Rumour has it that the Fairmont Banff Springs is haunted.
In honour of Halloween we've put together a list of seven haunted hotels in Canada. Considering many of these hotels are 100 years plus, it's not surprising that they've had time to collect more than a few lingering spirits. Whether you believe in them or not, according to guest and staff reports, all of these seven hotels have all experienced some spooky happenings over the years. Read on -- if you dare!
1. Fairmont Banff Springs
Banff Springs, Alberta
Nestled within the picturesque Rocky Mountains and built in 1887, the Fairmont Banff Springs actually began as a railway hotel. Over the years it has gone through many changes including a massive renovation in 1902 and winterizing in 1968. One oddity of the hotel is that during its many renovations and expansions, an error caused a phantom room to be built -- a room with no windows that only the builders knew about. Eventually it was discovered, but has been known to have strange sounds, shadows and a general eerie feeling.
The most well-known ghost of the hotel has to be Sam the Bellhop, who has been known to continue his duties, such as opening doors, perform wake up calls and helping people into locked rooms. Another former staff ghost is a bartender who apparently tells guests who have had too much to drink and to go to bed.
Another famous, yet very tragic ghost that is said to still walk the halls of the hotel is a bride who died on her wedding day. There are various stories about how the accident happened, but today many guests claim to have seen the bride floating around the staircase wearing her wedding gown or dancing by herself in the ballroom.
2. Windermere House
Minett, Ontario
This historic hotel was built back in 1870, originally as a boarding house, by owner Thomas Aiken who was looking to make a little extra money. By 1902 the hotel had doubled in size. Much has changed since then, including an entire re-building of the resort which occurred after a devastating fire that happened during the filming of the movie The Long Kiss Goodnight.
According to hotel staff, the original owner Thomas still haunts the building and is the one responsible for moving items around in rooms and knocking on doors. There have even been guests who have reported seeing a young girl beside their bed upon waking, who then quickly disappears.
3. James Bay Inn
Victoria, British Columbia
Built in 1911, James Bay Hotel is not only the third oldest hotel in Victoria, but is also known to have paranormal activity. Painter Emily Carr died at the hotel in 1945 and has been seen in first floor bedrooms and the men's room at the pub. Other odd activities includes phones ringing in the middle of the night and guests saying they feel like someone is watching them.
4. Fort Garry Hotel
Winnipeg, Manitoba
According to many different reports the nearly 100-year-old hotel has one very haunted room. Room 202 apparently is the location where a woman died (or possibly took her own life) on the same day she learned her husband died in car accident. Guests report a woman figure in the room, often hovering at the end of the bed in a black cloak. Hotel maids have had reported more freaky incidents including blood on the walls and being locked in the room.
5. Fairmont Le Château Frontenac
Quebec City, Quebec
Another Fairmont property with paranomal activity, Le Château Frontenac has reported sightings of Louis des Buade, Count of Frontenac, a 17th century governor general, and the man whom the hotel was named after. Apparently he has been spotted roaming the hotel, pining after his wife who he left after his death.
He's not the only one roaming around either. Some guests have reported a woman in white getting into bed with them.
6. La Boheme Restaurant Bed & Breakfast
Edmonton, Alberta
This 100-year-old hotel has a ghastly tale to it. Legend has it that a man murdered his wife, chopped her into pieces and then put her into the furnace. Guests have reported thuds on the stairs, strange noises and one guest who claims their bed levitated.
The Fairmont Vancouver in 1939.
7. Fairmont Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
It seems that Fairmont has the haunted hotel market pretty much covered here in Canada. The ghostly sightings at the Fairmont Vancouver is referring to a woman named Jennie Pearl Cox, who is also know as the Lady in Red. A ballroom regular in the '30s and '40s, she was killed by a car outside of the hotel in 1944 and apparently has decided to stick around. She has been spotted by guests in her red dress (she wore one at the time of her death) around the first and 14th floor, as well as passing through the elevators.
