Hotel Chelsea

World's Scariest Places #6

by Jeremy Bates

Are you a fan of Stephen King and Dean Koontz? If you're looking for something fresh and new, join the millions of readers who have already taken the journey to the World's Scariest Places."Bates brings the atmosphere." —Publishers Weekly

"Fans of spooky stories and ghostly encounters will relish the atmosphere of the Chelsea Association Building's Hotel Chelsea, with its dual magnificence and slowly-building terror." —Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review

The latest novel in the bestselling World's Scariest Places series takes you to the historic Hotel Chelsea in New York City. Many people consider it a cauldron of creativity due to the numerous writers, musicians, artists, and actors who have called it home over the years. But it is perhaps best known for being one of the most haunted places in in the country...

When a magazine reporter is tasked with writing a story about the Hotel Chelsea's never-ending renovations, he befriends some of the hotel's eccentric characters. As the days go by, and he experiences increasingly abnormal events in his life, he begins to wonder if there's more to the Hotel Chelsea, and its residents, than meets the eye.

Praise for Jeremy

"Old-school horror story reminiscent of Stephen King" ★★★★★

"Best book I've read to date" ★★★★★

"Perfect for Laymon fans!" ★★★★★

"Definitely recommend to all fans of modern horror" ★★★★★

"A master storyteller!" ★★★★★

"I sort of fell into Jeremy Bates by accident, and I'm so glad I did. He's one of my new favorite writers, and I urge everyone to check him out" ★★★★★

"The most chilling book I’ve ever read!" ★★★★★

"Absolutely loved this book" ★★★★★

"Non-stop adrenaline rush from beginning to end" ★★★★★

"Any Stephen King or Dean Koontz fan will love it" ★★★★★

"I was hooked from the first page!" ★★★★★

"Binge worthy!" ★★★★★

"This is one of the best books I have ever read!" ★★★★★

"A very juicy, scary ride" ★★★★★

"Suicide Forest is up there with Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box" ★★★★★

"Scariest book I've ever read" ★★★★★

"Huge fan of Mr Bates! You won't be disappointed" ★★★★★

"Edge-of-my-seat experience! I felt I was indeed living the horror" ★★★★★

"Page-turner with a twist! I was hanging on to every word!" ★★★★★

"One of the greatest suspense-filled books I have ever read" ★★★★★

"If you enjoy Richard Laymon, you'll love reading Jeremy Bates" ★★★★★

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Fiction, Paranormal, Ebooks, Mystery, Horror Thriller

357 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2020

About the author

USA TODAY and #1 Amazon bestselling author Jeremy Bates has written over twenty novels and novellas, selling more than one million copies worldwide. His work has been translated into multiple languages and optioned for film and television by major studios. Midwest Book Review has likened his storytelling to that of Stephen King and Joe Lansdale, calling him a "master of the art." Bates is a KDP Select All-Star and the recipient of the Australian Shadows Award and the Canadian Arthur Ellis Award. He was also a finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards, the only major book honors chosen by readers.

His latest novel, *The No-End House*, is a standalone horror story set in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter, where a pair of volunteers must navigate nine mysterious rooms in a sinister house. Scheduled for release by Kensington Publishing in July 2025, it’s a chilling tale of survival and escape.

Visit Amazon to get DENISOVANS for a special release-date price now.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0F...

Also, MOUNTAIN OF THE DEAD is currently only $0.99 in a limited-time deal.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079KW3N72

Finally, visit Jeremy’s website to receive a free copy of *Black Canyon*, winner of the Lou Allin Memorial Award.
https://www.jeremybatesbooks.com

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Jump Scares Here!

Small backstory:

A journalist has been handed a job of interviewing residents of the Hotel Chelsea to find out if the hotel is really haunted or if is just stories, but what he discovers is far beyond what he expected!

That is about all I can hand out with a small backstory so if you want to know more then go read this book!

Thoughts:

This book was interesting and kind of spooky within the first half of the book but it started to meander around some with parts of it dragging here and there. There were quite a few characters within the story to keep track of and even the characters seemed to drag along as well.

Normally I like to read books by this author but this one just didn't move at a fast enough pace and I was expecting more ghostly stuff throughout the whole book not just a dabble here and there. The author threw in a twist though at the end of the book which wasn't expected compared to 90% of the story but either way I am glad that I finally read it as I have owned this book for a long time. Giving this book three "Few and Far Between Spooks" stars!

