Data & research / US states / Most Haunted States 2026

What guests at America’s haunted hotels really report

Guests at reputedly haunted hotels are more likely to say they saw no ghost than to report one, by 3 to 2. We read 731 Google reviews that mention a ghost at 105 haunted hotels, inns and B&Bs across the US. Only 1 in 11 describes an actual encounter. The most common is seeing a figure or shadow.

By Georgi Todorov · Data collected 11 October 2026 · Part of America’s Most Haunted States 2026

What guests at America’s haunted hotels actually report

We searched Google Maps for haunted hotels in every state and collected 731 Google reviews that mention a ghost, at 105 hotels, inns and B&Bs. Then we read and classified them one by one. Every encounter we counted is listed below with a link to the hotel, so you can check it.

731Google reviews that mention a ghost

67describe a first-hand encounter (1 in 11)

97say outright that nothing happened

Disappointed guests outnumber haunted ones 3 to 2

For every two guests who describe an encounter, about three write that they saw nothing. Most ghost reviews are neither: they mention the ghost tour, the hotel’s legend or the staff’s stories. Some of the disappointed guests:

“Went for ghost, got a cool unique hotel. (No ghost… sadly.)”
The Marshall House, Georgia · Google review, Jan 2026

“Didnt see any ghost, sadly.”
The Alaskan Hotel & Bar, Alaska · Google review, Mar 2021

“Sadly, we saw no ghosts during our visit.”
Ghost City Inn, Arizona · Google review, Nov 2018

The most common encounter: seeing a figure or shadow

We gave each of the 67 encounters one main type. Seeing something, usually a figure or shadow at night, comes first. Footsteps and knocks come second. Unexplained smells and a vague sense of a presence are the rarest.

Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition14 (21%)

Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching12 (18%)

Lights, doors, objects or electronics acting up10 (15%)

Orbs, photos or ghost-hunting device readings10 (15%)

Hearing voices, whispers or laughter8 (12%)

Being touched or feeling something physical7 (10%)

Unexplained smells4 (6%)

Sensing a presence2 (3%)

In their own words

“Both me and my husband woke up at different points swearing we heard a man talking in the room.”
Jerome Grand Hotel, Jerome, Arizona · Google review, Mar 2026

“Just before I opened my door to the hallway on the 4th floor I heard kids laughing.”
The Marshall House, Savannah, Georgia · Google review, Feb 2024

“I saw a tall figure go by the door… on my life I 100% definitely saw a ghost.”
Palmer House Hotel & Restaurant, Sauk Centre, Minnesota · Google review, May 2025

“I saw a shadow pass across the foot of our bed.”
Skirvin Oklahoma City, a Hilton Hotel, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Google review, Oct 2025

“‘Someone’ sat down on the foot of my bed and started pulling my covers down.”
The Marshall House, Savannah, Georgia · Google review, Jan 2025

“I heard my name called but no one else around me heard it.”
The Jefferson Palace Hotel, Jefferson, Texas · Google review, Mar 2022

Evidence: all 67 encounters we counted

Excerpts are quoted as written. Hotel names link to the property’s Google Maps listing, where the full review can be found by its date.

