I spent 3 nights in Chicago's most haunted hotel, and it was just as terrifying as 'The Shining'

The Congress Plaza Hotel stands on Michigan Avenue in the middle of Chicago's Loop neighborhood. The hotel opened in 1893 for the World's Fair. Over the decades, it has undergone many transformations and seen many guests. Many say some of those guests never checked out.

In fact, Travel + Leisure once named the Congress Plaza Hotel the most haunted place in Illinois and, as I would learn, for good reason.

I didn't know any of this before booking a three-night stay at the Congress Plaza Hotel, but I was to find out more about its spooky past during my visit.

At that point, I couldn't put my finger on what felt odd about the hotel, but I remember feeling strange while walking through the lobby and during check-in.

"The White House presented this chair to the owners of the Congress Hotel in the early 1900s," a plaque on the chair reads. "It was a favorite of Presidents Polk, Van Buren, Harrison, and Harding...and it's a favorite of ours too!"

After doing some research, I learned that the hotel's nickname is "Home of Presidents" because Presidents Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Franklin Roosevelt all worked and stayed at the Congress Plaza at some point.

The presidents used the hotel as campaign headquarters, as a meeting place for caucuses, and for historic interviews.

For starters, the building is rumored to have been mobster Al Capone's headquarters. People also talk about "Peg Leg Jonny" who is said to have been killed in an alley behind the hotel. Plus, there's the story of two children who were pushed from a 12th-story window by their mother.

It's said all of these guests still roam the hallways of the Congress Plaza Hotel.

Guests have reported the elevators mysteriously stopping at the most haunted floors, blankets being pulled off them in the middle of the night, and sounds of whispering at the bottom of their beds.

However, Shakeel Siddiqui, the general manager of the hotel, told me these incidents are only rumors.

"We do not consider our hotel haunted," Siddiqui said. "We never experience any paranormal activity in any of our rooms. There are rumors because of the age of the building."

It was easily the largest hotel room I ever stayed in, but the design choices felt dated to me. The purple rug with the blue suede comforter made it feel like I was stepping back in time to the colorful '80s.

In bed in the dark, I couldn't stop thinking about the ghost stories I read when I first arrived at the hotel. At one point in the night, I turned on the lights in the room because I kept imagining a ghost in the far, dark corner whispering. I even imagined a ghost ripping the blankets off me.

Around 3 a.m., I made two decisions: First, I was going to sleep with the lights on, and second, if anything strange did happen to me, I would check out the next morning and get a new hotel.

Luckily, I fell asleep with the lights on and the rumored ghosts weren't active.

I realized the feeling was complete solitude. Since I checked in the day before, I only saw one or two guests in the entire hotel. There was no one in the lobby, there was no one in the restaurant, and there was no one in the halls. It felt like I had the entire hotel to myself, and I didn't like it.

I was reminded of Stephen King's "The Shining" where the family spends the entire winter alone in a hotel. In fact, King spent a few nights at the Congress Plaza Hotel and, according to Patch, his story "1408" was inspired by one of the rooms, 441, at this Chicago hotel.

Every time I entered the hotel, got in the elevator, and walked the hallways to my room, I only spotted one or two other guests.

Siddiqui later told me this was most likely because of the pandemic. The hotel has not been up to its full capacity because of limited global travel.

It really felt like I was the only guest at the hotel. Well, just me and a few ghosts.

Strangely, the lobby of the Gold Room — a large events space — was dark and there was no one around. One of the doors was propped open to the room, and I peeked my head inside. To my confusion, the place was lined with yellow caution tape.

Siddiqui later told me the tape was used to direct people at a veterans event at the hotel, but the information did little to ease my panic and confusion in the moment.

Room 441 is largely considered the most haunted room in the Congress Plaza Hotel. Reportedly, this room has had the most ghost sightings, including the silhouette of a woman. Past guests of room 441 said objects moved without being touched and the lights flickered on and off throughout the night.

I decided to venture 10 floors below and walk past the door. It was easier said than done.

It seemed the hallways went on forever. As soon as I got to the end of one hallway, there was a heavy door that opened and led to another. There were twists, turns, and even dead-ends. After just a few minutes wandering the halls, I realized I was lost and began to panic.

I began to wonder if the hotel was keeping people out of these rooms or keeping something in.

Although the hallway leading up to room 441 was no different than the others, it definitely felt different. There were two heavy doors at either end of the hallway, making me feel trapped.

I also noticed this hallway was completely silent. There was no noise coming from any of the hotel rooms. The feeling I was completely alone in this hotel crept up again.

I wish I could say I found room 441 and stood in front of it bravely. But truth be told, I freaked myself out. I ran out of the hallway and back toward my room without even stepping foot in front of the supposedly haunted room.

From the sleepless nights to the eerie feeling that I was the only one in the hotel, my stay at the Congress Plaza will definitely haunt me for some time.

But no matter how scared I got during my time at the Congress Plaza Hotel, at least I was able to check out — some don't seem to be so lucky.