[Lady James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had potential but really let me down - Like REALLY let me down

If you’re looking for a good, adrenaline rush scare, pick a different book. This contains spoilers which I never do but decided to here to save readers the utter letdown which is this book. I was SO excited when I found this book. I’ve always heard the stories about the haunted Hotel Chelsea. This book started out great. It had some decent characters, some good plots, yadda yadda yadda. Then, as I was reading what should have been the scariest part, all of a sudden a huge UFO enters the picture. The author concludes the story that the reasoning behind the haunted feels at the Chelsea weren’t hauntings at all. They were caused by electromagnetic fields emitted from a spaceship hidden in the basement of the hotel. No, I’m not joking. That’s how the book ends. Go ahead and read what I wrote again...”a spaceship”. You know an author is grasping at straws when they suddenly introduce a spaceship. I had to reread the paragraph to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. If I wanted UFOs I would stick to watching the xfiles - not spending my well deserved day off reading a science fiction book disguised as ghost story.

[ItzSmashley]

2.25 Stars
OK this one was difficult. Mainly because this is my 5th book I have read in Bate's worlds scariest places series, and it was noticeable worse than the other entries that I really enjoyed. The main problem is its incredibly slow pace and lack of horror moments. That does mean the characters are very well fleshed out, but it has sacrificed a lot of the excitement usually in the authors work. I was also not a fan of the ending, I actually laughed when I found out what was causing the spooky happenings in the hotel. Very disappointing :/
A journalist , whos is a recovering drug addict, is tasked with writing an article about the renovations in the famous Hotel Chelsea. But when he speaks to the residents who are convinced the hotel is haunted, he begins to lose his grip on reality. Can he find out what is going? Or will he succumb to the terror and his addiction?

[Sammie Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty fun, although it took me way longer than it should have. Good book for spooky season! Malcolm is a writer for an NYC magazine, and he’s tasked with writing an article about the renovations underway at the famous Chelsea Hotel. The hotel is notorious for being haunted, though Malcolm doesn’t believe in ghosts. As a former heroin addict, he knows that people are their own worst demons. However, as he starts meeting longtime bohemian residents, things start getting weird.

We learn all sorts of interesting tidbits about former residents of the famous hotel, most of them infamous in their own right, including Edie Sedgwick and Sid Vicious. And as we meet many of the current residents, we go along with them on their nocturnal and unnatural experiences, each one stranger than the last. And nothing could have prepared me for the ending, but I don’t know that anyone but the author could dream that up. It was a fun read, but way more suspended disbelief than I am used to.

[Michael Dawson · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading several chapters and not much happening in the story a lot of history in the story a bit too much, made me lose interest quickly there was no wow Factor

[Misty · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, LOVED the premise. A journalist , Malcom Clock, is assigned to write an article regarding the history of the infamous Hotel Chelsea, currently in a state of prolonged restoration. When he visits, however, instead of the empty building he’d been expecting, he finds an eccentric group of hold-outs—residents who have refused to vacate the premises. Rather than stopping the work altogether, it has simply continued around them, as if they’ve become fixtures of the hotel itself. Through Malcom’s interactions with these residents, actual stories of the hotel are recounted, from Janice Joplin’s hastily performed blowjob made famous by Leonard Cohen’s lyrics, to the murder of Sid Vicious’ girlfriend. It’s an interesting combination of fact and fantasy as the author creates purely speculative details regarding some of the hotel’s most famous legends.

Suddenly, in the middle of what was otherwise an enjoyable and interesting read, the story just completely goes off the rails. In one of the most ludicrous plot twists ever penned, this train soars from a cliff, leaving twisted wreckage that is simply unsalvageable. The author is apparently unaware and unapologetic as he dismantles a promising read, whilst the reader can only cringe and wonder what publisher thought any of this worked.

I was so happy to close the final page of this one that I then actually deleted it from my Kindle. I wanted no reminder of the time spent between its pages.

[John Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eerie!

This was a well written story but, at times, it did drag on a bit. We had a recovering drug addict writing a story about the famous Hotel Chelsea, in the heart of New York. We were given an in-depth insight into his troubled past and the damaging relationship he had with his bipolar neighbour. His mental health spirals out of control when he begins to delve into the happenings at the Hotel Chelsea, once home to famous musicians and artists. Many of whom committed suicide or died violently in the hotel. Was this a ghost story or something else? A really good psychological thriller that would have received a 5 star rating from me if it had been a shorter read.