Hotel (Google Maps)	State	Review date	Type	What the guest wrote
Jerome Grand Hotel, Jerome	AZ	Mar 2026	Hearing voices, whispers or laughter	“Both me and my husband woke up at different points swearing we heard a man talking in the room.”
Jerome Grand Hotel, Jerome	AZ	May 2024	Hearing voices, whispers or laughter	“I cannot say we saw a ghost, but did hear a man coughing and a woman either laughing or crying while exploring the 3rd floor.”
Captain Grant's 1754, Preston	CT	Dec 2025	Hearing voices, whispers or laughter	“We've also heard a woman singing, and seen/heard Molly the ghost cat!”
The Marshall House, Savannah	GA	Feb 2024	Hearing voices, whispers or laughter	“I went for a walk at 7am, and just before I opened my door to the hallway on the 4th floor I heard kids laughing.”
Silver Queen Hotel, Virginia City	NV	May 2018	Hearing voices, whispers or laughter	“I heard the ghost say "what are you doing "”
The Jefferson Palace Hotel, Jefferson	TX	Dec 2022	Hearing voices, whispers or laughter	“The girls felt they heard some kind of breathy whisper over their bed during the evening which they both heard despite one having earphones in!?”
The Jefferson Palace Hotel, Jefferson	TX	Mar 2022	Hearing voices, whispers or laughter	“I heard my named called but no one else around me heard it.”
The Historic Plains Hotel, Cheyenne	WY	Aug 2020	Hearing voices, whispers or laughter	“I heard 2 women voices outside the door.”
Ghost City Inn, Jerome	AZ	Sep 2020	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“… back sleep paralysis episodes one of which was where I seen many shadowy hands pulling my glasses from off my face (because my night stand was full so I slept with them on). …”
Ghost City Inn, Jerome	AZ	Jun 2015	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“Also my husband seen me with my long brown hair in the bathroom on several occasions that night.”
Patterson Inn, Denver	CO	Oct 2023	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“When I came out there was a man in a three piece suit with a mustache in front of me with his arms crossed, looking at me sternly.”
The Hotel St. Nicholas, Cripple Creek	CO	Feb 2018	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“We had a blast & saw some Ghost too .I love this Hotel”
Palmer House Hotel & Restaurant, Sauk Centre	MN	May 2025	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“I saw a tall figure go by the door to that bar or kitchen area by the stairs and on my life I 100% definitely saw a ghost and I was so startled and as I …”
Historic Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas	NM	May 2019	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“We Saw a Ghost!!”
Historic Buxton Inn, Granville	OH	May 2020	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“Mike and I are sensitive to spirits and we saw shadows on two occasions darting around the property.”
Hotel Millersburg, Millersburg	OH	Jun 2022	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“As we came and went through the hotel I saw a little girl, then I found out she was a ghost from an article!”
Skirvin Oklahoma City, a Hilton Hotel, Oklahoma City	OK	Oct 2025	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“I saw a shadow pass across the foot of our bed.”
Historic Bullock Hotel, Deadwood	SD	Sep 2024	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“At one point, I turned over facing my father and saw a large black shadow standing over him.”
Manresa Castle Hotel, Port Townsend	WA	Feb 2022	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“The views are beautiful and I'm sure that we saw a ghost!”
The Blennerhassett, a Giovanni Hotel and Spa, Parkersburg	WV	Jul 2024	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“I believe I saw the ghost of Ms. Blennerhassett on the 5th floor…😮”
Karsten Hotel, Kewaunee	WI	Nov 2020	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“My wife swore that she saw a ghost in the middle of the night.”
The Historic Plains Hotel, Cheyenne	WY	Aug 2022	Seeing a figure, shadow or apparition	“I woke up, to hit the head, in the wee hours, four dark thirty or so, and when I groggily looked at the foot of my bed, there was a woman sitting there in a long white gown.”
Jerome Grand Hotel, Jerome	AZ	Mar 2018	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“And around 3:33 am my wife heard noises from inside the closet.”
Jerome Grand Hotel, Jerome	AZ	Oct 2022	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“Countless bumps in the night, a scratching/scrubbing at the base the door only to find no one there or even in the hallway, and his ghost gear going off through the night along with visible light …”
