Firstly don’t forget that there is still time to vote for Betty Blue’s Loungerie in the iZettle 15 Seconds Of Fame competition. Just GO HERE.
Anyway hello all! Yes we know it is over a week until Halloween, but there is method in our madness to posting about Halloween for this weeks blog post. Today we have searched for some of the best luxury hotels around the world, that just so happen to be slightly haunted. So if you are looking for a little get away this All Hallows Eve, perhaps somewhere to relax in your Betty Blue’s Loungerie, keep reading to find out our top 5 haunted hotels. Why post now? So you have time to book yourselves a spooky Halloween break!
Kicking off our haunted tour of the world is luxury hotel, The Langham, in London. Arguably the most haunted 5 star hotel in the whole of the UK, the hotel is located in the heart of London’s West End, and you can tell just from the picture above it is steeped with atmosphere of bygone times. Opened in 1865, it was built on the site of a Nobel family’s mansion, the Foley’s. The Foley’s family line had come to an end after a series of unfortunate deaths; perhaps why this hotel on the site is so haunted. Over the years the hotel has had many different guises each stemming their own ghostly stories, but perhaps the most famous is the stories stemming from room 333. It is reputed to be so haunted that some staff at the Langham won’t even step foot on the third floor, and guests of room 333 have fled in the middle of the night because they were so spooked. There are stories of mysterious light orbs, ghosts tipping people out of their beds, ‘The German Soldier’ moving through walls and corridors and a silver haired ‘doctor’ in Victorian dress. Even Napoleon III is said to haunt the basement of the building, as he had lived his last days in exile at The Langham. Are you brave enough to try a weekend in room 333? Rooms are available from £265, per night, based on two people sharing.
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, LA.
Next we are heading to sunny California to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, LA, perhaps resident to the most famous and salubrious of ghosts. Being the favourite hang out place for Hollywood’s elite since it opened in 1927, one would expect there to be a few celebrity ghosts really. Reputedly, the ghost of Marilyn Monroe has been seen reflected in the mirror of room 229, as well as twirling around the dancefloor in the ballroom. But the hotels famous ghosts don’t stop at Ms Monroe, Montgomery Cliff and Carole Lombard, both of which have stayed at the hotel in living form, have also been sighted as ghostly apparitions. Clift if said to haunt room 928, the room in which he stayed whilst filming ‘From Here To Eternity’, and this room is where most of the activity in the hotel is said to take place. He can be heard pacing the corridors, playing his bugle and tapping people on the shoulder. Apparently there is a high turnover of maids at the hotel as the pesky Clift often brushes past them giving them a fright. So why not book yourself in this Halloween to see if you can spot a celebrity ghost!
The Fairmont Banff Springs, Canada.
A hop over the border to Canada and we are at the Fairmont at Banff Springs (Partner hotel to The Savoy Hotel in London, our favourite luxury hotel!). Peeking out of the tops of the Rocky Mountains, this magnificent Victorian building looks like a fairy-tale castle. It is said to be haunted by a relatively young ghost in ghost terms. In 1976 a long time member of staff sadly passed away. The bellman, Sam, had always jokingly said that he would return to haunt the hotel, and it seems he has done just that! People have reported to meet a kindly older man, who was very helpful and chatty, but disappeared right in front of their eyes. Another resident ghost is said to be a beautiful bride in her resplendent white wedding dress. Story has it that whilst descending the staircase on her wedding day, she tripped on her dress and fell to her death. She now haunts the hotel in her dress, still descending the staircase where she met her death. Whatever the ghost stories may be, you are sure to have a wonderful time at this beautiful Fairmont Hotel; the Fairmont group certainly know how to do luxury. They offer a championship golf course, skiing in the winter, a heath and beauty spa and fine dining. There is even a special Halloween Heritage Ghost Tour starting from $399 (Canadian Dollars) based on two sharing, which includes luxury accommodation, admission to the Heritage Ghost Tour and self parking. What more could a gal ask for, for a luxurious and spooky Halloween! – Oh yeah some Betty Blue’s thrown in would be perfect 😉
Back in Europe and in Denmark, we are next visiting Dragsholm Slot. The castle has over 800 years of history, making it one of the oldest buildings in Denmark. It is now run as a luxury hotel particularly known for it’s excellent restaurants, of which there are two. As one would expect with a building of this age, there are many a tale of hauntings. In the castles history, it has most notably been used as a prison for ecclesiastical prisoners. Perhaps this is why it is said that religious chanting and a moaning noise can be heard in the tower. The most seen and most famous of ghosts in the castle is that of the ‘White Lady’. Born of a family of nobles, it is said that Celine Bovles is haunting the castle. Unfortunately for Celine she fell in love and fell pregnant by a commoner who worked at the castle. When her father found out it is said he threw her in the castles dungeons and walled her up. To corroborate this story, it is said that whilst maintenance was being carried out in the 1930’s, a skeleton was found in the castle walls wearing a white dress. She is said to walk the castle every night looking for her lover, in her white dress. There are said to be over 100 ghosts so will you encounter any this Halloween I wonder?
To finish off our haunted tour of the worlds luxury hotels we are in Sweden at Toftaholm Herrgard. The building dates back to the 14th Century when it was a country manor house. Strange goings on have been reported at the hotel. Reportedly it is haunted by a young peasant boy. It is another story of unrequited love I am afraid. The boy had fallen in love with the daughter of a baron who owned the house, but as he was a lowly peasant it was not meant to be. The daughter was promised to a more noble man and on the morning of their wedding, the peasant boy hung himself in room 324. There are unexplained noises and doors mysteriously being opened and closed.
So there you have it, 5 delightfully spooky haunted hotels to stay at this Halloween. All you need now is a luxurious nightwear set to slink around your suite in. What will you be doing this Halloween? We’d love to hear – just enter in the comments below!
Lots of Love
Betty and Team Blues xxx
Leave a reply