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Haunted Hotels & Hotel Ghost Encounters (IHTM)

SimonBurchell said:
I had a strange night last night, I don't know if it was a ghost but it was odd. I've been hiking in the West Country, and yesterday I hiked across bleak, frozen Exmoor, out of Exford, across Tarr Steps, and down into north Devon. I had booked a night in an inn in a small village. The inn, unexpectedly, did not have the rooms actually in the pub, but in new-build cabins/bungalows out back. My room was very nice, fantastic in fact. The cabin/bungalow has a little lobby, then two doors to two different suites - so two sets of guests can potentially be in the one building.

I had dinner in the pub at about 7pm, then headed back to my room... I had asked for an early 7.30am breakfast, so planned to be up at 6am to get all my hiking gear in order, I therefore hit the sack by 9pm to be properly rested.

First, I was well asleep. I am a light sleeper so odd sounds will tend to wake me. I was jolted awake by the sound of something sliding/dragging in my room, followed by a clunk. It sounded very close. I wondered if rats were in the room and were up to mischief, checked my gear (all in order, nothing out of place) and listened out for more sounds... there were only clicks and slight bumps that were attributable to the thermostat/radiators. After a while I fell asleep again.

I was awoken by the sound of a key into the shared lobby, and voices of a man and woman talking, as if they were coming in from a late night out. Damn, I thought, I don't have the building to myself. They carried on talking, although I could not distinguish what was being said, and I heard a key in the other suite door, and heard them entering the room next to mine. I fell asleep again.

At 6am my alarm went off, and I got all my kit together, very conscious that the noise I was making might disturb my neighbours, then had 15 minutes or so before breakfast. I found out what the first sound that woke me up was by a little experimentation. The shower unit was spacious, allowing a straight sliding door rather than a folding door. I had discovered when I showered that the door would not stay open, there was a slight slope, so the door would slide shut if left open. By sliding the door open and closed, the sound that first woke me up was of the shower door being deliberately slid shut and firmly closed, over about 4-5 seconds. If left to shut on it's own, it did not make the sound I heard. I had shut the door myself to keep as much if the humidity trapped as possible, and it was shut when I went to bed. It was still shut when I got up in the morning.

When I went to breakfast, I cast a glance at the window of the neighbouring suite. To my utter surprise, the curtains were fully open and I could see the double bed inside... perfectly made up, with towels neatly folded in triangles exactly as my room had been when I entered. No-one had been in the other suite at all.

It's giving me goosebumps just thinking about it. A very puzzling night indeed.
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Did you ask at Reception if there had been anyone in that room?
 
escargot said:
Did you ask at Reception if there had been anyone in that room?
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No... there was no-one around except the chef, I was the first (perhaps only) person to breakfast. No sign of anyone else at all.

By the time I had walked through the cold to the pub, I was busy taking on the views of the village and countryside (it was dark when I had arrived) and I quickly forgot the disturbances of the night. I'm kicking myself now. Talk about short attention span.
 
SimonBurchell said:
No... there was no-one around except the chef, I was the first (perhaps only) person to breakfast. No sign of anyone else at all.

By the time I had walked through the cold to the pub, I was busy taking on the views of the village and countryside (it was dark when I had arrived) and I quickly forgot the disturbances of the night. I'm kicking myself now. Talk about short attention span.
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Is it possible that two staff members with a key to the room across the way entered it for purposes of, uh, nooky? Then made sure to leave the room all tidy the way they found it?
 
Kate In The Desert said:
Is it possible that two staff members with a key to the room across the way entered it for purposes of, uh, nooky? Then made sure to leave the room all tidy the way they found it?
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One of my co workers at The Red Lion Hotel did that years ago. She texted me on Christmas day when I was at my parents to tell me she'd just had the sack for sleeping with a guest. I texted her back with something like 'Shit. Sorry mate. Was it worth it though?' and she replied with 'Totally!' :). I forgot to ask her how she'd been caught out. I also 'got intimate' with a guest one night in the customer lounge. I was locking up, she invited me in to sit with her for some champagne, I was single at the time and one thing led to another so it's more common than people realise. I didn't get caught thankfully.
 
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Kate In The Desert said:
Is it possible that two staff members with a key to the room across the way entered it for purposes of, uh, nooky? Then made sure to leave the room all tidy the way they found it?
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Could be... but I think I would have heard, and I would likely have heard them leaving... and there were other, unoccupied buildings that would be a more obvious choice than the (perhaps only) building with a registered guest. It also doesn't explain the dragging sound that first woke me up.
 
