Seattle’s Most Haunted Hotels

Posted: 12.22.2024 | Updated: 12.22.2024

Seattle is rife with haunted activity lurking just beneath its historic streets. Founded in 1851, the city may not seem old at first glance. But its past is teeming with an intriguing and haunted history. So, why not immerse yourself in the more haunting aspects of this stunning city. Book a stay in one of its haunted hotels! Seattle has quite a few to choose from and each otherworldy lodging comes with its own uniquely terrifying tales. 

Today, the Emerald City, may be known for its coffee and contributions to the world of technology. But it holds a much spookier history for those bold enough to seek it out. Book a ghost tour with Seattle Terrors, to journey into this darker world.

What is the Most Haunted Hotel in Seattle? 

The Hotel Sorrento is undoubtedly one of Seattle’s most haunted hotels. It is so spooky that it was named one of Condé Nast Traveler’s top haunted hotels in the world. This grand hotel offers not only refined decor and breathtaking architecture but also its own ghostly resident. Ms. Alice B. Toklas, whose most notable contribution to society may have been the invention of the pot brownie, still haunts the hotel.

Still, this historic city is home to a variety of other haunted lodgings, each featuring its own unique amenities and ghostly inhabitants. 

Mayflower Park Hotel

One stylish option for those looking to have a spirited experience in Seattle is the Mayflower Park Hotel. Built in 1927 during the Roaring Twenties, the Mayflower is the oldest continuously operated hotel in downtown Seattle. 

This historic hotel originally opened as The Bergonian before being renamed and renovated in 1974. It features a stunning terra cotta exterior that is original to the construction, a vastly beautiful crystal chandelier in its lobby, and various other antiques to reaffirm its historic status. 

What specters does it harbor? Within this fine hotel, the spirit remains of an older man who once resided on the 6th floor. His spirit seems most attached to room 1120 in particular. Many guests get the feeling they are not alone. More than one unsuspecting guest in room 1120 left before the night’s end, requesting that they be moved to a different accommodation. 

His spirit has also been sighted on the 6th floor where he once lived. Although his presence startles some, any staff members will tell you, he means no harm at all.

There may be a second spirit at play as well in one of Seattle’s many haunted hotels, often simply referred to as the “greeter.” Little is known about this spirit other than the fact that he likes to greet guests upon their arrival in an act of ghostly hospitality. 

Hotel Ändra

Another one of Seattle’s spookiest attractions is the Hotel Ändra. Inside this elegant hotel waits a host of lively spirits. 

The Hotel Ändra wasn’t always the luxury hotel you see today. It was constructed in 1926 and opened under the name the Claremont Hotel. When the hotel initially opened its doors, it offered efficiency apartments and later operated as a transfer station for the Women’s Army Corps during the 40s. It only became a boutique hotel in the 1970s, finally renaming itself as the Hotel Ändra in 2004, taking on a Scandinavian theme. 

More than one ghostly inhabitant has been reported throughout this boutique hotel’s ten stories and 119 rooms. Guests and staff have encountered multiple strange events in the building, some of which involve seeing objects move without explanation. Another common sighting is that of a woman dressed in 30s-era clothing materializing in guests’ rooms.

Likewise, on the 9th floor, multiple people have overheard the boisterous sounds of partygoers and music. They describe the melodies as those of the jazz era, circa the 1920s and 1930s. Some guests have also described hearing glasses breaking, loud voices, and fighting. 

Upon checking on the unruly party, the hotel staff discover no one there. It appears this is one party you can’t join without an invite. Who might these spectral partygoers be? A gaggle of eternally reveling flappers, jazz musicians, and gangsters, perhaps? 

Quite likely, given the hotel’s history of hosting such carousers during the Depression era. The 9th floor often became an area for spontaneous jazz concerts during these troubling times. Their attempts to drown out their turmoil with energetic music, festive drinking, and vibrant chatter often lasted until the twilight hours of the morning. 

