Hotel Del Coronado

Ghosts of Hotel del CoronadoOne of the largest wooden buildings in the United States, the Hotel Del was built in 1888. 

Before 1900,  two tragic women had separately committed suicide, each taking with them the life of an unborn child. Their ghosts remain in two rooms.

The ghosts of a little boy and girl have also been reported, as well as a hotel caretaker walking the dining room and a Victorian lady gliding across a dance floor.

door to room 3502

Room 502 (now 3502) was rumored to be the love nest of hotel builder and owner E. S. Babcock.

The ill-fated mistress staying in this room took her own life soon after learning she was with child. The body later disappeared, perhaps removed by someone wishing to avoid an ugly scandal.

Today, lights sometimes flicker in the room, and outside the door, an icy chill may be felt.

door to room 3312

Near Thanksgiving 1892 a pregnant Kate Morgan checked herself into the hotel under the name of Lottie Anderson Bernard.

She spent 5 lonely nights in room 312  anxiously  waiting for her wayward husband to join her. (The room number later changed to 3312, and recently to 3327).

Her body and a handgun were found near the steps leading to the beach. Kate had put a .44 caliber bullet into her head.

dimly lit hallway

Down these hotel hallways phantoms have been seen, and there have been numerous reports of feeling uneasy, as if being watched.

It is not unusual for the cleaning staff of the hotel to arrange to work in pairs, to avoid being anywhere alone.

steps to the beach

Near these stairs to the beach you can feel the anguish of lost hope from a beautiful woman who had given up on life, but in death still watches new visitors to the hotel.

dark stairs going up

The ghosts of a little boy and girl have been seen running up and down hallways and stairs.

haunted window

Drapes in room 3312 are often seen moving behind closed windows.

Screens fall off these windows for no apparent reason, and a strange glow may be seen some nights coming from the unoccupied room.

the nearby sea holds many strange occurrences

The age of this wooden hotel and its closeness to the restless sea may contribute the many reports of moans and murmurs in certain rooms, hallways and stairwells.

It may be the chill in the air from an ocean fog, but many believe the strange occurrences are caused instead by spirits, ghosts and poltergeists.

One of the more compelling stories is the May 1983 incident involving a Secret Service agent there to protect then Vice-President Bush on an official visit to San Diego.

The agent did not last the entire night in room 3502, complaining of feeling a breeze and seeing billowing drapes despite the windows being closed, gurgling sounds, and finally a ghostly glow that clung to the entire room.

If you are ever invited to the hotel's annual Christmas party, know that each year the staff also leaves in invitation for the spirit of Kate Morgan.

Make reservations to stay here.....if you dare!

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