Haunted hotel guide · San Francisco, California

The Haunted Chancellor Hotel on Union Square, San Francisco

A slim, family-run tower on the Powell Street cable car line, the Chancellor has been welcoming guests since 1914. Its manager says staff have been hearing about strange things on two of its upper floors for years.

By The Haunted Rooms Team · Updated November 2026 · How we rate hotels

2.5/5Haunted Rooms Score
1914Year opened
137Guest rooms

Check availabilityMeet the ghosts

The Chancellor Hotel on Union Square stands at 433 Powell Street, at the corner of Post Street, half a block from Union Square. It opened in 1914, built for the crowds expected at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and was the tallest hotel in San Francisco at the time. More than a century later it is still owned and run by the same family, one of very few independent, family-operated hotels left in the city.

It is not a famous haunted hotel in the way the Queen Anne is, and it has no tragic legend attached. What it has is a steady trickle of reports, mostly from the 13th and 15th floors: lights that switch on in the night, knocking and a sense of company in an empty room. For a hotel this central, that makes it an easy and affordable place to test your nerves.

Chancellor Hotel at a glance

2.5/5
Haunted Rooms Score
Haunted reputation3
History3
Ghost hunter access1
$$ · $150 to $300
  • Address 433 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 94102 (at Post Street, on the Powell cable car line)
  • Opened 1914, for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition
  • Most haunted spots The 13th and 15th floors
  • Best-known ghosts No named ghost: lights, knocks and unseen presences
  • Booking the haunted room No single room is singled out. Ask for a room on the 13th or 15th floor when you book; it is a request, not a guarantee.
  • Good to know Rooms are comfortable for two with compact bathrooms and no air conditioning. There is no on-site parking; the hotel arranges a nearby garage. Hotel phone: 415-362-2004.

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The ghosts of the Chancellor

The 13th and 15th floors

General manager Wes Tyler told InsideHook that the hotel has been “hearing of strange occurrences for years” on its 13th and 15th floors. He did not describe a single ghost, and the hotel does not advertise the stories, which is part of their appeal: this is word of mouth from guests and staff rather than a marketing line.

The reports that come up most are lights turning on in the middle of the night, knocking that seems to come from inside the walls, and the feeling that someone is standing beside the bed.

The light that came on by itself

One guest from Newcastle, Australia, told InsideHook she noticed nothing unusual in her own room. Her brother and sister-in-law, staying on the same trip, said the light in their room switched itself on in the middle of the night.

It is a small story, and an old building with old wiring is a sensible first explanation. But it is typical of what guests describe here: brief, quiet moments rather than full-blown apparitions.

The ghost hunter's verdict

According to Tyler, a paranormal investigator who has appeared on the television series Ghost Hunters stayed at the hotel and reported back that it “did not disappoint” and that he felt “a number of spirits there”. The investigator was not named in the article, and no recordings or findings have been published.

Why would a hotel with no tragedy be haunted?

Unlike many haunted hotels, the Chancellor has no famous death, fire or murder in its story. Believers point instead to more than a century of travelers, including the crowds of 1915 and generations of visitors since. Skeptics point to a busy cable car line, old pipes and a building that settles. Either way, the 13th and 15th floors have become the place to ask for.

The most haunted rooms and places to look

  • 13th-floor rooms: One of the two floors staff name. Ask for it at booking; many hotels skip a 13th floor, but the Chancellor’s manager names it directly.
  • 15th-floor rooms: The other floor with reports, and among the highest in the building, with views over Powell Street.
  • The Clipper Ship Room: The hotel’s cocktail lounge from 1937 to 1980, now a small meeting room and a reminder of its long history.

History of Chancellor Hotel on Union Square

San Francisco rebuilt fast after the 1906 earthquake and fire, and by the early 1910s the city was preparing for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915, a world’s fair celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal and the city’s recovery. The Chancellor was one of the hotels built to house the expected visitors, and when it opened in 1914 it was the tallest hotel building in San Francisco.

The same family has owned and run the hotel for more than a hundred years. From 1937 to 1980 the hotel had its own cocktail lounge, the Clipper Ship Room, which now serves as a small meeting room. The hotel was renovated in 2007 and has 137 rooms, including two suites.

Its location has barely changed in a century. The Powell Street cable cars clang past the front door on their way to Nob Hill and Fisherman’s Wharf, and Union Square’s department stores and theaters are a short walk away. Rooms are traditional and compact, with no air conditioning, which suits the city’s cool climate.

Tips for a haunted stay

  • Ask for the 13th or 15th floor. Those are the floors staff name; make the request when you book and again at check-in.
  • Expect cable car bells. The Powell Street line runs right past the hotel, so light sleepers may want a room at the back.
  • Park smart. There is no on-site parking; the hotel arranges a garage nearby for a nightly fee, and you load in the white zone out front.
  • Make a haunted weekend of it. Take a night tour of Alcatraz, or have afternoon sherry at the Queen Anne Hotel.
  • Want to investigate with a team? Haunted Rooms runs ghost hunts at historic venues across the US.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Chancellor Hotel in San Francisco haunted?

Staff and guests say so. The general manager has said the hotel has heard of strange occurrences on its 13th and 15th floors for years, including lights switching on at night and knocking. There is no named ghost or tragic backstory.

Which floors are haunted at the Chancellor Hotel?

The 13th and 15th floors are the ones staff mention. You can request either when you book.

How old is the Chancellor Hotel?

It opened in 1914, built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and was the tallest hotel in San Francisco at the time.

Does the Chancellor Hotel have parking or air conditioning?

There is no on-site parking, but the hotel arranges a nearby garage for a nightly fee. Guest rooms do not have air conditioning.

Is the Chancellor Hotel near Union Square?

Yes. It is at Powell and Post Streets, half a block from Union Square, on the Powell Street cable car line.

Sources

Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.

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About the authors

The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.

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