Mount Washington Hotel
A former owner and veritable ‘paranormal princess’ purportedly haunts her old New England hotel
Note: This location is also referred to as Mt Washington Grand Hotel and Omni Mount Washington
Paranormal Claims at
Mount Washington Hotel
- An apparition is seen in Room 314
- Strange sounds are reported around Room 314
- Lights in rooms turn on and off
- Guests report touches and nudges from unseen forces
- Potential EVPs have been recorded by visiting investigators
- Ghostly music is heard from the hotel ballroom
- A woman’s figure is seen lingering around the lobby
- Perfume smells are encountered in odd areas
History & Luxury at
Mount Washington Hotel
The woodsy expanses of northern New England have been an in-demand vacation destination for many years. From the Adirondacks up to the northern reaches of Maine, the forested countryside is dotted with cabin escapes and expansive resort complexes catering to travelers.
Over generations, many of these rustic getaways have become steeped in history, ripe with local lore.
New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Hotel is no exception.
More than just a quiet, scenic destination, Mount Washington Grand Hotel also carries a unique aura of mystery. Along with being one of the state’s finest resorts, some say Mount Washington may also be the most haunted hotel in New Hampshire.
Timeline of Mount Washington Hotel's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Mount Washington Hotel through the years
1900
Mount Washington Hotel began as the passion-project of a wealthy New Hampshire native. Joseph Stickney made a fortune in coal in the late 1800s and used his wealth to invest in woodsy lodges. First buying the small Mount Pleasant House lodge in the 1880s, he dreamed of a larger, grander resort hotel.
He knew wealthy citizens of New England cities would flock to the hilly northern forests, so long as there was a hotel nice enough to accommodate them. So, in 1900, Stickney set out to build his dream.
1902
Opened in the summer of 1902, the Mount Washington Hotel became the new standard of luxury lodging in both New Hampshire and the rest of New England. Stickney spared no expense in constructing his hotel, with the final price tag totaling $1,700,000 ($52,000,000, adjusted for inflation). Soon after, train after train stopped at the Bretton Woods region.
They deposited hundreds of tourists at Mount Washington to take in the sights and experiences there. But, Stickney himself had precious little time to enjoy his hotel, dying in 1903.
1936
After Joseph Stickney’s death, the hotel fell to his widow, Carolyn, who spent many summers at the New Hampshire lodge throughout the early 1900s. She maintained ownership of it up until her death in 1936, when it fell to her nephew, Foster Reynolds.
But, Reynolds had only a short time to operate the hotel before world events demanded it close. In 1942, as World War II raged on, Mount Washington Hotel closed, facing lower tourist traffic and supply rationing. Two years later, a Boston firm bought the family out of the hotel.
1944
In 1944, the same year it sold, Mount Washington Hotel hosted an all-important United Nations conference. Called the Bretton Woods Conference, the meeting was put on by President Roosevelt and featured over 700 delegates from the Allied nations of World War II. The meeting set out to establish a system of international banking and finance, and ultimately established the UN’s World Bank.
After the conference concluded and World War II ended, Mount Washington Hotel sprang back to public life once again.
1975
Over the following decades, the Mount Washington Hotel went through numerous different owners and controlling companies. But stewardship of the historic property never fell by the wayside throughout all of these ownership changes. Following restorations from the Bretton Woods Corporation in 1975, the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1986, the hotel was further designated as a National Historic Landmark. Into the 21st century, the hotel has seen both continued historic restorations and modern redevelopments.
2015
Since 2015, Mount Washington Hotel has been owned by Omni Hotels under the name Omni Mount Washington. With the new name, the historic structure remains a popular destination for New England travelers. While most people come for the picturesque views and pristine golf courses, some travel out to Mount Washington for a spookier kind of experience.
After generations in operation, New Hampshire lore counts Mount Washington among the state’s most haunted hotels. And plenty now visit the lodge in hopes of leaving with a good ghost story.
