Creepy California Hotels Perfect For A Haunted Getaway
California isn’t just about sunny beaches and Hollywood glamour. The Golden State hides a darker side in its historic hotels where guests report strange noises, ghostly apparitions, and unexplainable events.
From Gold Rush-era inns to luxurious celebrity haunts, these establishments offer more than just a comfortable bed for the night.
If you’re brave enough to spend a night with potential supernatural roommates, these twelve haunted California hotels promise a spine-tingling experience you won’t forget.
1. The Chateau Marmont, West Hollywood
If walls could talk, this iconic Hollywood hideaway would tell tales of celebrity scandals, tragic overdoses, and supernatural encounters. John Belushi’s spirit reportedly haunts bungalow 3 where he died in 1982. Guests describe furniture moving on its own and unexplained cold spots throughout the room.
A ghostly boy appears in the hotel’s garden, giggling before vanishing into the hedges. Some visitors claim to see a blond woman in white wandering the hallways possibly actress Natalie Wood who frequented the hotel before her mysterious drowning death.
The elevator operates by itself, stopping at random floors with no passengers. Despite its haunted reputation, the Chateau Marmont remains an exclusive celebrity retreat where the living and dead seemingly coexist in old Hollywood glamour.
2. The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, Riverside
Hidden passages and secret rooms make this Spanish Mission-style hotel a playground for restless spirits. Guests report seeing a ghostly bride wandering the hallways in search of her groom who allegedly abandoned her on their wedding day.
Room 215 hosts a particularly mischievous entity who tugs on guests’ bedsheets and whispers in their ears at night. Security cameras have captured mysterious orbs floating through the hotel’s elaborate courtyards and ornate chapels.
The hotel’s rich history includes hosting ten U.S. presidents and countless celebrities since 1876. During renovation work, construction crews reported tools disappearing and reappearing in different locations. The Mission Inn embraces its haunted reputation with special ghost tours that highlight its most active paranormal hotspots.
3. The Alexandria Hotel, Los Angeles
Downtown LA’s once-glamorous Alexandria Hotel now houses permanent residents both living and dead. The phantom of a 1920s dancer appears in the ballroom where Rudolph Valentino once waltzed. Her translucent figure performs pirouettes before dissolving into mist.
Residents report hearing ragtime piano music late at night with no source. The hotel’s ornate mirrors seem particularly active, with guests catching glimpses of period-dressed figures who vanish when directly observed. A man in a black suit and bowler hat appears in hallways before walking through closed doors.
During its heyday, the Alexandria hosted presidents and Hollywood royalty. After falling into disrepair, it was renovated into apartments, but the restoration seemed to awaken dormant spirits. The building’s haunted reputation has made it a favorite for paranormal investigators and brave urban explorers.
4. The Winchester Mystery House, San Jose
While primarily a tourist attraction, this architectural oddity offers overnight stays for the truly brave. Sarah Winchester, heiress to the rifle fortune, built this bewildering mansion with staircases leading nowhere and doors opening to blank walls allegedly to confuse the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles.
Overnight guests report hearing phantom footsteps and hammering sounds echoes of the non-stop construction that continued for 38 years until Sarah’s death in 1922. Security guards have documented doorknobs turning and doors opening by themselves throughout the 160-room mansion.
The séance room remains the most active area, where Sarah supposedly communicated with spirits nightly. Visitors often feel sudden cold spots and experience camera malfunctions here. This bizarre house offers a rare opportunity to sleep surrounded by the supernatural phenomena that has made it California’s most famous haunted mansion.
5. Hotel Figueroa, Los Angeles
Originally opened as a YWCA exclusively for women travelers in 1926, Hotel Figueroa now houses the spirits of its early female guests. Staff members report seeing a woman in 1920s clothing vanish into walls near the original entrance.
The coffin-shaped pool, recently restored to its unusual form, attracts paranormal activity. Guests swimming alone report feeling hands grabbing their ankles underwater. Night security guards document unexplained splashing sounds when the pool area is empty.
