Ghost Stories

There’s a room in the hotel that is exceptionally private with a remote entrance. It’s been popular with actors appearing in local plays or with people who seek simple privacy and rest. None of the staff can comprehend why phone calls are coming from the room when it’s unoccupied. The calls always come late at night, but invariably no one is on the other end. A hotel employee is always sent to check on the room, but they have never found a guest there and the phone has always been off the hook.

Not all the mysteries are of the unseen – some involve reported sightings. Late one night, a couple dressed in formal attire was seen in a hallway. He was wearing a tuxedo, top hat, white scarf, and cane; she wore a cream-colored gown. According to a staff member who offered assistance, they turned a corner and just disappeared. There were no unlocked doors, no windows—no way out. One minute they were there, the next, they were gone.

An employee claims he once saw a figure hiding behind a curtain, but the curtain fell flat when he got up the nerve to investigate. The window was closed and locked. Could it be the spirit of Groucho Marx returning for a visit? As a regular guest, he would stay up late and convince the night staff to play along with him when he wanted to be mischievous. As long as this strange phenomenon occurs only when the room is empty, management is happy to accommodate whoever or whatever it is.

Another night a guest reported seeing a soft, glowing presence in her room—it was a young woman with brown hair wearing a light lace dress. She thought the apparition’s name was Abigail.

One morning a young boy reported seeing several small Abraham Lincoln’s jumping around in his room. The hotel staff was summoned, but the boy’s mother insisted they not worry because “strange things happen to them all the time.” Later the boy reported seeing a woman dressed in white, brushing his hair. Maybe it was Abigail. Perhaps the boy had been learning about Presidents and First Ladies in school.

Many of the stories collected over the years involved the kitchen. Stoves are mysteriously turned on and off, cabinets open and closed, and one time two staff members reported seeing a frying pan moving around. Reported of the paranormal were more frequent when the restaurant was being remodeled. Perhaps the ghosts couldn’t find their favorite foods easily, but ever since the restaurant, Nine-Ten, opened a few years ago, there’s been more peace in the kitchen.

There have also been many reports from guests and staff about rooms in the North Annex, above the bakery. To this day, people claim they hear loud voices, heavy footsteps, people running down the stairs, and doors swinging open for no reason. All after the bakery has closed.

What is now the bakery was once two apartments. In one lived two young women and in the other two young men. They were well-known for throwing wild parties. Evidently, they enjoyed themselves very much because they are still at it today. The hotel continues to receive complaints from the guest rooms above the bakery, but the outcome is always the same. The bakery has been empty for hours and is locked for the night.

What or who lurks in the hotel’s hallways and around the corners – we’ll never know. There is only one way to find out-experience our haunted hotel near San Diego, La Jolla for yourself!