And now, eight great American unhaunted hotels

The Hotel Monte Vista was built in 1926. Just a few decades ago, in 1970, they say, a wounded bank robber stopped in the hotel bar for a post-heist drink and bled to death before he could leave. He is now blamed for barstools and drinks that seem to move on their own. That’s too much to swallow. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Oct. 31, 2012 8:15 AM PT

Across America, tourists and armchair adventurers thrill to the idea of haunted hotels. Yet it turns out there are none. Despite all those websites, brochures, midnight tours and grainy, night-vision reality TV shows, we are stuck with no proof that ghosts exist at all. Which is a shame, because this country is full of ghost-worthy hotels, including these eight. In recognition of this fact, here’s a gallery of photos from purportedly haunted lodgings I’ve inspected or slept in in the last few years from California to New York. In all those visits, I had no mysterious ill effects, heard no otherworldly noises, sensed no specters, and found no ectoplasmic traces (a great relief for maids, I’m sure). Really, there is nothing special about these places at all -- except that they all have long histories, many have intriguing architecture and some have great views.Christopher Reynolds

The Hotel Monte Vista is just a block from old Route 66. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Oxford Hotel in Denver dates to 1891. Tales are told of an 1890s murder-suicide in Room 320, which may well be true. The man pictured is a tour guide leading visitors through the hotel. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Though the Oxford Hotel dates to the 1890s, its Cruise Room bar is an Art Deco artifact from the 1930s. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Brown Palace Hotel in Denver offers ghost tours, and tales are told of apparitions and phantom phone calls from Room 904. Instead of buying that line, enjoy the massive atrium lobby. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Brown Palace Hotel was born in 1892 and has welcomed every U.S. president since Teddy Roosevelt, except Calvin Coolidge. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

I don’t believe the Brown Palace Hotel is haunted, but I have to admit this is a red room. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Hotel del Coronado in San Diego County went up in the 1880s. Tales are told of a ghost who might be a woman who checked in but never checked out in 1892. Balderdash, I say. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

At the Hotel del Coronado management uses hired falcons (and trainers) to keep seagulls away from guest areas. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Hotel del Coronado is a National Historic Landmark. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Jerome Grand Hotel in Jerome, Ariz., was built as a hospital in 1926. Ghost-hunting tours are offered these days, and there’s an alleged spirit resident spirit named Clyde or Scotty. I say: Hooey. Nice view, though. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Jerome Grand Hotel started life as the United Verde Hospital. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Old medical tools are displayed at the Jerome Grand Hotel. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Sagamore Resort, on Lake George in Bolton Landing, N.Y., was built in 1883. Some people say there’s a ball-swiping little boy haunting the golf course. But maybe those people have lost their marbles. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Sagamore Resort lies in the 6-million-acre New York Adirondack State Park. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Queen Mary tied up in Long Beach as a hotel-ship since 1967, is subject of various supernatural tales, all false. Plans call for a costume ball for this year’s Halloween. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Queen Mary was built in Britain in the 1930s. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Queen Mary, built in the 1930s, has many Art Deco touches. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

The Crescent Hotel, in Eureka Springs, Ark., has stood since 1886 on a hilltop in the Ozarks. In the 1930s it served as headquarters for a fraudulent doctor running a scam cancer hospital. It’s been offering ghost tours for years. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

For Halloween 2012, the Crescent Hotel scheduled a late-night seance at which a magician will attempt to contact Harry Houdini. While they’re at it, why not P.T. Barnum too? (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)

Travel & Experiences

And now, eight great American unhaunted hotels

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