The Haunted Mount Washington Hotel – One of America’s Spookiest Hotels

Hello everyone! It’s always spooky season at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The haunted Mount Washington Hotel has a reputation for being one of the spookiest hotels in America, and after 50+ visits I can definitely say that, in my opinion, this is true!

In addition to its ghost-filled history, the Mount Washington Hotel has become a paranormal paradise, with guests and employees experiencing ghostly encounters.

Do you like ghost stories and reading about paranormal encounters? Keep reading to discover what exactly makes the Mount Washington one of America’s most haunted hotels.

BONUS: This post also includes stories from former employees, who share their most haunting experiences at the hotel!

Note: As a family, we love the Mount Washington Hotel, especially because of its history and haunted vibes. Some of my family members have worked at the hotel, and all of us have had spooky encounters.

Whenever I visit the Mount Washington, I’m on a ghost hunt. I’ve explored the abandoned towers and stayed in the most haunted room in the hotel, #314 – the Princess’s Room. Needless to say, this is one of my most favorite locations.

Mount Washington Hotel Haunted History

The Mount Washington Hotel was built in 1902 by Joseph Stickney. The hotel, which was originally only open during the summer months, became a paradise for those who were looking to summer in the countryside.

Joseph died shortly after the hotel was built, and his wife Carolyn then remarried to a French Prince. Although she had remarried, Princess Carolyn continued to spend summers at the hotel.

It is believed that Carolyn now haunts the hotel that her first husband built. Specifically, multiple sightings and spooky occurrences have been recorded in her old suite, now guest room #314. What further adds to the haunted feel of this room, is the fact that it still holds Carolyn’s original bed for guest use.

Carolyn Stickney is now the most prominent and active Mount Washington hotel ghost.

Present Day at the Mount Washington

Today, the Mount Washington retains much of its historic charm, and it’s a lovely place to stay year round. They have a wonderful spa and golf course; and since being purchased by Omni, all of the guest rooms have been beautifully redone.

In 2008 Ghost Hunters visited the Mount Washington Hotel (Season 4, Episode 7) – and, not surprisingly, they discovered paranormal activity. They specifically visited the Princess’s Room, #314, as well as the towers of the hotel, which are known as another hotspot for paranormal activity.

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Paranormal Activity – Hotel Room 314

There have been many reports from both guests and employees of seeing the ghost of Princess Carolyn sitting on the edge of her bed in room #314.

In addition, guests have noted instances of lights turning on and off on their own, as well as items disappearing and reappearing in strange locations. Other guests report smelling a floral perfume in the middle of the night.

In addition to the Princess’s room, there are many reports of spooky occurrences in the hotel’s ballroom. In this room specifically, many people share stories of music playing on its own.

These stories all contribute to the Mount Washington Hotel being widely considered as one of America’s most haunted hotels!

Visit for yourself and see what you experience!

Ghost Stories + Spooky Occurrences – as told by Employees

All of the below accounts are from former hotel employees, who will remain anonymous. The accounts were gathered by my cousin, who worked and lived at the hotel as a young adult.

A Princess sighting

On more than one occasion, I would be walking in the main lobby and would see out of the corner of my eye what seemed to be a lady looking out over the mezzanine. Each time, I would glance up and the image was gone. But A LOT of employees and guests have had that same experience. We all agree it was Princess Carolyn who was married to Joseph Stickney.

A scary encounter

In 1997 I was working as a housekeeper and had to clean room #314, the Princess’s room. I went to service the room, that newlyweds were staying in, and I knocked on the door and there was no answer. I opened the door went in and there was a little girl sleeping on the bed.

Immediately, I went to the hallway to see my inspector, and told her I couldn’t clean the room because a little girl was sleeping. She said that was odd because the guests were newlyweds and nobody else was registered. She asked me to leave a note that I was coming back in an hour to service the room. I went back in the room to leave the note by the table. I walked in the room quietly to not to wake the little girl up. When I looked at the bed, instead of a little girl there was a woman staring right at me with the most scary smile on her face. She had black hair and was wearing a white dress. I got chills down my spine and I just stood there frozen. She sat on the bed and kept staring at me.

