The 8 Most Haunted Hotels in Missouri

Missouri is most famous for the cities of St. Louis and Kansas City. The state also has an array of popular tourist destinations. Missouri is also home to a tremendous amount of paranormal activity and ghostly sightings.

The following locations are considered among the most haunted hotels in Missouri.

The original owners of the Rose Bed Inn were the Schrader family. The home, which dates back to 1908, is reportedly home to a man name Alex. The man apparently wanted to purchase the home but couldn’t afford it until he married a wealthy woman. Alex reportedly died in the attic of the home.

There are rumors he killed himself after he was exposed as having a male lover. Guests have claimed objects have been hidden or moved, they have smelled cigar smoke and they have even seen Alex’s ghost.

The Muehlebach Hotel (Kansas City Marriot as it’s now known) has been the center of activity since it was first built just over 100 years ago. It has been host to countless political and wealthy figures over the years. It was a popular site for social events and more.

It remains a popular venue for wedding receptions, conventions and meetings. It is also home to different ghosts and paranormal activity.

A woman in a blue dress has been spotted around the hotel. Legend has it that the woman was an actress who remains in the hotel in hopes of finding her former lovers.

When Prosperity School Bed and Breakfast first opened its doors back in 1907 it served as a school. It remained a school for decades. After closing the building stood empty until it became a bed and breakfast.

People have made countless claims of ghostly and paranormal activity at the location for decades. So much activity has been reported that investigators from the Ghost Hunters television show, as well as other notable names in the paranormal world, have come to investigate the claims.

People have used ghost/spirit boxes to interact with spirits still residing in the building and voices are heard. People have heard what sounds like children playing, whispering, and running down the halls.

Guests and staff have also witnessed the opening and closing of doors without living assistance. The ghost of a nurse is another entity spotted.

In the early 1860’s a mansion was built in St. Louis. William J. Lemp purchased the residence and it became the Lemp Mansion. The Lemp family saw tremendous financial success with their brewing company. The family also saw tremendous tragedy.

Five of the Lemp family members committed suicide and in 1901 the heir to the brewing company, Frederick Lemp, died mysteriously. William Lemp was unable to cope with the loss of his son and three years later killed himself in one of the mansion’s bedrooms with a gunshot to the head.

The tragic history has left the mansion with lingering spirits. The list of ghostly sightings and paranormal activity is so extensive that some consider the mansion one of the most haunted hotels in Missouri as well as one of the top 10 haunted locations in the United States.

People have felt as if they were being watched during renovations of the property back in the 1970’s. One worker claimed he heard someone calling his name and no one else was in the vicinity at the time.

One woman claimed to have approached a man seated at a table only to have him disappear right before her eyes. Sightings of the “Lavender Lady” are also incredibly common.

Other people have experienced unexplained sounds, items being picked up and flying through the air by unseen hands. There is also a piano that has an invisible spirit plays at will.

The locking and unlocking of doors is another odd activity that people have encountered.

Learn more about the hauntings of the Lemp Mansion, St. Louis MO

Built in 1888, the Hotel Savoy was a popular destination for people traveling through Kansas City. In its lengthy history stories have given the hotel a reputation as one of the most haunted hotels in Missouri.

One of the most active rooms in the hotel is room 505. It is in that room that a woman by the name of Betsy Ward died. It is her ghost that appears to haunt the room. She has a tendency to turn water off and on in the bathroom.

One guest said he and the ghost battled over turning the water off one night. When he would turn it off, it would come back on. This went on for a short time before he reported it to the manager. The manager also heard music coming from the room when it was unoccupied.

Other evidence of ghosts or spirits in the hotel includes disembodied voices, messages captured via EVPs and shadow figures.  On the fourth floor people have spotted little girl dressed in Victorian clothing.

The Elms Hotel opened in 1912. In 1948 Harry Truman spent election night in the hotel. Although that is one claim to fame for the hotel, ghostly sightings and unusual activity is another reason people flock to the hotel.

Some guests have seen the ghost of a maid wandering the hotel. Other people have seen a man dressed in 1920’s garb in the basement, which now houses a lap pool.

Another ghost reportedly throws things and pulls hair. Some say the ghost does this out of frustration since she cannot find her missing child. 

Back in 1896 the Garden House was built. It was a private home to many affluent families during its history before becoming the renowned bed and breakfast it is today. People interested in seeing the historic home might get more than they bargained for if they spend the night. Some guests claim they have encountered ghosts at the Garden House.

Countless guests have claimed they wake up between 2 and 3 a.m. for unknown reasons. Something simply causes them to wake up. In one case, a man discovered the fan in the room had been turned off while he and his wife slept, yet no one else was in the room.

Others have snapped photos where it appears ghost figures are looking out windows of the home. The dog of one guest was acting in such a manner that his owner believed someone or something unseen was tormenting the poor animal.

A staff member made a claim that silverware that had been neatly put away was scattered about the dining room table the next morning. There have also been people who have heard footsteps and smelled a man’s cologne when no men were around and/or they were not wearing the particular scent.

There are enough odd occurrences that it is definitely one of the most haunted hotels in Missouri.

Charles McCann built what is now the Walnut Street Inn bed and breakfast in the mid-1890s for his family. McCann and his wife lived in the home a few years before it changed hands.

The property had multiple owners before it was turned into a bed and breakfast in 1987. The Walnut Street Inn offers guests a comfortable place to stay all while taking a step back into history. Guests of the establishment also encounter the ghosts of former residents from time-to-time.

One of the rooms available to guests is a tribute to one of the owners of the home, the Rosen’s. A man reportedly saw what appeared to be a woman sitting in his room, the Rosen room, at a little table. They had a verbal exchange regarding whose room it was before the female apparition vanished before his eyes.

The woman had apparently lived and died in the home at some point in its history. This elderly woman has also been seen wandering around the hallways of the inn by a number of other guests.

Read more about the ghosts of the Walnut Street Inn, Springfield, MO