According to a recent list by Historic Hotels of America, the Bay Area boasts two of the most haunted hotels in the nation. As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Claremont Club & Spa in Berkeley and the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa have made the cut due to their connections to supernatural phenomena.
Last week, the hotel group announced that both establishments are notable for their hauntings. Guests and staff at the Fairmont Sonoma have reported sightings of the ghost of Victoria, an early settler in Sonoma Valley. Legend has it that she celebrated her wedding and anniversaries at the resort, and now, she is said to wander the hallways on foggy nights.
Additionally, the hotel is rumored to have an old man’s apparition that frequents one of the oldest rooms, which dates back to the 1920s. Guests have claimed to experience supernatural occurrences in this particular room, where it is said that a jealous lover once met a grisly fate in the bathtub.
According to the hotel, since then, visitors have reported strange happenings, including flickering lights, unexplained noises, shadowy figures, and even sounds of running water. They humorously remind guests that “wine isn’t the only spirit in the hotel.”
The Claremont Club & Spa, also under the Fairmont brand, has its own share of ghostly tales. Since opening in 1915, guests have reported encounters with a phantom elevator and eerie sounds, contributing to “generations of countless ghost stories.”
One tale tells of the ghost of a six-year-old girl, described by those who have encountered her as serene. Witnesses claim she has made nighttime visits, gently reaching out as if to say, “Hello.”
Other chilling accounts include reports from a notoriously haunted fourth-floor room, where both guests and staff have experienced drastic temperature fluctuations.
Each October, the hotel sells haunted history tour tickets for $40, inviting thrill-seekers to explore its spooky past.