Black Monarch Hotel, Victor	CO	Sep 2024	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“Spirit box, ghost tube seer images, estes method, smells of roses 🌹smells of a skunk, camera malfunctions, banging on my bedroom door while I was alone in the hotel.”
Captain Grant's 1754, Preston	CT	Jan 2021	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“Heavy footsteps in the hall way and above my head.”
Midland Railroad Hotel & Restaurant, Wilson	KS	Jun 2023	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“And YES, we both, at the same time heard little feet running.”
The Haunted Hotel, New Orleans	LA	Aug 2021	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“We didn't see any ghost be we did hear noises in our room all night that we couldn't explain kept me up most of the night.”
Hawthorne Hotel, Salem	MA	Jun 2026	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“We were joking around after the ghost walk around Salem when all of a sudden we heard SCRATCHING at the bathroom door.”
Hawthorne Hotel, Salem	MA	Apr 2024	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“My girlfriend got to experience a loud door shutting in the hallway with no one there, ghost?”
Hawthorne Hotel, Salem	MA	Dec 2022	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“… a ghost housekeeper kept wandering the halls because I kept hearing the cart going up and down the hallway but when I looked (hoping it was housekeeping cause I needed a toothbrush) nobody was there…..plus, why …”
Palmer House Hotel & Restaurant, Sauk Centre	MN	Mar 2017	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“And I heard a dogs growl right in my ear in the basement jumped up and hugged Kelly haha it was an amazing experience.”
Hotel Retlaw, Trademark Collection by Wyndham, Fond du Lac	WI	May 2023	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“However we were on the 6th floor and we had a ghost that kept knocking on our door at least six times while we were there for our two day stay.”
Karsten Hotel, Kewaunee	WI	Sep 2024	Footsteps, knocks, bangs or scratching	“As for ghost encounters, I heard 4am running in the hall…”
The Alaskan Hotel & Bar, Juneau	AK	Aug 2026	Lights, doors, objects or electronics acting up	“…we scanned the room for the remote for about 20 minutes… my gf looked to the side and it was shockingly placed right in the middle of the floor.”
Hotel Colorado, Glenwood Springs	CO	Jun 2018	Lights, doors, objects or electronics acting up	“The whole time I was in the shower and getting dressed,the bathroom light was flicking non stop, almost like a strobe light, I heard my husband pounding on the door, as soon as I came out …”
The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park	CO	Jul 2026	Lights, doors, objects or electronics acting up	“She knocked his over and made mine vibrate in my hand!”
Captain Grant's 1754, Preston	CT	Feb 2023	Lights, doors, objects or electronics acting up	“Husband is disappointed he didn't see a ghost (lol), but our alarm did go off at by itself at 12am and 3am.”
Biltmore Hotel Miami Coral Gables, Coral Gables	FL	Feb 2025	Lights, doors, objects or electronics acting up	“… by itself and moving things,when we also got into our room the TV turned on by itself. …”
Hotel Cassadaga, Lake Helen	FL	Jul 2018	Lights, doors, objects or electronics acting up	“Also one of the nights we were walking by where room number 22 would be (even though it is no longer marked) and while talking a light turned off then back on…”
Palmer House Hotel & Restaurant, Sauk Centre	MN	Aug 2019	Lights, doors, objects or electronics acting up	“Sure it maybe haunted, in fact we had Casper the friendly ghost, not enough to upset us, minor thing such as keys rattling, a.c.”
Lafayette Hotel, Marietta	OH	Jun 2021	Lights, doors, objects or electronics acting up	“No ghost sightings, but my curtain rod in the shower did randomly fall while I was in the other room.”
Manresa Castle Hotel, Port Townsend	WA	Aug 2025	Lights, doors, objects or electronics acting up	“The lights changed color in the bathroom from one day to the next!”
The Historic Plains Hotel, Cheyenne	WY	Dec 2017	Lights, doors, objects or electronics acting up	“We did not see the ghost that supposedly lives in the hotel but the power in one of our rooms inexplicably went off and refused attempts to be turned back on.”
Jerome Grand Hotel, Jerome	AZ	Jun 2023	Being touched or feeling something physical	“… down the hallway of the 3rd floor, & a spirit someone (nurse/orderly) wiped my mouth, like after eating, & woke me up!🤣😂 The front desk night staff told me I was in the psych. …”