[Bernard Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not all scary places are haunted, and not all ghosts are spooky. Or . . . ? New York’s Hotel Chelsea is full of ghosts, or scare. But who will spook you, and who will survive? Or who is alive? Hotel Chelsea is a very peculiar place, and Hotel Chelsea is the most unexpected story. You are in for a boooo-surrrpriiiise!

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I was intrigued. Then I hated it. But the ending was unexpected and took things from a 2/10 to a 6.5/10.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yea, I agree with others here. I didn’t read the reviews before reading this one and I have to say the ending was a real letdown. Not a bad story most of the way, and well written enough to keep my interest, but the twist near the end was just dumb. Sorry, but what a cop out! I’ve liked others by this author but I haven’t liked the last couple I’ve read nearly as much. Thinking the series’ theme is played out.

[Dez Nemec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of the World's Scariest Places books, but it was pretty good. I wish he would have went another direction with the ending though.

[Chris Ramirez · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one the the few books I read that was completely ruined by the ending. It might be the most terrible ending to a book ever. It is a slow paced book and the main draw was the well fleshed out characters. Only for those characters you care about to end up in the worst situations possible at the end. I am done with Jeremy Bates.

[Jesse Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

This book goes all over the place with twists and it’s so much fun. The characters are all unique and the glimpses into the hotel’s past are fascinating. This has to be one of my favorites by Jeremy Bates.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a twist. I read most of this in a day. Can't remember the last time a book got me that hooked.

[Allison Lakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. Definitely had me thinking the only reason I took a star off was not a fan of the ending but that's just me personally. Really liking his books so far!

[Jennifer Zheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to say I din't get scared reading scary books as opposed to watching scary movies, but I can no longer say that after reading Jeremy Bates's novels.
I was very invested in the different scary scenes in this book, but I just felt like it was very random stuff and then there came a random out of the blue explanation for things at the end??? I wish there was a more cohesive ghost story throughout rather than random experiences; Bates's writing is applaudable though in that I do not recommend reading this book alone at the dead of night because every time I had to leave my room I would slowly open the door and poke my head out due to the paranoia his writing elicited in me.

[Shana Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book started out with potential, the ending was extremely disappointing. I often find myself suspending some common sense and reasoning when I read, heck that's half the thrill, but I find the idea of suspending every modicum of common sense and reasoning in order to enjoy the direction that a book takes me to be completely unacceptable. So, unless you are capable of turning into a brainless, nonsensical reader I would suggest skipping this book.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Small spoiler alert. I love all Jeremy Bates books, except this one. I will say, it started out great and had me hooked until the last few chapters. If Stephen King's The Shining and Michael Crichton's Sphere had a baby this would be the book. I was very disappointed with the climax and how this book ended. There was so much potential and it was just so disappointing.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly Confusing?

I was really enjoying the story until almost the end, when the Author threw in an unexpected twist from space! At first I thought it was a different story! I thought the ending sort of sucked too.

[Elisse Antczak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved it until the ending

I loved this story - about 90% of it anyway. I was terribly disappointed in the ending. It just didn't jibe with the plot. The story deserved a better ending. Too bad.

[Jessica (Read book. Repeat) · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can find this review and all my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

Actual rating of 2.5

The Hotel Chelsea is thought to be the spur behind so many creative geniuses who have walked through it's doors over the years, and is still seen as the muse for those who have followed the greats into the hotel in search of ideas. Though not only is it known for the old greats who slept in it's beds over the years, it is also known as one of the most haunted places in the country. When a journalist enters the hotel to gather information to write a piece on the ongoing renovations he finds more than he bargained for when confronted with history in a way he wasn't expecting.

I was super keen for this one. I love the stories that surround the Hotel Chelsea, I would love to set foot in it's front door one day purely because of these stories, just to get a feel for the place myself, ya know? So when I saw that Bates had written a story that was set in the infamous hotel, I could not pass it up. Though I will admit, though the story was filled with promise and possibilities, the ending really let it down for me.

When a journalist is tasked with the job of writing a piece on the Hotel Chelsea, he gets to know the quirky folk who still call it home and refuse to leave despite the pressure from hotel management and the ongoing renovations that make living there quite uncomfortable. He learns stories of the past famous creatives who passed through the Hotel doors and called it home for a while, and he also learns of their experiences with the paranormal. Falling under the spell of the Chelsea, the journalist becomes enamored with finding out more about the strange happenings, but it could possibly lead him down a path that he wishes he didn't tread.

