The floors creek, doors slam, and locals swear that was a ghost you saw walking down the street last night. Sound like a perfect Halloween vacation? Then you’ll love these scary hotels in some of America’s most haunted cities.

St. Augustine, Florida

America’s oldest town prides itself on having spooky residents around every corner. Take a ghost tour before settling in for the night at The Casablanca Inn, where you might spot a lantern waving back and forth courtesy of the original owner who used the lights to signal bootleggers when law enforcement came around. The Ponce de Leon Hotel is also said to be haunted, but you can only spend the night here if you’re a registered college student as its now part of Flagler College.

Savannah, Georgia

Southerners love their ghosts and Savannah is no exception. For your best chance at coming face to face with a ghost, check in to Olde Harbour Inn, home of the popular and often-spotted Hank. East Bay Inn claims to host a ghost named Charley and swears a guest photographed the spirit in 2001.

Salem, Massachusettes

With a history of witch trials, it’s no surprise that this New England town attracts ghost hunters year round. For a particularly harrowing Halloween, book a night at Hawthorne Hotel. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote the Scarlet Letter here and today there is rumors about a haunted elevator. The Salem Inn is also believed to be haunted – past guests report mysterious toilet flushing, oh my!

Photo Britt Reints

The Exterior of Earth

Most people think of Maine in the autumn as a fall foliage destination, but did you know that it’s also a great destination for foodies?  Over the years, more and more culinary treasures have opened in the area, and the Kennebunkport Resort Collection is inviting food lovers to check out the fall seasonal cuisine of Kennebunkport with the Food Lover’s Getaway package.  Highlights include Earth, the recently opened restaurant of James Beard award winner Ken Oringer, and The Tides Beach Club’s new restaurant overlooking Goose Rocks Beach .

The Food Lover’s Getaway package is available through Oct. 31st and includes:

• Three nights of accommodation at any KRC property; Hidden Pond, The Tides Beach Club, The Cottages at Cabot Cove, The Kennebunkport Inn, or Old Fort Inn
• Dinner at a different restaurant each night- Earth at Hidden, The Tides Beach Club and One Dock at The Kennebunkport Inn
• Two hour sail on the Schooner Eleanor with a “snack pack” and wine for the trip
• Signature Maine Whoopie Pie upon arrival

Prices for the package start at the following rates:

The Kennebunkport Inn- $1,125
The Cottages at Cabot Cove- $1,415
Old Fort Inn- $1,224
The Tides Beach Club- $1,305
Hidden Pond (one bedroom bungalows)- $1,864

Guests will also receive a “must eat” list for Kennebunkport upon check-in, to ensure you don’t miss out on any opportunities.  Moose Tracks ice cream at Aunt Marie’s; “Dirty” wings at the Pilot House; Blue Cheese Mussels at One Dock; Lobster Roll at the Clam Shack; to name a few.

To learn more, visit www.kennebunkportresortcollection.com.

Photo credit: The Kennebunkport Resort Collection

UANI hotel protest

The Warwick Hotel joins an illustrious list of New York hotels that have come under fire for hosting dastardly dictators in town for the UN General Assembly.

It happens every year with Iranian President Ahmadinejad. This year, it’s the Warwick’s turn and the protesters from an organization called UANI have taken it a whole new level.

They booked in a room at the hotel (No. 1102) and have officially moved their headquarters to the Warwick Hotel for the week.

They have cyclists pulling billboards outside the hotel near 54th St. and 6th Ave, and protesters are handing out cards on the sidewalk there which read “As we remember 9/11 ten years later, Al Qaeda’s silent partner comes to the Warwick Hotel.”

They have a billboard up in Times Square, and a mobile truck billboard that’s about to hit the streets outside the Warwick and the UN. They’re calling for a boycott of all Warwick International Hotels worldwide, including their U.S. hotels in Denver, Seattle, Dallas and San Francisco.

Of course, UANI themselves have a room booked inside the hotel, but that’s just so they can welcome Ahmadinejad with a protest and petition up close.

The hotel’s manager Sam Kapadia put out a statement which says that “Along with many of Manhattan’s hotels, restaurants and other service organizations, we are ready to cater to the needs of UN delegates and other representatives… The hotel has been privileged to serve a diverse international clientele and host international events during its eight decades of operations. It looks forward to continuing that tradition.”

The Warwick is only the latest to get caught in this particular annual drama. Last year, it was the Hilton Manhattan East Hotel that faced the music. The Omni Berkshire and Millennium UN Plaza refused to host Ahmadinejad after getting letters from UANI.

Jumeirah Essex House cancelled a scheduled dinner for him in 2009, while Gotham Hall and The New York Helmsley both cancelled scheduled speeches by Ahmadinejad. That year, he stayed at InterContinental The Barclay, which hasn’t agreed to host him since.

It’s a good bet that the Warwick Hotel too won’t let Ahmadinejad anywhere near their premises in 2012 or anytime soon after that. But there surely will be another brave hotel that will step up to the plate.

Photo – UANI

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Spring Deals at the Warwick Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, NYC
Summer Packages at the Warwick New York Hotel
Hotel Employees Refuse to Work for Swinger Convention

The Interior of Red's Restaurant

The Sea Crest Beach Hotel, located in North Falmouth, MA on Cape Cod, has just finished a $15 million dollar renovation, and has just opened a brand-new restaurant as part of the renovation.  The restaurant, named Red, is named after Red Auerbach, the famous former Boston Celtics coach and president who was also among the Sea Crest Beach Hotel’s original owners.

Red’s Restaurant offers seven distinct dining areas, so it’s perfect for just about any occasion, including family dining, and outdoor dining (in-season).  The cuisine is classic New England fare, including Shore Dinners, New England Clam Chowder, and Lobster Rolls.  It also offers take out.

The Sea Crest Beach Hotel is set on a private beach in Cape Cod’s North Falmouth.  The hotel, which is appropriate for  families as well as couples, offers 263 guest rooms and suites, some with fireplaces and private balconies.  Hotel amenities include an outdoor firepit (open in season), two saline pools (one indoor and one outdoor), a new cafe, Sealy pillow-top mattresses in all rooms, in-room flat-screen televisions, and complimentary high-speed wireless internet access.

Sea Crest Beach Hotel
350 Quaker Road
Old Silver Beach Cape Cod
Falmouth, MA 02556
508-540-9400

Photo credit: The Sea Crest Beach Hotel