Some hotels have very spirited guests

By Amy Bradley-Hole

Travel columnist

updated 3:36 p.m. ET Oct. 23, 2007

Amy Bradley-Hole Travel columnist • Profile • E-mail

October just might be my favorite month of the year. Along with the warm colors and scents of the season and the crisp feel of autumn weather, I love the scary movie marathons on television and the prospect of creepy ghouls lurking on my front porch. I've always had a fascination with the macabre and an affinity for ghost stories. It's no wonder, then, that I enjoy hearing tales about haunted hotels. So just in time for Halloween, I offer you a few hair-raising tales about some of my favorite haunted hotels in America.

1. The Myrtles Plantation
The Myrtles isn't simply known as a haunted hotel — it's generally recognized as the most haunted location in America. Built in 1796, this beautiful mansion is located in St. Francisville, Louisiana, just north of Baton Rouge. While the approximately 10 murders that occurred on the property have no doubt contributed to the troubles at the plantation, it's the slave girl Chloe, legend has it, who is responsible for getting the haunting started. Stories vary, but according to the usual story line, Chloe was abused by her master. Seeking revenge, she used oleander to poison a cake she baked for his wife and children. After their deaths, Chloe's fellow slaves feared their master would take revenge on them all, so they took matters into their own hands and killed her. Chloe, the wife, and the children are just a few of the ghosts who regularly appear in mirrors and beside guests' beds.

I've visited The Myrtles, and it's truly a spooky place. But even if you don't believe in ghosts, you can still enjoy a true taste of the relaxed Southern lifestyle as you sit on the mansion's veranda, rocking away a steamy afternoon while sipping iced tea. The Myrtles operates as a full-service bed-and-breakfast, and guests brave enough to stay overnight get a free guided tour of the property. Historical tours and mystery tours are also available for non-guests for a nominal fee.

2. The Hotel Monteleone
The Hotel Monteleone is located south of The Myrtles in the heart of New Orleans' historic French Quarter. Although this high-rise hotel was built in 1954, the original hotel that stood on the block was built in the late 1800s. Like most old sites in New Orleans, the Monteleone claims to be haunted. Locked doors often fly open, elevators stop on phantom floors, and former staff members roam the building. But rather than trying to discount the stories of strange happenings at the property, the Monteleone has embraced its creep factor, offering "Haunted Weekend" packages, hosting conferences on the paranormal, and inviting the International Society for Paranormal Research to spend a few days investigating the ghosts. The hotel's Web site even features a video about its spirits!

I've stayed at the Hotel Monteleone a few times, and I did experience something odd one night. I awoke with a start, and realized that the tap in the bathroom sink was on full force. Then it turned off. Then back on. It happened more than a few times, but I was too scared to get up and check it out. Maybe it was a ghost. Then again, maybe I'd drunk one too many hurricanes at Pat O'Brien's.

3. The Hay-Adams
The Hay-Adams is a luxury property in Washington, D.C., located just minutes from all the city's major attractions. The hotel's outstanding service and beautiful appointments ensure that most guests leave happy — but there was at least one former resident who was reportedly very, very sad.

Henry Adams, a descendant of U.S. presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, built a Romanesque mansion on the original site in the late 1800s. His wife, Marian, was often depressed, and she committed suicide in the house just after it was completed in 1885. Her ghost is known to be especially active in early December, near the anniversary of her death. The spectral Marian supposedly calls people by name and even hands out ghostly "hugs" from time to time.

4. The Stanley Hotel
Stephen King's novel "The Shining" has scared countless readers, and the movie has freaked out many more. Is it any wonder, then, that the real hotel that was the inspiration for Stanley Kubrick's Oscar-winning film is said to be haunted?

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, may be tucked into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, but it was designed to resemble the classic seaside resorts of the East Coast. The hotel's fourth floor is said to exhibit the most paranormal activity, with many guests claiming to have heard phantom children playing in the hallways.

If you don't want to stay at the hotel, you can still take a ghost tour or history tour if you decide to visit. I'd love to sleep at the Stanley, but I don't know if I could muster the courage. I can just imagine some prankster sneaking up behind me and whispering "redrum" in my ear; I'd most likely drop dead of a heart attack.

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