Haunted Colorado: Hotels With Guests That Never Checked Out
Imagine sleeping in your hotel room only to be startled awake by an unknown presence. That could be a reality if you stay the night in one of these Colorado hotels and you believe in ghosts.
Stories and folklore surround much of Colorado. Stories of towns believed to be haunted by their past residents, cemeteries where long-lost love still burns after decades of being apart and tunnels haunted by estranged men or phantom children reverberate around campfires everywhere.
Whether you believe in life after death, people telling these stories sure do.
The Cliff House at Pikes Peak -- Manitou Springs, Colo.
Originally a stagecoach stop -- one of the most famous of the west -- the Cliff House (then known as "The Inn") hosted many trappers and hunters on their between Colorado Springs and Leadville. Over the years, the Cliff House housed visitors seeking the ancient mineral springs in Manitou Springs, later becoming an elegant resort. Tales of disembodied voices and footsteps haunt the hotel. While a white apparition floats the hallways.
Hotel Colorado -- Glenwood Springs, Colo.
Many famous visitors stayed at the Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs throughout the years. Doc Holliday spent some time there, as well as President Taft and President Theodore Roosevelt, as well as the guests who never checked out. Visitors to the famous hotel say they smell cigar smoke, doors open and close on their own, and a little girl in a Victorian dress plays on the staircase. Believe in ghosts or not, Hotel Colorado makes a great place to stay and hunt ghosts.
Beaumont Hotel -- Ouray, Colo.
Built in 1886, the Beaumont Hotel in Ouray played host to many famous guests. President Theodore Roosevelt, Oprah Winfrey, and Jewel laid their heads down at the historical hotel. According to legend, a bride was killed by her new husband on their wedding night on the third floor -- the husband is said to have dragged her body through the hotel and hung her in a doorway. The bride can be seen roaming the hotel every quarter moon around 2:15 in the morning. On the anniversary of her death, some say you can hear her being murdered, but can't see her or the husband. This may be why they say never visit the third floor alone.
Imperial Hotel -- Cripple Creek, Colo.
The story of the Imperial Hotel built in the late 1800s is straight out of a horror movie. Known then as the Collins Hotel, owners George Long and his wife had a daughter who was constantly locked in their apartment due to a mental handicap. One night George fell to his death on the stairway leading to the basement. It's not proven, but some think his daughter, Alice, knocked him in the head with a cast iron pan. Guests and employees believe George still resides in the hotel. Sounds of someone playing slot machines can be heard after hours as well as apparitions caught throughout the hotel.
The Stanley Hotel -- Estes Park, Colo.
The Stanley Hotel couldn't be left off this list. Perhaps one of Colorado's most famous haunted hotels that played a part in Stephen King's The Shining. The Stanley Hotel is said to have four haunted rooms -- 217, 401, 407 and 418. 418 is said to be the most haunted of them all with spirits of children playing in the room and in the hall just outside. Guests have reported items being moved in the middle of the night or while their away, with housekeeping denying moving the items. It's easy to say this is the most haunted hotel in Colorado.
If you know of a haunted hotel in Colorado, let us know.