Crescent Hotel and Spa, Eureka Springs	AR	Apr 2026	Being touched or feeling something physical	“The ghosts come with the cash, I did experience some spooky stuff while here, especially on the midnight investigation where I was grabbed and had my jacket tugged on.”
The Marshall House, Savannah	GA	Mar 2026	Being touched or feeling something physical	“Doing my most recent visit last week not in 414 I felt someone climb in bed with me.”
The Marshall House, Savannah	GA	Jan 2025	Being touched or feeling something physical	“We even had the ghost encounter we had hoped for, when ‘someone’ sat down on the foot of my bed and started pulling my covers down.”
Hawthorne Hotel, Salem	MA	Mar 2026	Being touched or feeling something physical	“Husband did as well except around 3 or so he was awoken to a hard poking several times on his shoulder.”
Historic Buxton Inn, Granville	OH	Feb 2018	Being touched or feeling something physical	“Late at night, I felt what seemed like a cat jumping on the bed ….although I couldn't see it I could feel it hop up and move around.”
Thomas House, Red Boiling Springs	TN	May 2025	Being touched or feeling something physical	“Heard some whispers and noises on my recording and felt ghosts touch me twice, one during the hunt and one in the room.”
Hotel Colorado, Glenwood Springs	CO	Apr 2026	Unexplained smells	“Immediately on rolling over and closing my eyes I could feel and smell, INTENSELY SMELL, cigar smoke.”
Lake Lure Inn & Spa, Lake Lure	NC	Apr 2021	Unexplained smells	“Smelled roes in room after we had breakfast room 219 if you look up ghost stories of the inn you will know why.”
Historic Buxton Inn, Granville	OH	Aug 2024	Unexplained smells	“When we came back from dinner, as soon as we opened be door, we were overwhelmed with the smell of gardenia perfume.”
Historic Bullock Hotel, Deadwood	SD	Mar 2026	Unexplained smells	“… moment that was frightening or felt unwelcome, but we did get a fresh cigar smell directly outside of our room one evening even though no other gas has been walking up and down the hall and …”
Ghost City Inn, Jerome	AZ	Oct 2018	Sensing a presence	“No ghost encounters this year — so far, but last year, I swear, "someone" was in my room around 3:30 a.m.”
Hotel Millersburg, Millersburg	OH	Jan 2022	Sensing a presence	“The next 20 minutes I was terrified I could feel something just following me around.”
Jerome Grand Hotel, Jerome	AZ	Sep 2024	Orbs, photos or ghost-hunting device readings	“Though we didn’t see anything, my friend’s daughter caught some orbs on camera—similar to the ghost cat that others have mentioned in Room 26—hovering near my legs!”
Black Monarch Hotel, Victor	CO	Oct 2023	Orbs, photos or ghost-hunting device readings	“… definitely an one in a life time experience 🤟😂 Also my boyfriend caught this picture of me something definitely came through …”
The Haunted Hotel, New Orleans	LA	May 2019	Orbs, photos or ghost-hunting device readings	“… few other guests in the courtyard and we were all able to witness some EVP's (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) from the AXEMAN and others lingering around the property. …”
Duff Green Mansion, Vicksburg	MS	Oct 2017	Orbs, photos or ghost-hunting device readings	“You must experience this bed and breakfast, I never expected to catch a ghost behind me thru Facebook live video on Friday the 13th”
Geiser Grand Hotel, Baker City	OR	Dec 2018	Orbs, photos or ghost-hunting device readings	“We have the last room that was not occupied so it wasn't as good as the rest of them but it was nice took pictures whole bunch of pictures found one ghost.”
Menger Hotel, San Antonio	TX	May 2024	Orbs, photos or ghost-hunting device readings	“There were quite a few orbs that looked like fireflies in the room.”
Manresa Castle Hotel, Port Townsend	WA	Mar 2026	Orbs, photos or ghost-hunting device readings	“(I don’t know what to make of the picture of the ghost-like kid person etc) anyways enjoy!”
Manresa Castle Hotel, Port Townsend	WA	Aug 2024	Orbs, photos or ghost-hunting device readings	“We did not see or experience much of the mysterious, but we did use our EMF detector to communicate with a few spirits, the EMF was going crazy in our room!”
Manresa Castle Hotel, Port Townsend	WA	Feb 2020	Orbs, photos or ghost-hunting device readings	“It took the weirdest picture.”
Manresa Castle Hotel, Port Townsend	WA	Oct 2020	Orbs, photos or ghost-hunting device readings	“What I will say is the wife did a EVP and got a hit so maybe the boys from that ghost show wasn't to far off.”

