Haunted Hotels: Eerie Inns, Ghoulish Guests, and Creepy Caretakers

by Tom Ogden

Haunted Hotels comprises more than two dozen tales of ghosts, unexplained phenomena, and other spooky happenings at hotels, inns, and rooming houses across America and around the world. Tom Ogden, author of four other books in the Haunted series, also provides information for readers who wish to check in and check out the spirits themselves . . . if they dare.

Genres: Nonfiction, Ghosts, Ghost Stories, Paranormal, Horror

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Kari Mathias · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I would have liked this book better if it had stuck to history and more documented legend, and stayed away from trying to be a work of fiction and a guidebook as well. The fictionalized accounts of paranormal experiences were mostly cringe-worthy, and Tom Ogden's blatant ad placement was really off putting.

That said, the history that was present was mostly well-researched. Mostly. I wasn't very impressed.

[Cheyenne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is definitely not one I would pick up if you're interested in the actual ghost stories it's meant to contain. There are fiction characters and stories that don't really make sense or add a whole lot mixed into the stories and the whole thing is one blatant advertisement for the hotels that it covers. It seems the truth and the ghosts take more of a backseat.

[Boris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read of mainly urban legends and folklore but with interesting historical background on the hotels and their locations. I had actually visited a number of them, including and especially The Stanley in Estes Park, Colorado, the inspiration for The Shining and the Raffles in Singapore

[Dawn Baer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it not only told about the ghosts and hauntings of the hotels, but it told about the history of the hotels.

[Elizabeth Manning · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm only giving it a 2/5 because of the locations and their stories. The writing was dry and was hard to stay interested even in some of the stories I loved. While history is important to know with the paranormal, this book seemed to lean more on the history side rather than the paranormal, which is fine, just don't label it a paranormal book then. Some of the history mentioned in the chapters would bounce between topics and I was like "wait, which person goes with which hotel". It's also from 2010, so the information is outdated. There could be new restorations and stories to these hotels that the reader doesn't know about in these books.
I also did not like how, in a PARANORMAL book that is supposed to talk about GHOSTS & THE PARANORMAL, the ghost took a backseat and the author wrote it as if the ghost stories were just that "stories" and not real.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a re-read for me and I didn't enjoy it as much the second time around. The why he writes the information on the hauntings slightly annoys me. I feel he should just write out the information without adding a fictional story teller into each story about a haunted hotel. It's still an interesting book and there were a few "true" ghost stories I hadn't read about before.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best book of haunted hotels (or anywhere) out there, but definitely an enjoyable airplane read.

I was already familiar with most of the haunted places listed in this book, but there were a couple new ones to add to my list of places to stay if I ever get the chance.

I'm still left wondering why so many ghost brides are named 'Mary' though. Lack of imagination is my best guess.

[Joseph R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This survey of American hotels that have experienced hauntings covers all of the country. The stories are divided by regions of the United States and includes hauntings in Hawaii and Alaska, which surprised me. Each hotel has its history described, usually dating back to the 1800s (new hotels haven't been around long enough to accumulate legends or phenomena), along with the sort of paranormal activity that occurs. Ghosts are identified with more or less detail about their lives and why they might be haunting the location (usually dying there under bad circumstances). Some of the stories are fictionalized, describing a person or couple coming to the hotel either in search of ghostly phenomena or accidentally stumbling upon such phenomena. A lot of crime drama and architecture is thrown in as those impact the story. If readers want to visit the hotels, the book provides resources at the end of each chapter and an appendix with videos and other online resources.

I found this mildly entertaining. With so many different stories told, some are bound to be more interesting and engaging than others. I do not plan on visiting any of the hotels, though maybe I might wind up at one by accident. Hopefully I won't have an accident there and get included in a future book!

Mildly recommended.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haunted Hotels is about various hotels around the United States and the world that are haunted.
I picked this up on a whim to read as I thought it would be a good book for getting ready for Halloween. I thought this book was interesting and it was a pretty interesting read.
A lot of these stories follow people "visiting" these hotels and the encounters they have. What I wanted to read the most though was the history of these haunted hotels. That was what stood out for me and I think that would be a good reason to pick up this book. Hotels have such varied histories and are places of high emotions for a lot of people.
I though this was pretty intriguing but I do wish we could have gotten more history of these places. I though this would be a good read for the Halloween season.

[Maranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using fictional characters to talk about hauntings is rather unique, I've read plenty of these books and never saw that happen. Some of the stories had me rolling my eyes or going "I don't care about their backgrounds, they're fictional", but you can tell Ogden had a lot of fun writing them. I appreciated reading about new places I haven't heard of before (I've heard so many things about haunted hotels thanks to Your Haunted Holidays). The book isn't bad, but it's not great either. It's right in the middle.

[Emily Pruitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first, I was extremely excited to read a book containing stories of the paranormal, but that is not quite what this book is. The book confinas some stories of the paranormal, but it mainly comprised of the history of each of the hotels and surrounding area. If you are looking for a book of the paranormal, I do not recommend this one; however, if you are looking for a book about the history of haunted places, this is the one for you!

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Riddled with spelling errors, and most likely copied from Wikipedia and the like, it presents ficticious encounters. Would have been more interesting if the author had gone to each location himself and spoken with locals. Really, any of these hotels' information I could have researched online. Photos would be good, too.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book of short stories that give the facts about haunted hotels all over the world. History of each hotel is given as it is interwoven into a specific person visiting the haunted location.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're into the paranormal, I would highly suggest this book. It has both the stories of why the building is haunted and a current story that happened to somebody within or without the building, depending on the story.

[Rach · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought I was really going to enjoy this book but it was a major struggle for me to finish. The way the book was laid out is what did it for me. I felt like the book told more about the structural history verses the history of the hauntings/ eye witness testimonies.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories were interesting and I enjoyed learning about the different haunted hotels. The background stories were a little boring, with some details that seemed unnecessary.

[Tania Monhollan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't actually ghost stories per say but more of a history of the hotels and the claims of ghost who lived in them.

[Leeann Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an interesting read and the fact it’s real and gives you details to hotels in the back…!!! Not me starting a haunted hotels Pinterest board haha

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. A little vague with some stories. My granddaughter is excited to read it since she LOVES this stuff.

[Bishop Wilkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish it had more stuff about the hauntings and not about how the hotel was built and the history of what owner had it. It kind of defeated the purpose.

[Denise Sellers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love reading these books but with this I was wanting more information on history and sightings of the hotels.

[Cassie Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book reads like a rough draft

[Chanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope to check some of these out one day! Very neat that the Black Hawk Hotel is in it

[booksbymonth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting reading about the different hauntings.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of information and fun ghost stories.

[Lorie Richards]

Interesting. A fast read. Not sure I want to visit those places or not.

[David Groves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Lots of good research. Ogden covers the waterfront.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books about the paranormal. Very informative and well researched. Best chapters are the Queen Mary, Crescent Hotel, the Stanley Hotel, and Myrtles Plantation.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written by a magician in a style that didn't inspire me to want to visit any of the places.