"Spooktacular" Tales of Ghosts From Fairmont
Learn more about Fairmont Banff Springs or make a booking.
It is said that ghosts haunt where they were the happiest. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts welcomes guests past and present, and tells the tales of guests who never want to leave.
The Fairmont Banff Springs has been an icon of the Canadian Rockies since it opened 1888. Since that time there have been many stories of guests who never left and staff who came back. To this day, it is said that "Sam the Bellmen" will help guests find their way and retrieve their luggage. There is also the story of the "Dancing Bride" who is reported to dance the wedding waltz late at night.
When The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver was originally constructed, eight elevator shafts were built to accommodate guests. However, due to the Great Depression, only six elevators were actually installed. What happened to the other two? The hotel's friendly spirit, The Lady in Red, is said to inhabit one of the empty elevator shafts. Porters, employees and guests have come around the corner on the mezzanine level just in time to see the elevator door open and a lady in a brilliant red dress appear in one of the shafts with no actual elevator…or door!
A former steward at The Fairmont Royal York is said to wander around in the silver room in the hotel's basement. Several hotel staff members have reported seeing the steward while they were collecting silverware. When they turn to get a second look, the image has vanished.
Looking up to the highest point of The Fairmont Empress in Victoria, British Columbia, guests will see three windows in the turret, which was completed in the 1920s and constructed without a door. Several years ago during the renovation of the hotel, a courageous roofer stretched a 2 x 4 across to the eaves and carefully walked over and peeked inside the window – a first! Inside the sealed room was a pillow and blanket that remains there to this day. Who knows what ghostly presence has taken up residence in this inaccessible room!
The Fairmont Banff Springs has been an icon of the Canadian Rockies since it opened 1888. Since that time there have been many stories of guests who never left and staff who came back. To this day, it is said that "Sam the Bellmen" will help guests find their way and retrieve their luggage. There is also the story of the "Dancing Bride" who is reported to dance the wedding waltz late at night.
When The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver was originally constructed, eight elevator shafts were built to accommodate guests. However, due to the Great Depression, only six elevators were actually installed. What happened to the other two? The hotel's friendly spirit, The Lady in Red, is said to inhabit one of the empty elevator shafts. Porters, employees and guests have come around the corner on the mezzanine level just in time to see the elevator door open and a lady in a brilliant red dress appear in one of the shafts with no actual elevator…or door!
A hauntingly beautiful woman is said to reside in the "round room" at The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. Victoria, as she is fondly referred to by many of the Inn's tenured employees, is often seen strolling the hallways and lobby in the wee hours of the night, sipping a Cabernet. Legend has it that Victoria's family traces back to the founding fathers of Sonoma Valley, where she also celebrated her wedding and many anniversaries. In addition, the Inn originally dates back to the Native Americans, who were the first to discover the natural underground hot mineral waters. This site was considered a sacred healing ground and their 'sweathouse' stood near the spring for generations. For decades, guests have commented on the otherworldly presence at the Inn.
Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac was named after Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac. When he died he wanted his heart sent in a box to his fiancé in Europe, but she was so sad, she sent it right back. Since then, the Comte has wandered around the hotel looking for his soul mate.
A former steward at The Fairmont Royal York is said to wander around in the silver room in the hotel's basement. Several hotel staff members have reported seeing the steward while they were collecting silverware. When they turn to get a second look, the image has vanished.
Ottawa's grandest hotel was scheduled to open April 26th, 1912, but was postponed to mourn the death of Charles Melville Hays, General Manager of the Grand Trunk Railway and visionary behind the Fairmont Château Laurier. Hays perished when returning from London on the ill-fated Titanic. It is said, his spirit lives on within the walls of the Fairmont Château Laurier so that he may oversee the operation of "his" hotel.
At Montreal's Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth guests can stay in the John Lennon Suite where John and Yoko held their Bed-In for Peace and recorded "Give Peace a Chance" in 1969. Over the years, several visitors and employees have claimed to feel his presence in the suite.
Looking up to the highest point of The Fairmont Empress in Victoria, British Columbia, guests will see three windows in the turret, which was completed in the 1920s and constructed without a door. Several years ago during the renovation of the hotel, a courageous roofer stretched a 2 x 4 across to the eaves and carefully walked over and peeked inside the window – a first! Inside the sealed room was a pillow and blanket that remains there to this day. Who knows what ghostly presence has taken up residence in this inaccessible room!
Comments
More Posts From This Category