Is Omni Parker House Hotel Haunted?

Omni Parker House Hotel

The ghost of this famed Boston hotel’s original owner is said to appear to guests on the 10th floor

Ghost Stories of the
Omni Parker House Hotel

  • The apparition of Harvey Parker has been seen
  • Smells of cigar smoke have been reported on the third floor
  • Sounds of a rocking chair rocking have been heard on the tenth floor
  • Guests on the tenth floor have awoken in the night to ghostly figures in their rooms
  • The hotel’s elevators are sometimes called to the third floor with no known reason
  • The bathtub faucet in Room 303 reportedly turns on by itself
  • Guests report hearing whispering outside their rooms only to find no one in the hall

Omni Parker House Hotel:
A History of Reconstruction

The bustling downtown of Boston, Massachusetts is a place steeped in history. You can find landmarks like the Old State House museum, originally built in 1713, as well as the historic Boston Common park.

And, of course, there are plenty of significant old hotels in the area to stay at. One in particular, just a block down from the edge of Boston Common, has an especially unique past.

The Omni Parker House hotel, a looming stone structure with an inviting first floor bar, The Last Hurrah, has been a fixture of Boston for a century. But the corner lot’s history as the Parker House started before the Civil War, making it Boston’s oldest operating hotel.

That long history purportedly stays alive in the building today through ghosts and apparitions. Yes, according to local lore, Boston’s oldest hotel could also be its most haunted.

Timeline of Omni Parker House Hotel's History

Swipe or use timeline points to see Omni Parker House Hotel through the years

1825

In 1825, a 20-year-old Harvey Parker arrived in Boston from Maine. Penniless and aimless, the young Parker worked a variety of different jobs around the city. But, the work that stuck with him was in the world of restaurants. Within a few years, Parker had saved up just enough to start his own business.

In 1832, after saving for several years, he bought a small cafe in the city and converted it into Parker’s Restaurant, which eventually became a local staple. Despite its success, Harvey wasn’t content with his business just yet.

1854

In 1854, Parker resolved to expand his business with a grand new hotel and restaurant building. He bought an old boarding house in the city and tore it down, replacing it with a five story Italianate stone hotel. The Parker House Hotel opened the following year in 1855, becoming another instant success for Parker.

Parker himself knew the important role good food had in creating atmosphere, so always ensured the dining at his hotel was among the best in the city. In fact, the Boston Creme Pie was invented in 1856 in the Parker House’s kitchen.

1884

For the remainder of the 1800s and into the 1900s, the Parker House Hotel remained a popular Boston inn, especially with visiting writers and literary names of the time. Charles Dickens famously stayed at the hotel for five months. It also regularly hosted the local ‘Saturday Club,’ of writers, historians, and philosophers.

Such members included Oliver Wendell Holmes, Charles Sumner, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. By the time of Harvey Parker’s death in 1884, his hotel seemed destined to be a long lasting success.

1925

The relatively small hotel was expanded numerous times in the 1900s to accommodate its popularity. New owners bought the hotel in 1925, focusing on both demolition and renewal. The entire complex was demolished and rebuilt over the next year, with the exception of a small annex that allowed the hotel to stay open through the process.

The grand new Parker House, now a 14-story building of granite, limestone, and brick, opened to the public in 1927.

1968

Throughout the 20th century, the Parker House remained a sought after hotel in Boston, with a host of famous names of the eras. The Kennedy family notably became regular sights around the hotel. John F. Kennedy announced his initial run for US Congress from the hotel, as well as hosted his bachelor party there in 1953.

But, good times were not destined to last, and the hotel ended up in dire straits by the 1960s. In 1968, the hotel was sold off once again, but this time with hope on the horizon.

1996

The Parker House’s new ownership, Dunfey Hotels, made many changes to the building and operations, but it was a long road back to glory for the Parker House. By 1996, when the hotel officially took on the Omni name, the new Omni Parker House Hotel had seen a true renaissance. Renovations in 2008 helped cement the hotel’s new future.

But, the building’s long past still remains, reportedly even coming alive through ghosts. It seems as the Parker House has renewed itself over the years, it’s still kept the passionate souls that created it nearby.

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Is The Omni Parker House Hotel Haunted?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Omni Parker House Hotel’s most well-known ghost is that of Harvey Parker. Though he didn’t live to see the hotel’s current form, many guests claim to spot Harvey Parker lingering through the hotel’s corridors.

Interestingly, his spirit is most often seen around the ninth and tenth floor halls, even though his original hotel never reached that high. Tales of Parker’s ghost reach back all the way to the early 1950s, when an elderly woman swore she saw Harvey’s apparition look at her and fade away, right outside of Room 1078.

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The Haunting of Room 1012

Harvey Parker’s ghost isn’t just known for roaming hallways either. His specter has been spotted inside a few of the rooms on the ninth and tenth floors over the years as well. In one well known story from Room 1012, a woman claimed to have woken up in the night and seen a tall, bearded figure standing at the end of the bed.

The man apparently smiled a wide, inviting grin at her, and then vanished. She later identified him as Harvey Parker based on portraits of him hung around the hotel.

Parker House Hotel’s Haunted 10th Floor

Guests on the tenth floor have also reported strange sounds around the floor. The sound of a rocking chair slowly rocking is one common noise in the area. Some guests have reportedly said that the sound is so loud that it keeps them up at night.

Despite this, it is said that Room 1040 is the most common room to hear the loudest of these strange noises. But, throughout the tenth floor, guests have also reported the sounds of whispering outside their doors, only for them to check and find the hallway empty.

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Omni Parker’s Third Floor Phantoms

The upper floors aren’t the only areas of the Omni Parker House that are haunted hotspots. The third floor is known for its paranormal activity.

Elevators at the hotel are said to often be called to the third floor without any known cause. Additionally, in Room 303, guests have reported strange smells of whiskey and cigars.

Other guests in the room have claimed the bathtub faucet will turn on by itself. But, perhaps the third floor’s most unique claim is that of the ghost of Charles Dickens.

Another guest of the original hotel who never lived to see the current building, that hasn’t seemed to stop Dickens’ ghost from lingering around the hotel as a misty shadow figure.

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This Hotel Has Haunted Hallways

While a few floors are well-known hotspots for ghostly activity at the Omni Parker House Hotel, other activity has been noted all through the building. Some visitors have reported seeing ‘orbs’ or other strange light anomalies floating down the halls.

Others have claimed to hear the sound of disembodied laughter echoing through. In some instances, even the rocking chair sound has made itself known outside of the tenth floor, or so witnesses have suggested.

Ghosts & Guestrooms at The
Omni Parker House Hotel

As Boston’s oldest continuously operating hotel, the Omni Parker House is understandably focused on keeping the operation going. As a result, it’s not often you’ll find ghost tours or investigations offered at the hotel.

But, the best and easiest way to access a hotel is to simply book a room, and the Omni Parker House is no exception. The hotel’s countless historic luxuries and modern amenities keep it especially popular, though, so be sure to book ahead.

Though you can’t book a formal ghost hunt at the hotel, the ghosts seem to make it rather easy to find them. Based on some accounts, the whole building is haunted enough for a ghostly good time.

If you’re lucky, you might spot the bearded apparition of Harvey Parker himself, and get a chance to smile back at him before he vanishes.