I ran out of the room and told my friend who was also a housekeeper. We both went back in the room and there was no one there. I still have a hard time remembering that incident and I get chills every time I speak about it. I have many friends that have worked there and I heard a lot of scary things that happened. Oh, the day before this happened my friend and I took pictures of ourselves on the Princess’s bed; everybody tells me that I made her upset by doing that.

A Ballroom Visitor

In the late eighties early nineties when the hotel was still only seasonal. I was working alone in the ballroom late in the fall just before shutdown. That time of year always seemed to have more ghost activity, like they knew we were all leaving soon.

I had been working on the floor and was resetting the room for a large meeting. The ballroom had super heavy curtains on the windows at the time, and I had closed them all. I was moving chairs from the other side of the room, and at one point the curtains started flowing as if someone had a hold of them and was waving them back and forth.

I checked all the doors and windows and nothing was open. It made me wonder if someone was messing with me. I set a down chair and stood back up, and clear as day I saw a woman standing there in a hoop style dress. Without even thinking about it I started to leave, but then halfway to the door I went back to see if it was someone playing a trick. I went back out into the middle of the ballroom and was facing towards the lobby of the hotel when it felt just like someone brushing past me. I guess it wasn’t a trick. 

A haunted orchestra

As I walked into the ballroom late one evening on a night where there was no performers I heard the faint sounds of an orchestra playing. I thought a rehearsal was going on and I went to see who it was. There was no one there. No one. As I walked away from the side of the stage, the lights suddenly went out and the music got louder. It was surreal and very, very scary. I ran to the light switch and saw that it had been turned off. I turned it back on and the lights went on for a second and then the switch turned down on its own! The entire time the music kept playing. I ran out and found security and told them what happened. They went in to investigate and found nothing — no music and no problem with the lights.

An inexplicable crash

I had a few experiences, but this is one that stands out the most: A few summers ago I was bartending in The Cave (hotel bar). It was just after we opened and I was standing on the side of the bar. No one was near the other end of the bar. The only people in the room were me, the other bartender, and the two guests that we were standing and chatting with.

All of a sudden we heard a loud thud at the opposite end of the bar, and a stack of tea cups and saucers we had stacked underneath the bar came flying out at least 4 feet and smashed all over the place. No doubt in my mind there was a spirit in the room. The guests we were chatting with quickly finished up the conversation and left for the night. They never came back for a drink. 

If you would like to read more spooky employee stories, let me know in the comments below! There are so many more stories that support the Mount Washington being one of America’s most haunted hotels.

Mount Washington Myths

In addition to the “factual” haunted history of the hotel, there are also many myths surrounding the paranormal nature of the Mount Washington.

Growing up I was always told that the hotel was haunted by Princess Carolyn; but I was also told that she had committed suicide in the hotel’s elevator shaft. I’m not sure where this myth regarding her death started, but it has been disproven.

There are also rumors that The Mount Washington inspired Stephen King’s “The Shining.” Unfortunately, this is inaccurate. However, The Stanley Hotel, that inspired the movie, does indeed resemble the Mount Washington. This rumor definitely fuels the haunted reputation of the hotel.

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The Mount Washington Hotel is consistency ranked as one of America’s most haunted hotels. It is the perfect place to visit if you believe in ghosts and enjoy paranormal experiences.

If you’re feeling extra brave, I highly recommend booking hotel room #314 – and trying your luck in the Princess Carolyn’s room. I also suggest asking the concierge to show you the photo of the ghost that is kept at the reception desk – in my opinion, this will convert any non-believer!

Have I convinced you to visit the Mount Washington Hotel? Click here to see room rates and to book a room at the hotel (maybe room #314)!

I hope you enjoyed reading about the Mount Washington Hotel, and the many spooky occurrences that have taken place there over the years. Let me know your paranormal experiences in the comments below; and please save and share this post if you enjoyed it!

Lastly, check out my post about fun things to do in the White Mountain region, to include on your trip to the haunted Mount Washington hotel!

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♡Kate

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