There was a lot of promise in this story, and the paranormal experiences that the hotel guests talk about are super intriguing. I wasn't sure which way this story was going to head in it's conclusion, and honestly I could never have picked it. That's not to say that I like where it went, because I really didn't. The ending was highly disappointing and came somewhat out of left field for me. It was reminiscent of the ending and reveal of the original IT movie. One minute there's a clown ghost, next minute it's crab people. This had that feel to it, though I'll tell you right now, it wasn't crab people, there were no crab people in this story at all. I just did not see it coming and it felt kind of like a copout ending.

I also found that between the interactions with the hotel guests, and the few strange things that the journalist himself encountered, the pacing was pretty slow and felt like it just about stopped in some places. I'm not sure if it was because I felt like the story was kind of a hodge podge of ideas and it didn't really know what it wanted to be? That's the best way I can describe this instalment of the World's Scariest Places series, a mish mash of ideas that were thrown together until they somewhat merged.

The characters were interesting and I really enjoyed the way that Bates wrote the famous people we cross paths with in the story. As always Bates has done an absolutely amazing job of researching his source material. In all of his books this is one thing that always shines through. Thought this one let me down a bit, I will still continue to read through his catalogue and look forward to future releases because I feel like he is a strong voice in a genre that is so flooded with stories that it can become difficult to find a gem.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

“Everyone who’s lived here for long enough has a ghost story or two to tell.”

When breaking down the World’s Scariest Places series collectively, this was the most mature effort. The elegant and inviting pace kept intrigued throughout the whole storyline. The punctured conclusion was silly and slapdashed; love Bates’s writing, and I take the pulpiness and sarcasm that he offers with light hearted cheerfulness. I’m a disappointed fan, but this doesn’t diminish or tarnish my previous reviews pertaining to the prior installments.

The premise of the story is one that has been told a hundred thousand different ways. Malcom Clock (creepy and clever name for main character), a magazine reporter for an independent New York publication, is summoned to the grand Hotel Chelsea to document recent renovations and modifications performed on the historical building. The introductory chapters regarding this task are dingy, gloomy, and unsettling, but in a good way. Some of tenants that Malcom interviews are a dynamic bunch. Strange, loopy, and penetrating are a few ways to describe them.

The storyline gets even darker as the story progresses and a citywide blackout occurs. Other anecdotes and historical perks liven up the overall atmosphere of the accentuated hotel in written form. Bates doesn’t neglect minute details, and his comprehensive research shows. Some of the more notable guests in in he Chelsea eventually make their presence known in spectral form, and there’s one infamous celebrity I was greatly anticipated. When he arrived, a smile spread across my face. Without spoiling his identity, I should mention that I had posters plastered on my bedroom wall when I was a teenager.

The last quarter of the book is polluted with messy ideas that merely the solid ‘Shining/Sentinel’ feel that was once prominent. I’m talking specifically about voodoo...and (coughs)...electromagnetic spaceships. One tenant eventually exhorts Clock into psychological evaluation by throwing a boring, useless theory about brain hemispheres into the theory of Chelsea’s paranormal activity. After reading this, I questioned a few things: my own mentality, and why the hell Bates conclude a polished and enlightening read with a crappy epilogue.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hotel Chelsea – 4/5
By Jeremy Bates

Wow. That ending was amazing. I wasn't sure if I liked it until I had sat back and reflected – but yup. That was an amazing ending! This was a great addition to the World's Scariest Places series.

I loved the mix of traditional ghost story and science fiction – I found that it really worked! Through in the conspiracy at the end – and yup! Brilliant story.

The amount of research that must have gone into this book would have been immense. I really loved reading about real life celebrities, in a real life situations and places, as well as reading about the fictional characters.

The only thing that really bothered me, which really has no bearing on the story at all, is that little Bitcoin the pug, stopped being mentioned about 2/3 of the way through the book and I became anxious as to what happened to him! (All worrying done on behalf of my little pug cross!) Thankfully, he was okay as we found out towards the end of the book, but it was like a constant itch that wouldn't go.

I only have two books left to read in this series and I can’t wait to read them!

[Mike Lambert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hardly ever come here to review books, but felt I need to leave one for Bates' Hotel Chelsea -- the absolute least enjoyable/satisfying of his "World's Scariest Places" series, possibly even out of all of his books.

