Haunted hotel guide · Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
The Haunted Bessborough Hotel, Saskatoon: The Man in the Fedora
Saskatoon’s riverside castle waited three years for its first guest, and the stories its staff and city archivists tell include a dapper man in a fedora, a fallen bellman and children laughing in an empty stairwell.
The Bessborough is Saskatoon’s landmark: a chateau-style railway hotel on the bank of the South Saskatchewan River, with private gardens that host the city’s jazz festival. Now run as Delta Hotels by Marriott Bessborough, it is also the building locals name first when the talk turns to ghosts.
Unusually, some of its stories come from the people who know the building best. Saskatoon’s public library and city archivists have passed on accounts from former staff, and the hotel’s own sales director talked openly about its ghost lore when it ran a Halloween tour. This guide covers those stories, the real history of the hotel, and tips for staying.
The Bessborough at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 601 Spadina Crescent East, Saskatoon, SK S7K 3G8, Canada
- Opened Built 1930 to 1932; first guest checked in December 10, 1935
- Most haunted spots The third floor, the ballroom stairs, the former Terrace Lounge and the stairwells
- Best-known ghosts A man in a grey fedora, a small tired-looking woman, a fallen bellman, laughing children
- Booking the haunted room No single haunted room. Ask for a third-floor room when you book
- Good to know 225 rooms; nearly five acres of riverside gardens; a short walk from downtown and the Meewasin Valley trails
The ghosts of Delta Hotels by Marriott Bessborough
The man in the fedora
The Bessborough’s signature ghost is a well-dressed man in a grey suit and fedora. Guests and staff describe passing a friendly, sharply dressed gentleman in the old Terrace Lounge, now a banquet room, on the convention floor or in the ballroom, and turning back to find nobody there. Two of the hotel’s sales and marketing directors have talked about him on the record: Joan Fior told Global News in 2016 that “he just misses some of his old travel partners,” and Stefan Deprez told CBC Saskatoon that legend has him wandering the floor looking for his friends.
Tourism Saskatoon’s own haunted itinerary adds that he was an employee who died while investigating a noise complaint. We have found no record of such a death, so treat that part as legend.
The tired woman on the third floor
Saskatoon Public Library archivists, speaking to CTV News, described a small, tired-looking woman with messy hair and torn clothes on the third floor. She is said to ignore people who stay quiet. If someone is noisy or tries to speak to her, she screams and vanishes. Local advice is simply to keep walking.
A voice on the ballroom steps
City of Saskatoon archivist Jeff O’Brien passed on an account from a woman who used to work late shifts at the hotel. Sitting alone on the steps leading to the ballroom, she heard a quiet voice behind her ask if she was okay. She glanced back and saw a pair of men’s trousers on the step behind her. When she turned around, no one was there.
The fallen bellman
The other story staff tell is of a bellman, or bellboy, who died hurrying down a staircase with guests’ luggage. In the version Global News reported, he fell over the railing, and cracks in the marble below mark where he landed; CBC’s version has him tripping on the stairs. As with most bellman legends, we have found no record of the accident.
Children in the stairwell and Pat's photo
Visitors have reported children laughing in an empty stairwell, according to Saskatoon Public Library archivists, though nobody claims to have seen the children. The hotel’s sales directors have also told CBC and Global News about a photo of a long-serving employee, Pat, on the stairs, which seems to show a figure behind him once the film was developed. Pat is convinced it was a ghost.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- The third floor: Where the tired woman is reported. It is also home to the Vice Regal Suite, so it is a fine floor to request either way.
- The ballroom and its steps: Linked to the man in the fedora and the late-shift worker’s story. Usually used for events, so look in when it is open.
- The former Terrace Lounge: Now a banquet room, and the place the hotel itself names for the man in the fedora.
- The stairwells: Where children’s laughter and the bellman are reported.
History of Delta Hotels by Marriott Bessborough
On December 31, 1928, Canadian National Railways president Sir Henry Thornton announced a grand hotel for Saskatoon. The city agreed to waive the railway’s property taxes for 25 years in return for a chateau-style hotel of at least 200 rooms. Excavation began in February 1930, and the 10-story building was finished in 1932. It was the tallest building in Saskatoon until 1966.
Architect John S. Archibald designed it, with John Schofield finishing the work after Archibald’s death. The style is chateau with a touch of Bavarian castle. In May 1931 the Governor General, the Earl of Bessborough, agreed to lend it his name.
The Great Depression meant the finished hotel stood empty for more than three years. Its first registered guest, Horace N. Stovin, checked in on December 10, 1935. CN ran the hotel until 1972, when Donald, Dick and Marc Baltzan bought it. Delta Hotels took it over in 1989, Legacy Hotels REIT acquired it in 1998, a $9 million restoration in 1999 brought back many original features, and a major renovation followed in 2003.
Marriott bought the Delta brand in 2015. The hotel, now owned by Leadon Investment Inc., operates as Delta Hotels by Marriott Bessborough with 225 rooms and suites. Its nearly five acres of riverside gardens host weddings, events and the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Ask for a third-floor room if you want to be near the best-known story, and a river-view room for the scenery.
- Walk the riverside gardens and the Meewasin trail at dusk, when the hotel’s roofline is lit up.
- Look out for the hotel’s Halloween events; it has run a Monster Bash and haunted tour of the building in the past.
- Saskatoon has a local haunted walking tour; combine it with your stay in October.
- Keep your expectations gentle: most reports are voices, footsteps and brief figures.
- Stayed at the Bessborough? Tell us what happened using the form below.
More haunted hotels nearby
- Fort Garry Hotel, Winnipeg: a fellow prairie railway hotel and its famous Room 202
- Fairmont Banff Springs, Alberta: the ghost bride and Sam the bellman
- Haunted places in Saskatchewan: more Saskatchewan ghost stories
- Haunted hotels in Canada
Stayed in one of these hotels? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from guests and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your stay. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Bessborough hotel haunted?
It is Saskatoon’s best-known haunted hotel. Staff, former employees and city archivists have shared stories of a man in a fedora, a tired woman on the third floor and children’s laughter in a stairwell. They are local legends rather than proven events.
Who is the man in the fedora at the Bessborough?
Nobody knows. He is described as friendly and well dressed, seen in the former Terrace Lounge, on the convention floor and in the ballroom. Hotel staff say he misses his old travel partners; Tourism Saskatoon’s version says he was an employee who died answering a noise complaint, which no record supports.
What happens on the third floor of the Bessborough?
City and library archivists describe a small, tired-looking woman with messy hair who ignores quiet guests but screams and vanishes if someone tries to talk to her.
When did the Bessborough open?
It was finished in 1932, but the Depression delayed its opening until December 1935.
Who is the Bessborough named after?
The Earl of Bessborough, Governor General of Canada, who agreed to the name in 1931.
Does the Bessborough run ghost tours?
The hotel has hosted a free Halloween night tour of the building, led by a former employee. Check with the hotel for anything running during your stay.
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.
- Wikipedia: Hotel Bessborough
- CBC News: Saskatoon's Bessborough hotel to share spooky secrets on Halloween night
- CTV News: Spooky haunted places in Saskatoon you can visit
- Global News: Saskatoon's spooky spots garner attention as Halloween approaches (2016)
- Discover Saskatoon: Saskatoon's haunted history itinerary
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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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