Kate In The Desert said:
Is it possible that two staff members with a key to the room across the way entered it for purposes of, uh, nooky? Then made sure to leave the room all tidy the way they found it?
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Must admit that was my first thought too!
Another possibility could be staff doing a last-thing-at-night check that a room had been made up ready for the next day's guests.
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Must admit that was my first thought too!
Another possibility could be staff doing a last-thing-at-night check that a room had been made up ready for the next day's guests.
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House keeping would have gone home by late morning so those late checks would be done by a duty manager or possibly the business owner/owners which would explain why they were so quiet. Good call.
 
Swifty said:
One of my co workers at The Red Lion Hotel did that years ago. She texted me on Christmas day when I was at my parents to tell me she'd just had the sack for sleeping with a guest. I texted her back with something like 'Shit. Sorry mate. Was it worth it though?' and she replied with 'Totally!' :). I forgot to ask her how she'd been caught out. I also 'got intimate' with a guest one night in the customer lounge. I was locking up, she invited me in to sit with her for some champagne, I was single at the time and one thing led to another so it's more common that people realise. I didn't get caught thankfully.
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Now that you mention it, I'm reminded of when I was a young thing and waitressed in a hotel restaurant for both lunch and dinner. The young Hungarian chef had a guest room designated for him to relax and rest between meals, and one day he was very hospitable, and, well, never mind...I guess it is pretty common.
 
Kate In The Desert said:
Now that you mention it, I'm reminded of when I was a young thing and waitressed in a hotel restaurant for both lunch and dinner. The young Hungarian chef had a guest room designated for him to relax and rest between meals, and one day he was very hospitable, and, well, never mind...I guess it is pretty common.
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Nice one! :cool:
 
SimonBurchell said:
Could be... but I think I would have heard, and I would likely have heard them leaving... and there were other, unoccupied buildings that would be a more obvious choice than the (perhaps only) building with a registered guest. It also doesn't explain the dragging sound that first woke me up.
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blessmycottonsocks had a good thought, that they were checking that the room was ready for guests. But that dragging sound might have been a ghost! It wasn't the sound of chains dragging, though, was it?
 
Kate In The Desert said:
blessmycottonsocks had a good thought, that they were checking that the room was ready for guests. But that dragging sound might have been a ghost! It wasn't the sound of chains dragging, though, was it?
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No, sadly not. I actually have no idea what any of it was... the people entering I didn't pay much attention to at the time - but the dragging sound was close and clear, within my "suite", and went on just long enough to be really disturbing... with a clear clunk at the end. Just like the shower door.
 
SimonBurchell said:
No, sadly not. I actually have no idea what any of it was... the people entering I didn't pay much attention to at the time - but the dragging sound was close and clear, within my "suite", and went on just long enough to be really disturbing... with a clear clunk at the end. Just like the shower door.
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That's truly spooky. You must have been really tired to fall asleep again so soon after. However, your initial thought that it might have been rats...that would have been just as terrifying to me as a ghost!
 
Once stayed in a holiday apartment in Budapest where various doors unlocked themselves, one repeatedly opening at night and someone looking in at me even though it was wedged shut with a chair; a huge row with the manager ensued after I used a shower in the next apartment that he accused me of breaking into because he'd personally locked it up, etc.
Top weekend-break entertainment. :nods:

At the time it all felt natural if slightly puzzling. Only later, when I remembered how freaked-out my travelling companion had been, did I realise how scary others might have found it. Sounds a bit like @SimonBurchell's experience.
 
SimonBurchell said:
I had a strange night last night, I don't know if it was a ghost but it was odd. I've been hiking in the West Country, and yesterday I hiked across bleak, frozen Exmoor, out of Exford, across Tarr Steps, and down into north Devon. I had booked a night in an inn in a small village. The inn, unexpectedly, did not have the rooms actually in the pub, but in new-build cabins/bungalows out back. My room was very nice, fantastic in fact. The cabin/bungalow has a little lobby, then two doors to two different suites - so two sets of guests can potentially be in the one building.

I had dinner in the pub at about 7pm, then headed back to my room... I had asked for an early 7.30am breakfast, so planned to be up at 6am to get all my hiking gear in order, I therefore hit the sack by 9pm to be properly rested.