Evidence: all 105 properties in the sample

Sorted by number of first-hand encounters. Review counts as of 11 October 2026.

Property	Location	All Google reviews	Reviews we read (mention “ghost”)	First-hand encounters	“Nothing happened”
Jerome Grand Hotel	Jerome, AZ	2,123	20	6	1
Manresa Castle Hotel	Port Townsend, WA	764	20	6	3
Hawthorne Hotel	Salem, MA	2,340	20	4	7
Ghost City Inn	Jerome, AZ	198	20	3	2
Historic Buxton Inn	Granville, OH	626	20	3	6
Palmer House Hotel & Restaurant	Sauk Centre, MN	629	20	3	4
The Marshall House	Savannah, GA	1,580	20	3	7
The Historic Plains Hotel	Cheyenne, WY	1,183	14	3	3
Captain Grant's 1754	Preston, CT	229	11	3	0
Historic Bullock Hotel	Deadwood, SD	757	20	2	4
Hotel Colorado	Glenwood Springs, CO	3,787	20	2	3
The Jefferson Palace Hotel	Jefferson, TX	346	20	2	2
The Haunted Hotel	New Orleans, LA	219	16	2	2
Hotel Millersburg	Millersburg, OH	596	8	2	0
Karsten Hotel	Kewaunee, WI	258	5	2	1
Black Monarch Hotel	Victor, CO	247	4	2	1
Crescent Hotel and Spa	Eureka Springs, AR	7,253	20	1	3
Geiser Grand Hotel	Baker City, OR	1,234	20	1	3
Menger Hotel	San Antonio, TX	5,499	20	1	3
Silver Queen Hotel	Virginia City, NV	425	20	1	2
Skirvin Oklahoma City, a Hilton Hotel	Oklahoma City, OK	3,200	20	1	6
The Stanley Hotel	Estes Park, CO	17,875	20	1	0
Thomas House	Red Boiling Springs, TN	342	20	1	2
Historic Plaza Hotel	Las Vegas, NM	1,323	13	1	3
Lafayette Hotel	Marietta, OH	1,536	13	1	2
The Alaskan Hotel & Bar	Juneau, AK	484	10	1	3
The Blennerhassett, a Giovanni Hotel and Spa	Parkersburg, WV	1,546	8	1	1
Patterson Inn	Denver, CO	294	7	1	0
The Hotel St. Nicholas	Cripple Creek, CO	382	7	1	0
Biltmore Hotel Miami Coral Gables	Coral Gables, FL	2,804	6	1	0
Lake Lure Inn & Spa	Lake Lure, NC	1,091	4	1	0
Midland Railroad Hotel & Restaurant	Wilson, KS	704	4	1	0
Duff Green Mansion	Vicksburg, MS	429	3	1	0
Hotel Cassadaga	Lake Helen, FL	635	3	1	0
Hotel Retlaw, Trademark Collection by Wyndham	Fond du Lac, WI	769	3	1	0
Landoll's Mohican Castle – Luxury Hotel in Central Ohio	Loudonville, OH	2,187	20	0	0
Lord Baltimore Hotel	Baltimore, MD	3,457	20	0	4
Mizpah Hotel	Tonopah, NV	1,519	20	0	2
St. James Hotel	Cimarron, NM	965	20	0	1
The Elms Hotel & Spa, a Destination by Hyatt Hotel	Excelsior Springs, MO	3,298	20	0	0
Hotel Alex Johnson Rapid City, Curio Collection by Hilton	Rapid City, SD	2,440	18	0	5
Ghost Light Inn	New Hope, PA	114	16	0	0
Henderson Castle	Kalamazoo, MI	1,837	14	0	1
The Haunted Magnolia Hotel Bed and Breakfast and Ghost Tours	Seguin, TX	80	10	0	0
Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa	Bretton Woods, NH	5,529	7	0	0
The Historic Occidental Hotel	Buffalo, WY	841	7	0	1
The Pfister Hotel	Milwaukee, WI	4,379	7	0	2
Concord's Colonial Inn	Concord, MA	1,918	6	0	0
The Historic Wolf Hotel and Events Center	Ellinwood, KS	282	6	0	0
La Fonda on the Plaza	Santa Fe, NM	2,908	5	0	1
Mason House Inn Bed & Breakfast	Keosauqua, IA	97	4	0	1
Sheridan Inn, BW Signature Collection	Sheridan, WY	509	4	0	0
Brumder Mansion Bed & Breakfast	Milwaukee, WI	156	3	0	0
Tahoe House Hotel	Virginia City, NV	225	3	0	0
The Biltmore Greensboro Hotel	Greensboro, NC	359	3	0	0
The Franklin Hotel, LLC	Strawberry Point, IA	287	3	0	1
The Historic Brookstown Inn \| Trademark Collection by Wyndham	Winston-Salem, NC	1,201	3	0	0
Francis Marion Hotel	Charleston, SC	2,532	2	0	1
Green Mountain Inn	Stowe, VT	1,241	2	0	0
Historic Anchorage Hotel	Anchorage, AK	267	2	0	0
Historic Castaneda Hotel	Las Vegas, NM	610	2	0	0
The Historic Cavalier Hotel and Beach Club, Autograph Collection	Virginia Beach, VA	2,816	2	0	1
The Hotel Portsmouth	Portsmouth, NH	561	2	0	1
The Maryland Inn of the Historic Inns of Annapolis	Annapolis, MD	282	2	0	0
The Saint George Hotel	Weston, MO	330	2	0	0
The Symes Hot Springs Hotel & Mineral Baths	Hot Springs, MT	1,247	2	0	0
Balsam Mountain Inn	Balsam, NC	417	1	0	0
Boulder Dam Hotel	Boulder City, NV	1,102	1	0	0
Boulder Hot Springs	Boulder, MT	517	1	0	0
HOTEL DU PONT	Wilmington, DE	1,628	1	0	0
Historic Inns of Annapolis	Annapolis, MD	1,010	1	0	0
Hotel Parq Central	Albuquerque, NM	1,158	1	0	1
Old Stagecoach Inn	Waterbury, VT	328	1	0	0
Rough Riders Hotel	Medora, ND	555	1	0	0
Seven Sisters	Ocala, FL	34	1	0	0
The Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa	Mobile, AL	2,004	1	0	0
The Goodwin Hotel	Hartford, CT	938	1	0	0
The Grenville Hotel & Restaurant	Bay Head, NJ	463	1	0	0
The Lucerne Inn	Dedham, ME	898	1	0	0
The Pollard Hotel	Red Lodge, MT	549	1	0	0
Virginian Hotel	Medicine Bow, WY	568	1	0	0
Addy Sea Historic Oceanfront Inn	Bethany Beach, DE	698	0	0	0
Brass Lantern Inn Stowe Vermont	Stowe, VT	239	0	0	0
Dunleith Historic Inn	Natchez, MS	336	0	0	0
Golden Stage Inn	Proctorsville, VT	115	0	0	0
Graduate by Hilton Providence	Providence, RI	2,404	0	0	0
Historic Iron Horse Inn Deadwood	Deadwood, SD	219	0	0	0
John Rutledge House Inn	Charleston, SC	277	0	0	0
Klondike Hotel	Manilla, IA	21	0	0	0
Saybrook Point Resort & Marina – Luxury Connecticut Oceanside Hotel	Old Saybrook, CT	2,664	0	0	0
Stanton House Inn	Greenwich, CT	399	0	0	0
Surfside Inn	Seaside, OR	4	0	0	0
The Belmont Inn	Abbeville, SC	323	0	0	0
The Don CeSar	St Pete Beach, FL	5,206	0	0	0
The General's Quarters Inn	Corinth, MS	56	0	0	0
The Hartness House	Springfield, VT	186	0	0	0
The Inn at Montchanin Village – A Historic Hotel of America	Montchanin, DE	201	0	0	0
The Notchland Inn	Hart's Location, NH	161	0	0	0
The Quoin Hotel	Wilmington, DE	183	0	0	0
The Union Hotel, Flemington, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel	Flemington, NJ	12	0	0	0
The Westin Poinsett, Greenville	Greenville, SC	1,829	0	0	0
The Yankee Pedlar Inn	Torrington, CT	27	0	0	0
Walking Horse Haunted Hotel	Wartrace, TN	21	0	0	0
Walnut Street Inn	Springfield, MO	203	0	0	0
Whispering Oak Mansion	Bear, DE	85	0	0	0

