Omni Grove Park Inn
A playful pink lady supposedly haunts this historic hotel, appearing in rooms to tickle guests’ toes
Paranormal Reports at
Omni Grove Park Inn
- Pink mist is seen around the hotel
- A pink lady apparition is sometimes spotted
- Cold spots are encountered
- Guests report tickles from unseen forces
- Objects in guest rooms may be moved by unseen forces
- Positive, happy feelings are felt at strange times
- Disembodied voices are heard
- Lights in Room 545 are reportedly turned on and off by unseen forces
- Children report personal encounters with the Pink Lady often
History of Omni Grove Park Inn
Ghost stories can come from many places. Some theories out there suggest paranormal happenings can sprout right up from the bedrock in the ground. Known as Stone Tape Theory, this paranormal idea suggests that rocks and stone can record events, even whole individual personalities, and release them as hauntings if the stone is broken or altered.
But what if the stone isn’t merely broken, but pulverized into countless pieces, and used to build a grand hotel?
The thick, granite stone facade of the Omni Grove Park Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, has been a rustic southern destination for over a hundred years. Its unique stonework helps make the Omni Grove Park Hotel look as distinctive as a stay there feels.
But did the metric tons of mountain granite in the hotel’s walls bring in spirits?
Timeline of Omni Grove Park Inn's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Omni Grove Park Inn through the years
1850
Edwin Grove was born into poverty in 1850. Beginning life on a farm in Tennessee, his family barely eked out subsistence living. Edwin went to school for pharmaceuticals, hoping to escape poverty. He developed Grove’s Tasteless Chill Tonic, a medication meant to treat malaria and other ailments. The tonic made Grove a millionaire, but he could not escape his own ill health, suffering regular bouts of bronchitis. In the 1890s, physicians told Grove to seek the soothing mountain air of Asheville, North Carolina.
1912
Grove built a summer house in Asheville, where he spent much of his time. The mountains did well for his health, but the scenic beauty of the area gave him other ideas. With the help of his son-in-law, Fred Seely, Grove developed a resort hotel in Asheville. He hoped many other Americans could enjoy Asheville’s beauty, and maybe even its therapeutic air. Under Seely’s direction, construction began in 1912. Teams of mules hauled granite slabs, some weighing 10,000 lbs, down nearby mountains to construct the hotel’s facade.
1913
The Grove Park Inn opened in 1913 to great fanfare. Then-Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan attended the opening banquet, declaring that Grove’s resort, “was built for the ages.” Over the early 1900s, The Grove Park Inn greeted some of the most prominent names in the nation. Early guests included Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and his wife, Zelda. Fitzgerald spent a long stint at the inn, enjoying Asheville for the same reason Edwin Grove did, the mountain air soothing his failing health.
1955
During World War II, the government commandeered the resort to hold Axis diplomats and other high-ranking prisoners of war. When the war ended and government agents cleared out, Grove Park’s future was uncertain. For a time, the only thing keeping the hotel standing was the outlandish demolition costs. In 1955, a saving grace came to The Grove Park Inn. Businessman Charles Sammons bought the hotel that year, leading a restoration and preservation charge that kept the Asheville resort alive.
1973
Sammons’ work both maintained the historical integrity of The Grove Park Inn, and greatly expanded the grounds and offerings. Capping off the restoration work, the resort was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Sammons family would maintain ownership of the resort until 2012, when its new owner, KSL Resorts, undertook another round of renovations. KSL turned around and sold the historic resort the very next year to its current operators, Omni.
2013
After procuring The Grove Park Inn in 2013, Omni renamed it to the Omni Grove Park Inn. The resort has operated under that name since then. Today, Guests can enjoy golf, spa experiences, or simply take in the mountainous beauty around them in Asheville. And living guests may not be the only ones enjoying the inn’s accommodations. Asheville legend suggests ghosts may be right alongside them, taking in the beauty of the Omni Grove Park Inn.