First, I was well asleep. I am a light sleeper so odd sounds will tend to wake me. I was jolted awake by the sound of something sliding/dragging in my room, followed by a clunk. It sounded very close. I wondered if rats were in the room and were up to mischief, checked my gear (all in order, nothing out of place) and listened out for more sounds... there were only clicks and slight bumps that were attributable to the thermostat/radiators. After a while I fell asleep again.

I was awoken by the sound of a key into the shared lobby, and voices of a man and woman talking, as if they were coming in from a late night out. Damn, I thought, I don't have the building to myself. They carried on talking, although I could not distinguish what was being said, and I heard a key in the other suite door, and heard them entering the room next to mine. I fell asleep again.

At 6am my alarm went off, and I got all my kit together, very conscious that the noise I was making might disturb my neighbours, then had 15 minutes or so before breakfast. I found out what the first sound that woke me up was by a little experimentation. The shower unit was spacious, allowing a straight sliding door rather than a folding door. I had discovered when I showered that the door would not stay open, there was a slight slope, so the door would slide shut if left open. By sliding the door open and closed, the sound that first woke me up was of the shower door being deliberately slid shut and firmly closed, over about 4-5 seconds. If left to shut on it's own, it did not make the sound I heard. I had shut the door myself to keep as much if the humidity trapped as possible, and it was shut when I went to bed. It was still shut when I got up in the morning.

When I went to breakfast, I cast a glance at the window of the neighbouring suite. To my utter surprise, the curtains were fully open and I could see the double bed inside... perfectly made up, with towels neatly folded in triangles exactly as my room had been when I entered. No-one had been in the other suite at all.

It's giving me goosebumps just thinking about it. A very puzzling night indeed.
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Are you doing the Two Moors Way? Have done sections myself. Anyway, was it the Stag Inn at Rackenford by any chance? Used to go drinking there as a youth and it is apparently haunted by the noise of horses in the old cobbled courtyard that once housed the stables.

Fantastic walking around Tarr Steps and the Barle valley, so peaceful and yet walker friendly (unlike Dartmoor) and usually quite a few red deer to be seen. My favourite walk up there is a circular route out of Simonsbath, up a steep lane for about a mile and a half and then down a long farm track into the Barle valley and back along the river to Simonsbath again. It is so remote that the farms all had generators for power until quite recently.
 
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Paul_Exeter said:
Are you doing the Two Moors Way? Have done sections myself Anyway, was it the Stag Inn at Rackenford by any chance? Used to go drinking there as a youth and it is apparently haunted by the noise of horses in the old cobbled courtyard that once housed the stables.
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I have a story like that. :nods:
In fact it fits neatly into the Favourite Ghost Story thread.
 
Paul_Exeter said:
Are you doing the Two Moors Way? Have done sections myself Anyway, was it the Stag Inn at Rackenford by any chance? Used to go drinking there as a youth and it is apparently haunted by the noise of horses in the old cobbled courtyard that once housed the stables.

Anyway, fantastic walking around Tarr Steps and the Barle valley, so peaceful and yet walker friendly (unlike Dartmoor) and usually quite a few red deer to be seen. My favourite walk up there is a circular route out of Simonsbath, up a steep lane for about a mile and a half and then down a long farm track into the Barle valley and back along the river to Simonsbath again. It is so remote that the farms all had generators for power until quite recently.
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No, I've taken the opportunity to finish my east-west walk across England from Ramsgate to Saunton, I finished yesterday. The two days up on sub-zero Exmoor were fantastic, walking across the tops of frozen swamp, all very remote, hardly a person to be seen. I don't want to be too specific about the place, but I had hiked off the moors from Exford.

I actually finished my coast-to-coast yesterday, so big pat on the back to me! Well chuffed!
 
SimonBurchell said:
No, I've taken the opportunity to finish my east-west walk across England from Ramsgate to Saunton, I finished yesterday. The two days up on sub-zero Exmoor were fantastic, walking across the tops of frozen swamp, all very remote, hardly a person to be seen. I don't want to be too specific about the place, but I had hiked off the moors from Exford.

I actually finished my coast-to-coast yesterday, so big pat on the back to me! Well chuffed!
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Congratulations! When I was 18 I worked a summer at the Saunton Sands Hotel, never tired of the view from the restaurant windows across miles of sand and dunes
 
Here's a screenshot from my phone. Not sure what I was reading, most likely a Kindle book about ghosts.
I'm definitely booking there!
 

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