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

Holiday Inn - not exactly home for the holidays

There was a moment when I wondered if this was such a good idea.

The empty dining room felt lonely rather than private and we missed the jostling and shoving that comes from trying to fit too many people at a too small table.  It was odd to place an order instead of spending an entire day juggling cooking times and oven space.  As we waited for a woman we’d never met before to bring us our plates full of turkey and stuffing, we didn’t feel adventurous.  I worried that my family holiday vacation was a sad substitute for a family Thanksgiving feast at home.

Read More »

The Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine, Fla. announced that it is the first hotel to become part of the Autograph Collection – Marriott’s new brand for independent hotels and resorts. 

Casa Monica

The Casa Monica is the first of seven Kessler Group hotels which have all signed on to the Autograph Collection.

The hotel is a restored 1888 landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was restored in 1999 with Richard Kessler’s private art collection adding to the castle-like charm of its grounds and the grand lobby.

In fact, to commemorate the new partnership with Marriott, Kessler has commissioned the painting of an original work of art from noted expressionist-colorist Jean Claude Roy.

Guests who stay at one of the seven Kessler-Autograph hotels between March 22 and April 30, 2010 will have a chance to win Roy’s original work of art. One winner from each hotel will also be selected to receive a limited edition Giclée of the piece.

In addition to 138 guest rooms, 7 one-bedroom suites and 7 signature suites, Casa Monica also offers two restaurants – 95 Cordova for fine dining, and Cafe Cordova for a cafe style meal with a European menu and outdoor dining. There’s also a 2nd story courtyard with a heated outdoor pool, spa and lounging cabanas.

The other six Kessler Group properties soon to be a part of the Autograph Collection are:-

El Monte Sagrado, Taos, New Mexico
Grand Bohemian Hotel, Asheville, North Carolina
The Mansion on Forsyth Park, Savannah, Georgia
Bohemian Hotel Riverfront, Savannah, Georgia
Grand Bohemian Hotel, Orlando, Florida
Bohemian Hotel Celebration, Celebration, Florida

More information about the Autograph Collection here.

Photo courtesy Casa Monica Hotel.

Casa Monica: 95 Cordova St. St. Augustine, FL 32084; (904) 827-1888; www.casamonica.com/

Related posts:-
Historic Hotels: Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine Florida
Check-in and Checkout the Hotel Art
South Beach Sight Seeing – Art Deco Landmarks

St. Augustine Historic Area

I credit some friends with the inspiration for this post. They have just returned from a fun-filled week in St. Augustine, Florida, and they spent some time in the the historic Casa Monica hotel because they heard the hotel was celebrating its 120-year anniversary. They brought back a slew of pictures, and the hotel looks gorgeous – time has been kind to her!

Casa Monica opened in St. Augustine in 1888, and it’s fitting that such a beautifula and historic hotel should reside in the country’s oldest continuously operated settlement in the US. The hotel sprung up out of the deep pockets of a Mr. Henry Flager, a co-founder of the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller, and he saw great potential in St. Augustine as a winter retreat for the well-to-do. The first shovels hit the ground in 1887, and by January 1, 1888 Casa Monica Hotel was ready for business. Things were slow at first – only three guests registered when it first opened, and Henry Flager had to purchase the hotel back from the Bostonian architect he had sold the land to. Soon, Flager had turned Casa Monica completely around, renaming it Casa Cordova, and the hotel enjoyed great prosperity.

Unfortunately, over the years the hotel was somewhat neglected, and the number of guest dwindled. Casa Cordova shut down in 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression, but it was finally purchased again in 1962 and transformed into a (large) county courthouse. In 1997, the hotel/courthouse changed hands once again and was gradually renovated and restored to its former beauty. The “new” Casa Monica Hotel welcomed guests again for the first time in 67 years on December 10, 1999, in time for a new generation of wealthy snowbirds to escape their frigid Northeastern climes.

Today, 138 luxurious and welcoming guestrooms make guests feel at home with Spanish architecture, wrought-iron beds and rich Mahogany woods. There’s a remarkable four-story suite which as hosted a line of illustrious guests including the King and Queen of Spain. Rates are around $200-$600 per night for the normal rooms, though I have yet to discover the price of that four-story suite…probably best for my heart if I didn’t ask.

Photo Credit: PlacesAroundFL