When it comes to booking a hotel, how often have you confirmed a room, only to go to check and and find out that the room doesn’t actually exist? *Cue the spooky music. *
Seriously though, there actually hotels that have rooms that ‘officially’ don’t exist, or are sealed off from the public for notoriously spooky reasons.
Makes me want to stay in them more.
Room 873 – Banff Springs Hotel
Banff, Alberta, Canada
This beautiful hotel in the Canadian Rockies, has been around for 125 years, so it’s seen it’s share of joy, tragedy and scandal. One such scandal happened in room 873, which most definitely existed at one point, according to the hotel plans.
Guests reported hearing screams when the lights were turned off, and found handprints on the mirror, that housekeeping couldn’t get off. The room stayed vacant for far too long, and had too bad of a reputation, so the hotel sealed it up and papered it over.
Despite the 7th and 9th floor having a room 73, there’s only a blank hallway on the 8th floor now, and staff have been asked not to discuss it.
Room 135 – Mandalay Bay
Las Vegas, Nevada
This hotel has been one of the more popular on the strip, up until the tragic shooting in 2017 at the Route 19 Festival.
The entire floor’s been sealed since the event and the room will never be rented out again. Instead the hotel hopes to rename the floors, so that the morbidly curious can’t find their way into that room.
Mystery 12th Floor Room – Congress Plaza Hotel
Chicago, Illinois
The Congress Hotel has been in Chicago’s skyline since 1893, so it’s seen some ups-and-downs. While it’s known for it’s impeccable service it’s also got a lot of ghosts.
Apparently there’s a series of rooms on the 12th floor that hare so haunted that they’re no longer open to the public, including an unnumbered room that officially doesn’t exist.
The entire floor gives off a creepy vibe, and much like the Banff Springs hotel, the room’s been sealed off and wiped from the hotel’s memory.
Sealed Off Wing – Hotel Alexandria
Los Angeles, California
Built in 1906, this gorgeous building is a background player in all LA based film shooting. It’s iconic and so beloved that shortly after the 8 story original was erected, a new 12 story wing was built by a different owner on the adjacent land, and tied into the original building. When the original hotel was sold in 1938, the new owners came into conflict with the owner of the wing, and they bricked it off at each floor, making his building inaccessible.
When it was originally constructed, he had relied on being a part of the original hotel, so he hadn’t built stairs or an elevator. For the past 70+ years, the wing has sat abandoned as a time capsule to the roaring 30s.
Room 345 – Leela Palace
New Delhi, India
This hotel was opened in 2011 and meant to evoke the historical palaces of ancient India, but with a modern twist. While every room offers great views, pampered services and luxury, one room is completely off limits.
In 2014, the wife of a member of the Indian Congress was found lifeless in one of the rooms. It was initially sealed for the investigation, but after that was all said and done, they just never reopened it to the public. No one has set foot inside for the past 4 years.
Room 434 – Beverly Hilton
Beverly Hills, California
This hotel is no stranger to celebrity and high-profile guests, so they’ve learned how to offer amazing amenities and offer discretion. Since 1955, affairs have been conducted here, drugs have been consumed and tragedies have happened.
Including the one on Feb 11, 2012, when Whitney Houston was found dead in one of the rooms. The hotel sealed the room, redid the suite, changed all the numbers on that floor and did everything possible to wipe the identity of the room from their records.
8th Floor Room – Crown Metropol
Melbourne, Australia
This gorgeous hotel has been one of the more popular in Melbourne since it opened, but in 2015, they encountered a tragedy that caused the entire 8th floor to get shut down.
Darren John Webb, was found savagely murdered in an unnamed room, and the resulting publicity caused them to try to erase this room from public memory.
Room 911 – Metropark Hotel Kowloon
Ho Man Tin, Hong Kong
This elegant hotel’s been ins business since 2000, and because it’s centrally located, it’s incredibly popular. Back in 2003, it became even more popular, however. It was the starting point for the SARS epidemic.
A doctor, who was staying in room 911, had just come from China and was staying overnight in the hotel. He infected several guests with SARS, who then went on to travel all over the world to spread the disease and affect over 8,000 people.
The incident caused the hotel to change the room number, rebrand themselves and whitewash the whole event out of their history.
Room B340 – Queen Mary Hotel
Long Beach, California
This hotel started it’s life off as a British Ocean liner from 1936-1967. It started its life as the flagship of the Cunard line until 1946, and even served as a troop carrier in WWII. Then, it was permanently moored in Long Beach and became a hotel, once decommissioned. So obviously, with all that history, creepy stuff has happened.
While there’s a lot of paranormal spots on the ship, the most haunted was room B340. It got to the point that guests never wanted to stay in the room, so the management turned it into the payroll office. That led to employees avoiding the room, so it was just sealed up and never spoken of again.
Room 18 – St. James Hotel
Cimmaron, New Mexico
There’s a certain appeal to saying in a historic hotel that’s seen a lot of cool people and events. That’s what makes the St. James hotel so popular in New Mexico. For the past 140 years, all kinds of outlaws and cowboys have stayed in the rooms.
That means there’s been some gunfights, a lot of death and some supernatural events. That’s why Room 18 is permanently padlocked. It’s to scary for everyone involved.
Hidden 5th Floor – Yanggakdo Hotel
Yanggakdo Island, Pyongyang, North Korea
This part of the world is pretty much a mystery to us, because of the general political climate of North Korea. Those that have gone in and made it out, have said that this hotel is pretty luxurious. Except there’s a mystery. On the elevator, there’s no button for 5.
For some reason, the fifth floor is off limits. There are no rooms, no way to get there, and guests are forbidden to go there. According to someone who’s successfully snuck in and made it out alive, the entire floor is a holdover from a time where North Korea was on the brink of war with the world. It looks like it was a war office, with linoleum floors and propaganda posters all over the walls.
Room 1408 – Emily Morgan Hotel
San Antonio, Texas
This gorgeous building has been adding to the San Antonio skyline since 1924. Starting off as a medical centre, it became an office building in 1976. Then, in ’84, it became a luxury hotel.
Given its past as a medical building, there have been stories and legends of supernaturally reenacted deaths, dismembered bodies and other creepy events. No one in the hotel will talk about it, but room 1408 is missing.
Room 100 – Hotel Chelsea
New York, New York
Of course, there are scandals in this city, and the Hotel Chelsea has been the epicentre to a lot of them. It’s been in the city for over 130 years, so it’s seen some shit.
One of the most well known is the death of Nancy Spurgeon, girlfriend of Sid Vicious, from the Sex Pistols.
In 1978, she was found lifeless in her room, and Sid was found wandering the halls, muttering to himself. The hotel became notorious during the investigation, and in the end, they renovated the room and made it a part of a larger suite, so no one can determine the exact spot she was found.
Oak Room – Plaza Hotel
New York, New York
This is one of the most famous of New York hotels, especially because it was featured so prominently in Home Alone 2. From it’s earliest days, it’s seen some popular names sleep in its rooms and drink at the Oak Room and Oak Bar.
Opened in 1907, the Oak Room’s been a whole host of things, including a “mens only” restaurant in the 60’s, and as a lounge. It was closed in 2005 for renovations and since then there’s been a dispute between the restaurant owners and the hotel, and it’s been shuttered since 2011. While there’s no macabre story behind it, it’s still a gorgeous room that sits unused to the general public. And that’s a shame.
