than eager to pass on their local legends and share personal paranormal experiences, or what they've been told by past guests.
While there's hardly concrete proof, for the open-minded, these stories often spur a state of hyperawareness that greatly impact their stay, where the possibility of the unknown may lurk in any corner.
I experienced this for myself one late September at The Allegiance in Rochester, New York as part of a trip through the Finger Lakes on the Haunted History Trail of New York State.
Upon checking in, the owners welcomed me to their regal 19th century home and regaled me with stories. Their ghosts were friendly, I was told, and some not even human — the owners maintained multiple guests have woken up to the sensation of the resident ghost cat sleeping on top of their feet. Although I didn't experience anything paranormal, the possibility of such an encounter in the middle of the night made it feel as if I had suddenly become the main character in a Tim Burton movie.
Indeed, the US is filled with historic and iconic hotels that claim to have haunted roots. These hotels pride themselves on their more permanent guests and are quite happy to share haunted histories during your stay.
Of course, most lore is conjecture and depends on your level of openness to the idea of otherworldly activity. And since I'm not an official ghost hunter, you'll have to call a paranormal investigator if you really want to find out which hotels are considered the most haunted.
However, we compiled hotels that are sufficiently spooky, with great stories to tell at any time of year, though, there's nothing quite like visiting around Halloween.
And while creaky floorboards and ghostly characters are spooky scary, the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic is scary scary. As such, we included each hotel's protocol for keeping guests safe in an era of social distancing.
Across the country, restrictions are lifting, but according to experts, traveling at this time is still somewhat risky, particularly in hotels where you are more likely to cross paths with many people. Of course, without a vaccine, there is no firm guarantee with regard to safety. It's crucial to follow guidelines and advice from organizations such as the CDC and WHO, and practice safety measures including wearing a mask, washing your hands, and maintaining social distancing. Additionally, consider your own level of risk, and whether you're traveling from or to a hotspot, so as not to increase the rate of infection.
The most haunted hotels in America were selected based on the following criteria:
Here are the most haunted hotels in the US sorted by price from low to high: