At tripatlas.com/new, we’re getting ready for Halloween by brushing up on some spooky stories about haunted hotels all over Canada.
Some of these old hotels date back to the mid-1800’s and these stories are well-known by staff and hotel guests. From rattling chandeliers, children playing in the hallways, and blood dripping down the walls, some of these hotels have so much paranormal history there’s no room for doubt.
13 of the Spookiest Haunted Hotel Stories in Canada
Eerily, a few of these hotels have made it on tripatlas.com/new’s Top 10 Spa Getaways in Canada Destinations and our Top 10 Amazing Dream Weekend Getaways in Canada. Maybe they’re not as ‘dreamy’ as we thought. You may also notice that more than just a few of these haunted hotels are luxurious Fairmont hotels.
In any case, read on for a spooky time – if you think you can handle it.
Lady in Red is Dancing on the 14th Floor
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia
As one of the most distinguishable buildings in Vancouver and a typical Fairmont chateau establishment, today’s version was built in 1939. Amongst its grand architecture and gargoyles, you may just find another one of its attractions: the lady in red. She has been described as an elegant lady in a red dress, usually seen walking down the corridors of the 14th floor (or is it really the 13th?). Stranger still, the hotel’s elevator is often known to make stops on the 14th floor at random without having been requested.
Sam the Bellman & The Blushing Bride
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel opened in 1888 and since then has been the site of two major hauntings and ghostly legends.
The first is about Sam the bellman who retired in 1967. He promised to return but died a few years later before he could. Well, he did return and continues to do so today, especially for late-night guest arrivals or guests who lose their keys. Watch out for a bellman wearing a 1960’s classic hotel uniform.
A second story from the 1920’s tells about a bride who was descending the grand stairwell in the hotel (rumored to be closed to visitors today) on the way to her wedding ceremony. She either tripped on her veil or caught on fire and fell down the grand stairwell to her death, snapping her neck. She can be seen wandering through the hotel in her wedding dress and is sometimes seen at the top of the stairs.
A Restless Painter
James Bay Inn in Victoria, British Columbia
The famous painter, Emily Carr, often associated with the Group of Seven is known to have died at the James Bay Inn on March 2, 1945 during World War II. At the time, the hotel was converted by Mother Cecilia’s religious order to St. Mary’s Priory to service the wounded. The bar in the hotel is said to be haunted by anyone who speaks of Carr.
Party with the Ghosts
HI Ottawa Jail Hostel in Ottawa, Ontario
I’ve heard stories about sketchy hostels with cramped “jail cells” for rooms – but this hostel in Ottawa takes it to another level.
Before being converted into a hostel, the building served as the Carleton County Gaol – the last working gallows in Canada. When you visit, you can spend a few nights in jail and get a glimpse of what early prison life was like.
A few famous prisoners who died in the jail still roam through its halls at night – so much so that the hostel owners host “Party with the Ghosts” evenings.
Banging on the Stairwell at Night
La Boheme Restaurant, Bed & Breakfast in Edmonton, Alberta
This bed and breakfast in Edmonton was built in 1912 as an upscale apartment building. Rumour has it that a female employee in the building was murdered and dragged down three flights of stairs to the basement. There, she was dismembered and fed piece-by-piece into the furnace. The original furnace is still in use and the sound of her head banging on the floor down three flights of stairs can be heard at night.
Stay Away From the Second Floor
Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Whatever you do, don’t stay in room 202.
Stories are told about a cloaked figure or lady in a white ball gown who stands at the foot of the bed in room 202 in the middle of the night. It’s not uncommon for guests to report a strange presence in the room and “imagining” blood trickling down the walls. Hotel staff often report strange lights and noises throughout the second floor. While some visitors request Room 202 because it’s known for its paranormal activity, I was informed by the front desk staff that the room is usually given away to unsuspecting guests.
Noisy Servant Girl
Auberge Willow Place Inn in Hudson, Quebec
It’s said that November is the month when this inn’s resident ghost, “Maude,” comes to play. First built in the 1820’s, the story tells of a young servant girl who was murdered by a group of men who were staying at the inn in the 1830’s. They buried her in the basement but her spirit remained at the inn. Maude can be heard singing in the hallways, knocking over objects, and stacking rocks outside of the door of room #8.
