Haunted Hotels of Canada

The Fairmont Chateau Laurier has a famous tale about the tragic destiny of its original owner Charles Melville Hays, the president and general manager of the Grand Pacific Railway. Just a couple of weeks before his hotel was set to open in late April 1912, Hays was in England on business and, at the last minute, changed his mode of transportation back to North America to be onboard the Titanic.

He did not survive the tragic sinking of the famous ship. Some believe that Hays returned in ghostly form to haunt the halls of the hotel. His ghost is blamed for breaking furniture as well as opening and closing doors on a whim.

The Fort Garry Hotel, built between 1911 and 1913, has a reputation as one of the most haunted places in Canada. It has its own Stephen King room 1408, except here it is room 202. It apparently houses the spirit of a woman who took her own life following the death of her husband. As always, details are scarce but guests who have stayed in the room report flickering lights, blood dripping down the walls and even the feeling of someone crawling into the bed.

A security guard once told a story of finding ten candles laid out in the shape of a star in the ballroom on a night when it was not in use. Ghost enthusiasts from all over the world request to stay in the room hoping for an encounter.

The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is known for its stunning castle-like appearance, often referred to as the “Castle in the Rockies.” The hotel has welcomed guests since 1888 and ghost stories have piled up over the years. One of those stories is about a murder that purportedly happened in room 873 — which has since been boarded up. The victims’ ghosts are said to continue to haunt the place.

Another popular story at the hotel is that of the ghost bride, a young woman whose wedding dress caught fire by the lit candles are she walked down the marble staircase. In a panic, the bride tripped and broke her neck, leaving her unsettled ghost to linger. Sightings of a woman in a white dress have been reported on the staircase and in the ballroom.

Another old and beautiful hotel with tales of hauntings is the Empress Hotel in Victoria, located on the harbour. Built in 1908, it is the oldest hotel in the city and a National Historic Site of Canada. The most prominent apparition that visitors and staff seem to encounter is the ghost of architect Francis Rattenbury, who designed the hotel. People report seeing a slender man with a cane and a moustache walking down the halls — a description that eerily matches that of the architect.

Other ghostly sightings include a maid who continues to clean on the sixth floor even after her death and an employee who died in the west tower in 1960.

Also in Victoria, is the James Bay Inn, which opened in 1911 making it the third oldest hotel in the city. As with many older buildings, time has brought tales of ghosts and paranormal activity. The inn’s most popular ghost is said to be Emily Carr, the famous Canadian painter who was a patient at the hotel when it operated as St. Mary’s Priory. She died in her room in March of 1945.

The room was later rebuilt and is now a men’s washroom in the hotel pub. Perhaps Carr is not too happy about that because it is said she has haunted it ever since. Guests have reported cases of phone calls with no one on the other line and a chilling feeling of being watched in the middle of the night.