A former manager committed suicide in room 315, which remains the most requested room for ghost hunters. Electronic equipment malfunctions frequently here, and guests report waking to find a man in vintage clothing standing at the foot of the bed. Despite a recent luxury renovation, the hotel’s historic charm and resident spirits remain intact.
6. The Brookdale Lodge, Santa Cruz Mountains
Built around a natural creek that still runs through its dining room, this mountain retreat has accumulated numerous spirits since opening in 1890. The ghost of a young girl named Sarah, who drowned in the creek, appears regularly near the water. Guests report seeing her skipping through the dining room before disappearing.
Room 46 experiences intense activity with guests reporting bedsheets being pulled off and television channels changing by themselves. Former staff members haunt the kitchen areas, with pots clanging and stove burners igniting spontaneously.
The lodge’s Mermaid Room, an old speakeasy with underwater viewing windows to the pool, harbors particularly dark energy. Visitors describe overwhelming feelings of dread and hearing disembodied voices whispering urgent warnings. After several closures, the Brookdale has reopened, embracing its reputation as one of California’s most haunted hotels.
7. The Madrona Manor, Healdsburg
Amidst Sonoma’s wine country stands this elegant Victorian mansion where the original owner, John Alexander Paxton, refuses to leave. Guests staying in the Mansion Building report seeing a distinguished gentleman in 19th-century attire watching them from the foot of the bed before fading away.
The grand staircase acts as a paranormal hotspot where visitors capture orbs in photographs and experience sudden temperature drops. Wedding parties report a woman in Victorian dress appearing in group photos, believed to be Hannah Paxton still watching over the estate.
Kitchen staff arrive to find ingredients moved and utensils rearranged overnight. Despite its ghostly residents, the manor operates as a luxury inn and Michelin-starred restaurant. The property’s beautiful gardens contain another active area where guests report smelling phantom perfume and hearing disembodied laughter among the roses.
8. The Paso Robles Inn, Paso Robles
Built atop natural hot springs, this historic hotel channels more than just mineral water from below. Room 1007 hosts the ghost of a night clerk who died in a mysterious fire in 1940. Guests receive phantom phone calls from this room even when it’s vacant.
The inn’s restaurant experiences frequent unexplained activity – place settings rearranged overnight, chairs pulled out from tables, and wine glasses that slide across surfaces untouched. Security cameras have captured misty apparitions moving through the dining room after closing.
Founded in 1864, the property has survived fires, earthquakes, and rebuilding. Perhaps these traumatic events left energetic imprints that manifest as paranormal activity. The hot springs themselves seem to amplify supernatural occurrences, with the strongest activity reported near the original mineral baths. Despite its ghostly reputation, the inn remains a popular wine country destination.
9. The Claremont Hotel & Spa, Berkeley
Standing majestically on the Oakland-Berkeley border, this grand white landmark harbors dark secrets from a devastating 1901 fire. Room 422 serves as the epicenter of paranormal activity, with guests reporting inexplicable knocking sounds and doors that open and close by themselves.
Many visitors sense a small child’s presence on the fourth floor believed to be a little girl who died in the original fire. Hotel staff avoid this area after dark, sharing stories of maintenance carts rolling down hallways untouched and televisions turning on at 2 AM.
The hotel’s elegant swimming pool becomes particularly active after hours. Security guards report hearing splashing and children’s laughter when the area is completely empty. Despite these eerie occurrences, The Claremont maintains its status as one of California’s most prestigious historic hotels.
10. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles
Marilyn Monroe’s restless spirit lingers in this glamorous Hollywood haunt. Guests staying in her former suite report seeing her reflection in the full-length mirror she once used. The blonde bombshell isn’t alone Montgomery Clift reportedly practices his trumpet in room 928.
Cold spots plague the ballroom where the first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929. Staff members describe phantom piano music playing from empty rooms and elevators stopping on random floors without passengers.
A small girl in a blue dress splashes in the hotel’s Tropicana Pool before vanishing into thin air. The Roosevelt maintains its luxury status while embracing its spectral reputation, offering ghost tours alongside cocktails at its famous Teddy’s nightclub.
