Banff Springs Hotel
The Banff Springs Hotel lies in Alberta, Canada is said to be haunted by a number of ghosts and also has a hidden room with a dark secret.
The Banff Springs Hotel is a major tourist resort, surrounded by the scenic beauty of mountains, rivers and lakes, and a natural hot springs. During the construction of the hotel, the builders made a mistake. They created a room with no windows or doors. They kept quiet about their mistake and the hotel had an extra room that no one except the builders were aware of.
The existence of the room wasn’t discovered until a fire in 1926. The room was empty, naturally, but it was suggested that the existence of the hidden room might have been responsible for strange phenomena that had been occurring in the corridor that bordered the room. Shadowy apparitions had drifted down the hallway late at night, and a phantom bellhop offered his services to patrons in surrounding rooms. The room was empty, and inaccessible, so perhaps it became inhabited by people from — the spirit world?
The hotel was rebuilt in 1928 in even greater luxury and became known as the Castle of the Rockies. The rebuilt hotel and the removal of the mysterious room may have eradicated the phantom figures from the hallway. But people say the bellhop still exists. He wanders through the hotel, still offering his services to patrons. He has even been known to open doors for people who have forgotten their key. If you need him, just give him a call. He’s been dubbed “Sam.”
Others that wander the hotel are a bride who tumbled to her death from the staircase, a bagpiper with no head, and a bartender who tells patrons who have over-imbibed that it’s time they went to their beds.
The Doomed Bride at the Banff Springs Hotel
There are stories regarding the ghost of a bride at the hotel. In the 1920s, a young woman was staying in the bridal suite, on the day of her wedding. Dressed in her wedding gown, she was descending a staircase. What she didn’t know was that there were candles on the staircase and her gown caught fire. In a panic, she tripped and fell down the stairs and died from a broken neck.
Since then, there have been reports of the apparition of a young woman in a long flowing white dress walking down the staircase or dancing in the ballroom. Hotel staff have heard noises in the bridal suite on days when there were no registered guests for the room. People have also seen the spirit of a young woman on the stairs with her dress on fire. Then she vanishes. Guests have also reported a chilly breeze on the staircase where the bride fell all those years ago.
The Bellman at the Banff Springs Hotel
The most popular ghost is that of Sam Macauley, a bellman who died in 1976. Not too long after Sam’s death, the ghost of a bellman wearing a 1960s uniform has been seen and the description fitted Sam perfectly. He has been known to help people who are locked out of their rooms or turn on the room lights or help carry bags. His favourite haunt is the 9th floor. Anytime people try to tip him or start a conversation, the ghost of Sam will vanish.
Hotel guests and staff have reported sightings of the ghost bartender telling customers that they have had too much to drink and need to go to bed. The spirit of a headless man playing the bagpipes has been reported on occasion.