Is Mount Washington Hotel Haunted?
While it’s certainly large enough to be home to hundreds of ghosts, this New Hampshire haunted hotel is best-known for one phantom: the ghost of Carolyn Stickney. She lodged there each summer and always stayed in the same room, her ‘Princess Suite,’ Room 314.
Today, Room 314 is famously the most haunted guest room in the entire hotel. Supposedly, booking that room means sharing space with Carolyn Stickney’s specter. And she isn’t known for being shy with new guests.
Which room in the Mount Washington Hotel is most haunted?
One of the most often reported Mount Washington Hotel ghosts from Room 314 is of Carolyn Stickney’s apparition. She is regularly seen in the middle of the night, manifesting suddenly from the room’s darkness. While sometimes she is seen meandering through the room, it is far more common to spot her sitting on the bed at night.
Witnesses who have seen her figure in Room 314 say she will often just sit on the bed, brushing her hair. While she rarely pays much mind to guests in her room, some have reported her ghostly figure looking up and smiling at them before disappearing.
Mount Washington Hotel famous guests…and ghosts
Even if you don’t see Carolyn Stickney’s ghost in Room 314, you may still experience her in other ways. Room 314 is also well-known for mysterious sounds. Guests have reported being stirred from sleep in the middle of the night by scratching at the windows and light knocks in the walls.
Other guests in the room report being lightly touched and nudged by some unseen force in bed with them. Many now figure this to also be the work of Carolyn’s ghost, especially because the bed frame in the room is the original one she used.
Fashionable Figures in the Lobby
The hotel’s main lobby is another area where you might run into Carolyn Stickney’s apparition. Workers and guests alike have purportedly spotted her white-clad figure walking up and down the hotel staircase, as well as peering over lobby balconies.
In life, Carolyn was well-known for glancing from her room window and lobby vantage points at other high-society women arriving, just to make sure she could out-dress them when she made her appearances later in the evening. Could she still be checking in on hotel guests’ fashion from the afterlife?
Ghosts in the Guest Rooms
Reports suggest spooky happenings can be found in many of Omni Mount Washington’s haunted rooms, not just Room 314. One of these reports is the odd smell of perfume suddenly wafting through guest rooms. Could this be the smell of Carolyn’s perfume, or may there be other, unknown entities lodging in other rooms?
Along with possibly paranormal perfume, guests sometimes report lights in their rooms will turn on and off all through the days and nights.
Haunting Music From the Hotel
Ghostly sounds aren’t just a Room 314 report either. Spooky noises are also encountered in common spaces around the hotel as well.
Mount Washington Hotel’s ballroom is also purportedly a ghostly hotbed. When the ballroom is empty and quiet, guests and hotel staff have reported the sounds of mysterious, phantom music emanating from the empty room.
Along with that, ghost hunters who lodge at the hotel also claim to record EVPs from both their rooms and hotel common areas.
During a visit from SyFy’s Ghost Hunters, the crew purportedly captured some EVPs of their own from the hotel specters.
Mount Washington Hotel:
A Spooky Mountain Gem
The mission of Mount Washington Hotel remains largely the same today as it was when the resort first opened under Joseph Stickney’s watch. The property and hotel focus on immersing guests in the region’s beauty, as well as the resort’s relaxing amenities.
But even for travelers seeking out the odd and unusual, Mount Washington Hotel certainly has a few things to offer.
Mount Washington Hotel doesn’t currently offer formal ghost tours or ghost hunts as part of any stay package. But that doesn’t mean you won’t spot any spirits. So long as it’s available, any ghost hunter or paranormal enthusiast can book Room 314 and see if they can encounter Carolyn’s ghost.
Even if you can’t land a reservation of Room 314, stories suggest you may still have a run-in or two with the unexplained. Maybe, if you dress nicely enough when you arrive, you might spot Carolyn’s figure on a balcony, pondering how to best you with her phantasmal fashion.