Bates provided us with a compelling, grab-you-right-away prologue in this book, leading to 80% of the "story" populated with mostly oddball or unlikeable characters, leading to a wholly unsatisfying out-of-left-field ending that felt completely ludicrous and forced. Aside from one character mention, the excellent prologue seemed to stand too far apart from, and have very little to do with, the primary story. In a sentence -- this book wasn't scary at all, but it was boring.

I usually tear through Bates' books at a high speed, devouring his material like I used to Stephen King's books and short stories in the first two decades of his career. Bates is a good writer who typically spins a great yarn...which is why I can't believe he wrote this stinker. It's almost like someone else wrote this under HIS name. I'm not giving up on Jeremy Bates, as he's currently my favorite horror writer....but I ended up "hate-reading" this book just to finish it.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the Hotel Chelsea may be one of the world's scariest places, sadly, this story was not. I am feeling generous with a 3/like it and could be persuaded to go 2/ok, but really. Good premise and much of the book is easily ascertained from Wikipedia and similar sources. I mostly liked the characters--living and dead. I even liked the major twist near the end--I have enough of a science background to understand and trust the theories, but not enough to challenge or prove / disprove them. Some of the science explanations passed from interesting to boring. I missed a satisfying feeling of horror or dread and felt there could be a lot more horror fiction extrapolated from actual or potential victims. The ending was OK at best, but unsatisfying. Not great, but I will give some of the other works in this series a try.

[Christina Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I get so excited when Jeremy Bates writes a new book based on 'World's Scariest Places.' He makes the story so good, you get drawn in very quickly once you begin to read. This book was quite scary and intense. I still would have like to know what has ever happened to the guys and young lady from the prologue. Maybe I'm missing something that I might have misunderstood? Probably. I did like the characters from there. Malcolm has become my favorite. He was a very entertaining character. Towards the end, I was somewhat saddened for him, yet rooting him on because he had one particular person he had around and I can't say since that would spoil the book for readers that haven't read this yet. Thus, this book is completely bad a**!!! You readers seriously have to read it. It's VERY good.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The famous Hotel Chelsea is under renovation and there are about fifty tenants who won't leave. For the last two weeks, they have been experiencing hallucinations with famous past tenants like Sid Vicious and Dee Dee Ramone. Malcom Clock, a magazine, journalist, comes to write an article about the renovation and soon becomes involved with the strange goings on.

This is my least favourite of this series. It doesn't even feel as if it belongs. The first part often felt like non-fiction so much was spent on the famous tenants of the past. There was no horror, just a ghost story without any tension or suspense. I was really disappointed as the other books in this series were truly horrifying.

[John R. Goyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember the first time you From Dusk till Dawn? Remember that feeling of WTF as it morphed into not the movie you thought you were watching? Kinda similar things happen here, but at about 85% through the book. And despite valiant attempts at making it make sense, sort of, I still come away disappointed by the not quite fitting ending of this otherwise excellent book. I won't give it away, but it somewhat ruined what was looking like an almost perfect reading experience. A captivating story about a place and people which were quite unique, a story that got creepier in a wonderfully paced way and which kept me wanting to continue reading - up to the point I mentioned. I finished it - I didn't throw my kindle at the wall - that's self control...

[Kelly Courduff villanueva · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m trying to figure out if this is a horror book or not. Because I’m 21 chapters in and nothing and I mean NOTHING has happened yet. We’ve spent the last 21 chapters being introduced Malcom who’s writing an article on the Chelsea hotel, and a cast of wacky but mostly annoying characters. I particularly hate Nicki, Malcom’s
weirdo down stairs neighbor who can’t keep her stories straight and randomly slips people her Ritalin in their food and some wanna be Scottish or Irish rockstar whose name I can’t be bothered to remember whose always drunk. Anyway I’m bored out of my mind at this point and I’m gonna DNF.

[Bruce Blanchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read Jeremy Bates for a while and for good reason. His novellas are okay & recommended. The novels however have a distinct problem in that he sets up the story, works his way through it, and the endings leave the reader down trodden with a Say What!? I liked Hotel Chelsea up unto the end. Catch a few reviews and they will say what is, I won't. Just say, my jaw didn't drop; I merely shook my head with disappointment. Make no mistake, this is a good story with people you come to care about. My only gripe is the ending.
On a side note when you consider the words "scary place" some people might consider it that way. The rest of us think at least he tried.