Arctic Club Hotel

The Arctic Club is located in the center of downtown Seattle, within walking distance of Pioneer Square and Pikes Place Market. Combining historic architecture with modern amenities, this 120-room hotel doesn’t shy away from its past, containing many nods to its former connections with the Klondike Gold Rush.

For years, it was also known as the place to conduct political meetings and business deals. Upon its opening, it held a cigar store, barber shop, billiards room, bowling alley, and private rooms and offices for conducting important affairs. 

The Arctic Club is yet another Seattle hotel known for noisy ghosts. The 3rd and 5th floors have long held the spirits of those who continue to party on, even in death. In addition to these festive sounds, some guests have experienced whispers from unseen individuals, the smell of cigars, and the sounds of footsteps, although no one can be sighted. 

Might these be the lingering spirits of successful businessmen or politicians who celebrate their success with a handshake and a smoke?

This location isn’t just known for parties and business deals, however. It holds a darker history as well. In 1936, a congressional representative named Marion Zioncheck jumped from the 5th-floor window, reportedly landing on 3rd Avenue in front of a car with his wife inside. Guests today sometimes feel cold spots or a cool breeze on this floor, almost as if someone had left a window open. 

Hotel Sorrento

Known as one of Seattle’s most haunted hotels, the Hotel Sorrento is strikingly opulent with its Italian-Renaissance-inspired furnishings. Built in 1909, this hotel has ushered in many guests, from entrepreneurs and prospectors upon its opening to writers, musicians, and artists in the 1950s and 60s.

The spirits of The Hotel Sorrento are a cultured bunch and, for the most part, quite friendly. They mostly like to tip over objects when guests’ backs are turned or to unsettle guests with disembodied laughter. Its most famed spirit, however, is that of Alice B. Toklas, an American writer and member of the avant-garde movement in Paris. 

Alice spent much of her childhood in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, where the hotel stands today. Many believe the hotel may stand over her original home, explaining her frequent sightings within its walls.

Alice has been glimpsed in multiple locations throughout the Hotel Sorrento, occasionally appearing in the garden dressed in her hat and coat or wandering the hallways of the 4th floor in a dressing gown. Many have claimed to have perceived her figure in the mirrors of the hallways on multiple floors, as well as heard her playing the piano on the 7th floor.

Another promising location to encounter this spirit’s antics is in the Fireside Room, where she occasionally moves drinks around in a spritely manner. Room 408 is another favorite of hers, it seems, and strange occurrences are frequently reported there.

Haunted Seattle

The city of Seattle may be known for its diverse cultural offerings, quaint coffee shops, and vibrant arts scene today, but beneath these picturesque museums and shops, darker secrets lie. 

For lovers of the phantasmic and eerie, Seattle offers many accommodations befitting those with more chilling tastes. Immerse yourself in the world of the unknown by choosing any one of these haunting locations for your next Seattle stay.

To hear more terrifying tales from the Emerald City, visit our blog. And to those willing to brave these time-worn streets in person, come and uncoil its mysteries on a ghost tour with Seattle Terrors. 

To stay up-to-date on the latest offerings from US Ghost Adventures, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. 

Sources:

https://www.travelchannel.com/destinations/us/wa/seattle/photos/haunted-seattle-attractions

https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/haunted-hotels-around-the-world

https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/mayflower-park-hotel/history.php

https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending-now/washington-state-hauntings-scary-apparitions-ghost-parties-and-voices-from-beyond/634186685

https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/hotel-andra-seattle-mgallery-hotel-collection/history.php

https://seattle.curbed.com/2017/7/20/16002464/arctic-club-hotel-building-history

https://www.seattletimes.com/life/5-allegedly-haunted-and-spooky-seattle-spots-to-visit

https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/washington/seattle/experiences/news/meet-the-seattle-ghost-who-made-the-weed-brownie-famous