13 Hotels When Ghosts May Share Your Room

According to Atlas Obscura, these 13 hotels are haunted.

13 Hotels Where the Frills Are Chills

Come for the comfortable accommodations, stay for the ghostly stories.

by Jonathan Carey, Senior Associate Editor, Places

13 Places

Hotels generally serve as places for weary travelers to relax—peaceful, clean, and quiet. Among those hotels are the historic ones, often antique architectural wonders, and some of those also happen to hold long histories and age-old mysteries, so it’s no surprise that some of them would acquire a reputation for paranormal activity. Sure, supernatural experiences might disturb your rest, but it also might be worth it to experience history firsthand.

For centuries, The Drovers Inn in the Scottish Highlands has welcomed cattle herders (or “drovers”), though today its guests are more likely to be tourists or hikers. Several ghostly tales surround the hotel, from a family that froze to death while searching for it, to a cattle theft that took a tragic turn. In Nevada, the Mizpah Hotel has been called “the most haunted hotel” in the United States, and its history goes back to the Wild West, including the tale of “the lady in red,” who is said to still roam the halls, especially outside room 502. From a Civil War hospital turned into a lavish hotel to a motel occupied by thousands of clowns, here are 13 of our favorite places to stay that might give you the chills (and a good night’s rest). 

Check out more haunted hotels

Occult Word of the Day - Diablerie

PRONUNCIATION:

(dee-AH-bluh-ree or dee-AB-luh-ree)

 

MEANING:

noun:
1. Sorcery; witchcraft; black magic.
2. A representation of devils or demons in art or literature.
3. Mischievous manner or conduct.

 

ETYMOLOGY:

From French diable (devil), from Latin diabolus (devil), from Greek diabolos (slanderer), from diaballein (to slander), from dia- (across) + ballein (to hurl). Earliest documented use: 1653.

 

USAGE:

“[The hat] unquestionably lent a diablerie to my appearance, and mine is an appearance that needs all the diablerie it can get.”
P.G. Wodehouse; Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves; Simon & Schuster; 1963.

A History of Ghosts in the Western World

Starting today at 7pm New York Time! This three part online series explores how people have thought about ghosts through time in the Western world.

Here is the link to register.

Course Description

In this course, we'll trace the history of ghostly encounters reported across the Western world, both friendly and nefarious. We'll begin with ghosts from the classical world who haunted heroes like Gilgamesh and Odysseus, and look at the Biblical story of Saul and the Witch of Endor. We'll meet medieval necromancers, Victorian spiritualists, and finally, the modern ghost-hunter. By the end of our time together, you'll not only have a deep understanding of how cultures have conceived of the most common supernatural entity throughout history, but also ideas and suggestions for engaging in your own supernatural investigations. 

Syllabus at a Glance

This course includes three total sessions, each lasting for 1 hour on three Mondays beginning January 22.

Session 1 (Monday, 1/22, 7–8:00 PM ET) | From Gilgamesh to the Victorians

We'll explore the earliest history of ghosts, including Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, and Biblical stories; cover medieval necromancers; and learn how the Victorians fell in love with the seance. 

Session 2 (Monday, 1/29, 7–8:00 PM ET) | Who You Gonna Call (in the 20th century)? 

We'll cover early scientific investigation of ghosts, including spirit photography and audio recording; the first great ghost-hunters; and ghosts in 20th-century literature and film.

Session 3 (Monday, 2/5, 7–8:00 PM ET) | Today's Ghosts

In our final session, we'll take an in-depth look at modern theories regarding spirits and ghost-hunting, including a close examination of equipment and the use of mediums and psychics.

Between Sessions

Students will be given recommended readings and materials that touch on the topics covered in class.

Pricing Options

This course is available at three ticket prices. This tiered pricing model is designed to increase access for a wider range of students as well as to support our instructors. In addition to tiered tickets, we offer a limited number of no-pay spots for students who would not otherwise be able to take this course. No-pay spots are selected via a randomized drawing two weeks before each section begins. For more information and to apply for a no-pay spot, please click here. To learn more about our pricing model and randomized selection process for no-pay spots, please visit our FAQ page.

Community Guidelines for Students

Please take a moment to review our community guidelines for students, which aim to share our classroom ethos and help set the stage for the best possible learning experience.

Atlas Obscura Online Courses

Atlas Obscura Courses offer opportunities for participants to emerge with new skills, knowledge, connections, and perspectives through multi-session classes designed and taught by expert instructors. To learn more about our current course offerings, please visit www.atlasobscura.com/online-courses. For answers to commonly asked questions, check out our FAQ page here.

Founded in 2009, Atlas Obscura created the definitive community-driven guide to incredible places across the planet and is now an award-winning company that shares the world’s hidden wonders in person and online.

Where We’ll Be

Once registered, you’ll receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite that will provide access to each class meeting. Please save the confirmation email as you’ll use it to access all sessions of your course via Zoom.