A Crying Bride & A Wandering Waitress
The Fairmont Algonquin Hotel in Saint Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick
The hotel opened in 1889 and has been known as a luxurious yet magical destination because of the hotel’s saltwater baths, thought to have healing properties. Room 473 is known as “The Bride’s Room” where the ghost of a bride (who was perhaps stood up at the altar) is often heard crying. An older lady, thought to be an old staff member, is often seen in the dining room at night rearranging the table settings.
Ghost on the Third Floor
Caribou Hotel in Carcross, Yukon Territory
Dedicated in 2008 as a Yukon Historical Site, this hotel was frequented by gold miners coming into town during the Klondike Gold Rush. It was opened in 1901 as the Anderson Hotel but later renamed in 1903. The Gideons took over the hotel in the 1910’s after it was burned down by a great fire on Christmas Eve. The Caribou Hotel has a long-standing history, including the murder of owner Bob Olson in December 2004. Another story is told of the figure of a woman who is often seen standing at the windows and banging on the floorboards on the third floor. She is thought to be the ghost of Bessie Gideon, described as a spirit that is “neither friendly nor unfriendly.”
Ghosts Having a Ball
The Royal Meridien King Eward in Toronto, Ontario
This hotel in downtown Toronto is rumoured to hold a grand Crystal Ballroom that was permanently closed down because it failed to meet the fire code. However, it has been reported that there are times when the service elevator will stop on this floor, even though it has been closed off.
Guests who stay on the floor below (and who are none the wiser to its closing) have been known to complain about noise, music and talking coming from the ballroom where the chandeliers are also known to shake.
Knock Knock, Who’s There?
Hotel Douglas (now Hotel Rialto) in Victoria, British Columbia
The historical Hotel Douglas in downtown Victoria was built in 1911 and recently renovated in 2009. Behind the hotel’s lobby desk where only employees are allowed, you’ll find the only door that leads in and out of the basement. Every once in a while, employees will hear knocking from inside. When they open the door, there’s nothing to be found on the other side. Apparently, the basement of Hotel Douglas was once a morgue.
Ghosts from the Titanic
Château Laurier in Ottawa, Ontario
As the first of the Canadian Pacific Railway’s hotels, Château Laurier was commissioned by Charles Melville Hays, a general manager at CPR. In 1912, Hays travelled to Europe to bring back furniture for the new hotel’s dining room. Upon his return voyage aboard the Titanic, Hays and most of his men drowned with the ship, just 12 days before the hotel’s opening.
Hays is said to be seen throughout the hotel, making Château Laurier his home because he had worked so hard on it but never lived to see it open . Guests have experienced rattling, shaking walls, objects that seem move on their own, and the ghosts of the other men who also died on the Titanic with Hays.
The Ghost of Unrequited Love
Château Frontenac in Quebec City, Quebec
Today, the Fairmont Château Frontenac is recognized as a United Nations World Heritage Site but it has also been known to have a few lurking ghosts. The ghost of a woman with long hair wearing a nightgown is often seen in guests’ rooms and in their beds. Another ghost is thought to be the late Louis de Buade, governor during the late 1600’s. He is said to have died in the hotel while his fiancée was in Europe. He is often seen in his 17th century clothes, wandering the halls looking for her, sitting on windowsills, floating through the ballroom, and watching guests when they are sleeping.
(and a bonus 14th story)
Hanging Banquet Porter
Fairmont Royal York in Toronto, Ontario
Soon after publishing this article, we received some correspondence from former employees of the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto with their share of ghost stories: “Some years ago, there was a banquet porter that hung himself in the stairwell of the 19th floor, where all the meeting rooms and function rooms are. It is rumoured that he can be seen from time to time floating around. You’ll see his upper body but not his legs. The last sighting that I heard about was maybe a couple of years ago, when an overnight chef had to go to the 19th floor to retrieve some items from the kitchen, while he was there, the banquet porter appeared and stood there looking at him and then disappeared. Needless to say, the apprentice chef is no longer at the hotel. Other stories I have heard include a similar story to the lady in red at Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, but at the Royal York, the ghost is a lady in white that has been seen standing in the corner of either 15150 or 16150 which is a corner suite in the hotel. Rumours are that room attendants are afraid to go in that section and clean that room by themselves.”
From tripatlas.com/new: Have a spooky and safe Halloween!