How we did it

Found the haunted hotels. We ran the Google Maps search “haunted hotel in [state]” for all 50 states and took the top five results (155 places). We kept only hotels, inns, B&Bs and resorts located in that state, which left 105 properties.
Collected the reviews. For each property we collected up to 20 Google reviews that contain the word “ghost”: 731 unique reviews in total.
Read and classified them. Two keyword filters flagged reviews that might describe an experience (“heard”, “saw”, “footsteps”, “orbs” and similar) or say nothing happened (“no ghosts”, “didn’t see any” and similar). We read every flagged review. We counted an encounter only when the guest, or someone staying with them, described a specific thing that happened during their own stay. We left out jokes, dreams, stories told by guides or staff, other guests’ experiences and vague claims such as “things happened”. That left 67 encounters and 97 “nothing happened” reviews. Each encounter got one main type.

Limits of this data

Searching for something is not the same as believing in it. People also search out of curiosity, for games, films and Halloween parties.
Google Trends values are relative, rounded and based on a sample of searches. Small states can swing more from year to year.
Reviews are what guests chose to write, not a survey of all guests. Hotels were picked from Google Maps results, not from a complete list. Classifying a review takes judgment; the full evidence table lets anyone check ours.

Use this data

Free to use with attribution and a link to this page. Journalists: we can send a cut for your state or a quote.

Create & Grow (2026). What guests at America’s haunted hotels really report. https://createandgrow.com/research/us-states/haunted-hotel-reviews/

Talk to Georgi

More from this study: America’s Most Haunted States 2026.

About the author

Georgi Todorov is the founder of Create & Grow, a digital PR and SEO agency. He runs data studies on search behaviour and AI. More about Georgi