 

A Wild Cat May Be A Bad Omen

According to Atlas Obscura, there are quite a few superstitions concerning animals.

The animal world is full of harbingers of doom—at least, according to superstitions. From the Tower of London’s ravens (whose departure would signal the fall of an entire nation) to the average black cat crossing your unlucky path, plenty of critters warn of woe. In Ominous Animals, we explore the lore—and the science—behind these finned, furry, and feathered messengers of impending calamity.

A tiny spotted feline, often smaller than the average house cat, with a bushy tail and big eyes, moves through temperate forest and farmland in southern Chile. Despite its adorable appearance, a mere glimpse of the animal—the kodkod—may cause a farmer to fear for their livelihood, or even their life. According to some Indigenous Mapuche stories in Chile, seeing the pocket-sized predator could spell famine, disease, or death. The kodkod is notorious for raiding chicken coops.

According to a 2013 paper in the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, superstitions about the kodkod are common in rural areas. Interviews with local students and Mapuche community members in southern Chile revealed that some people believed the cat had supernatural abilities, such as being impervious to bullets, or ripping off the heads of chickens to drink their blood—an exaggeration likely rooted in the tiny feline’s preference for eating only the neck and head of its poultry prey.

But the kodkod offers benefits as well: The tiny cats hunt the rodents that carry hantaviruses, which can cause potentially fatal infections in humans. If conservation campaigns are successful, the cat may one day be known as the cutest pest controller, rather than an omen of catastrophe.

 

Centre for Psychological Astrology Webinars are Back

I just received this announcement from the Centre for Psychological Astrology, based in London.They just announced that their webinars are back so no matter where you live, you can participate:

CPA/MISPA Autumn 2023 Webinars
Our Autumn 2023 webinars start on 29th October - take a look at the full details and book now at https://cpalondon.com/book/webinars/.
Our webinars are real-time, online seminars in psychological astrology. You are able to interact with the tutor and other students as the session happens via a chat box. Experience a CPA/MISPA seminar live from anywhere in the world through your computer browser or app. If you can't make it live you can still book and receive four weeks access to the recording of the event afterwards.

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Safron Rossi
Soul Making and the Sky Within: James Hillman and the Archetypal Psyche
Sunday 29th Oct 2023 - 15.30-18.00 GMT

James Hillman’s writings provide an invaluable foundation for understanding the bridge between psychology and astrology. His theoretical frame and mythopoetic perspective grounds us in the archetypal psyche, offering rich roots for our astrological art. In this webinar we will explore the fertile possibilities by introducing the four movements--personifying, psychologizing, pathologizing, dehumanizing--of Hillman’s groundbreaking opus Re-Visioning Psychology (1974) and their significance to an archetypal and psychological astrology. In this webinar we will wed ideas to experience and engage in contemplative writing exercises so to explore these soul movements in our charts and lives. 
(Parts of this talk were presented at UAC 2018 entitled “Planetary Interiority: Hillman and the Archetypal Psyche.”)

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Shawn Nygaard
Another Look at Chiron & the Archetypal Wound
Sunday 5th Nov 2022 - 15.30-18.00 GMT

Late in his life, Carl Jung noted that, “The decisive question for man is: Is he related to something infinite or not?”
From the vantage point of this question and the backdrop of the infinite, this webinar looks at the mythology and astrology of the centaur Chiron – the Wounded Healer – with fresh eyes. Chiron’s placement in our charts by sign, by house, and by aspect with other planets reveals a specific kind of wounding felt on deeply personal and individual levels. Yet, as a mythic figure, Chiron represents something archetypal in nature. His story is an archetypal story. His wound is an archetypal wound. What is the nature of this archetypal wound?
The first part of this webinar looks at the mythology of Chiron, from his role as a teacher of the Heroes and his famous wounding, to his quest to heal and his final resting place among the stars – all from an archetypal perspective. The second part uses chart examples to explore Chiron’s wound further, and to speculate on why Jung placed such importance on our relationship with the infinite.

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Darby Costello
When there are two sign rulers: What to do?
Sunday 12th Nov 2023 - 15.30-18.00 GMT

Scorpio, Aquarius and Pisces are each dual-ruled signs. How do we describe the energy of planets in these signs to our clients and ourselves? We shall explore how to help ourselves and others to navigate the worlds reflected by these signs, considering the very different dimensions each sign must attend.

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John Green
Pluto in Aquarius – Utopia or Dystopia?
Sunday 3rd Dec 2023 - 15.30-16.45 GMT

Much has been written recently regarding the time Pluto will spend in Aquarius some profoundly positive, some very negative. In this talk John looks into the black mirror at the very nature of Pluto and the sign Aquarius to try and unpick what we can realistically expect of its time there.

One hour talk followed by short Q&A session.

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See all the full details and book at: https://cpalondon.com/book/webinars/.

Previous webinars are available to view on demand here: https://www.mercuryinternetschool.com/video/.