Is Omni Grove Park Inn Haunted?
Out of all the ghosts said to haunt the Omni Grove Park Inn, the most well-known is the specter called The Pink Lady. A popular legend tells of an unknown young woman who stayed at Grove Park sometime in the 1920s.
Allegedly, the woman, dressed in a pink dress or nightgown, either fell or was thrown from the fifth floor balcony down to the hotel’s Palm Court.
Some say she leapt after her lover spurned her. Other retellings say her unknown lover cast her off the edge purposefully.
To date, there has been no confirmation of any such event happening at The Grove Park Inn. But that hasn’t stopped ghostly stories from spreading.
The Pink Lady:
Phantom of the Fifth Floor
Some stories don’t pinpoint The Pink Lady’s hotel room specifically, but many mention Room 545. Today, Room 545 is one of The Omni Grove Park Inn’s haunted hotspots. It is said that stays in Room 545 can come with a host of unexplainable phenomena.
One of the room’s most common reports is sudden cold spots appearing and then disappearing with no known cause. Additionally, guests in Room 545 claim to see The Pink Lady’s apparition appear in the room at night.
Even when she doesn’t appear, The Pink Lady is known to get into light-hearted mischief. Small objects in Room 545 reportedly move by themselves and lights in the room reportedly flip on and off.
Perhaps the spookiest of all, some Room 545 guests say The Pink Lady will tickle their toes while they sleep.
See Pink Mists at Grove Park
While The Pink Lady seems to enjoy Room 545, it is far from the hotel’s only paranormal hotspot, as much of the fifth floor is said to be haunted. Other guests don’t get objects shifted around their rooms or their toes tickled in the night, but they have noted chilled cold spots in their rooms for no reason.
Additionally, fifth-floor guests claim to see The Pink Lady’s colorful figure traversing the hallways. And even when her full figure doesn’t appear, guests report manifestations of pink mist in halls and rooms.
Kids See Ghosts at The Grove
Children who visit the Omni Grove Park Inn purportedly encounter The Pink Lady more often than anyone else. It is said The Pink Lady adores children, and will often appear to them to play games and enjoy each other’s company. This is especially interesting because, in the hotel’s early years, young children were discouraged from staying at the hotel.
Some tales suggest she appears so vividly in the presence of children, she will look like any other person, simply entertaining guests’ kids. This will lead to some parents leaving kind, thankful messages at the front desk for ‘the lady in pink,’ presuming she works for the resort as a babysitter or activity planner.
Do Other Ghosts Haunt the Hotel?
Though most of the ghost stories at the Omni Grove Park Inn center around The Pink Lady, some people aren’t sure if she’s the only spirit in the hotel. Other reports of more uncertain activity are noted by guests and workers at times.
Disembodied voices may be heard in guest rooms and corridors, with some voices sounding deeply male. Additionally, sudden and unexplainable feelings of positive, warm, and inviting energy are noted throughout the resort. Could this be The Pink Lady’s positivity, or is this the silent specter of Edwin Grove, still enjoying the Asheville hotel he brought to life?
Omni Grove Park Inn:
A Haunted Hotel for the Ages
Today, the Omni Grove Park Inn remains as busy and successful as the day William Jennings Bryan first dedicated it. Built for the ages indeed.
But between spacious spas and gorgeous golf courses, Grove Park hasn’t lost sight of its ghostly legends. Tales of The Pink Lady remain popular around the resort today.
While the hotel doesn’t offer many ghost tours or opportunities to investigate their claims, anyone is free to book Room 545 and see what they can learn about the mysterious Pink Lady. And though many stories and theories exist for where The Pink Lady and other Grove Park ghosts come from, the true source behind the hotel’s ghost stories may never be known for sure.
Maybe, tucked somewhere in the walls of the Omni Grove Park Inn, is a slab of pink granite with a spooky story to share.
