Columbia Gorge Hotel
Ghostly ladies in white and spooky cigar smokers purportedly haunt this rustic Oregon lodge
Paranormal Claims at
Columbia Gorge Hotel
- A child-sized shadow figure has been spotted on the hotel's ground floor
- Potential EVPs have been recorded around the hotel
- Room doors are said to be locked and barricaded by unseen entities
- Apparitions purportedly appear in guest rooms at night
- Room 330 is purportedly home to a woman’s ghost
- The apparition of a man has been seen around the entrance
- A lady in white has been seen around the hotel
- Phantom cigar smoke has been encountered in certain areas
The Gorgeous Gorge:
History of Columbia Gorge Hotel
For many people, the dense forests of northern Oregon can be the ideal scenic escape. The town of Hood River, with a stretch of Columbia River shoreline, has long been home to lodges catering to those tourists.
One riverside inn, Columbia Gorge Hotel, has been tucked amongst the trees for over a century.
In that time, the Columbia Gorge Hotel has hosted countless travelers under its roof. And local legend has it some guests’ souls never left the lodge.
Their ghosts now purportedly roam the halls and haunt the rooms of Columbia Gorge Hotel. Could this historic inn be Hood River’s most haunted place?
Timeline of Columbia Gorge Hotel's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see Columbia Gorge Hotel through the years
1904
In the early 1900s, Oregon’s stretch of the Columbia River shoreline was becoming an in-demand tourist destination. In 1904, Hood River local Robert Rand capitalized on the region’s natural beauty by opening a new inn, the Wau Gwin Gwin Hotel. The hotel offered twenty guest rooms and twenty-five acres of surrounding nature for visitors to enjoy. The hotel proved to be a popular summertime getaway until 1920, when investor Simon Benson took an interest in the property. He bought the entire resort that same year, and soon set to demolishing it.
1921
In 1921, on the footprint of the Wau Gwin Gwin Hotel, the new Hotel Benson sprouted up. Simon opened his self-named hotel in June of that year with a large party. Benson hoped his hotel would become the ‘Waldorf of the West.’ And for a short time, that may have been true. The hotel hosted presidents and popular names from silent movie Hollywood throughout the 1920s. But, as the Great Depression hit the US, the Benson Hotel fell on harsher times. While the country pulled itself out of economic catastrophe, the Benson Hotel never recovered.
1952
After years of struggle as an inn, Hotel Benson saw reuse in 1952. That year, the Neighbors of Woodcraft purchased the hotel to repurpose it as a retirement home. For a quarter of a century, the former resort destination operated quietly as a retirement community. To those that stayed there, the old tourist getaway likely made for a picturesque place to spend their twilight years. But in the 1970s, a new interest in restoring the historic hotel swelled. It wasn’t long before redevelopment once again came to the property.
1977
Restoration on the hotel began in 1977. It focused on bringing back its historic resort look. The restoration process has been slowly ongoing ever since the 1970s. The hotel has come a long way in that time. Along with changing to offer more modern amenities, the property also took on a new name: Columbia Gorge Hotel & Spa. But though the Benson-era is long gone, spirits of the hotel’s past may still roam the halls. And when you check in, perhaps you’ll be sharing a guest room with a ghost!
Is Columbia Gorge Hotel Haunted?
One of the most popular ghost stories at the Columbia Gorge Hotel is the appearance of a ‘lady in white.’ This unknown figure has been spotted sitting on benches around the property. Others spot her figure roaming around the interior corridors of the hotel.
While no one is certain of her identity, popular tales suggest she was a guest who committed suicide at the hotel by leaping from a balcony.
No historical records confirming this claim have ever been found, but the legend of Columbia Gorge Hotel’s lady in white continues.
Columbia Gorge Hotel’s Most Haunted Room
The lady in white isn’t Columbia Gorge Hotel’s only phantom woman. Room 330 is also purportedly home to a mysterious woman’s specter. Like the lady in white, this woman’s identity is unknown. But, she is best known for appearing in the middle of the night in Room 330, often waking up guests in the process.
Other rooms also have similar reports of midnight apparitions. Some reports tell of well-dressed men manifesting in guest rooms, only to disappear moments later.
Child Spirits of Columbia Gorge
Additionally, Columbia Gorge Hotel is supposedly home to at least one child spirit. The apparition of a child has been spotted running around the ground floor, near where the pool once was. The child’s spirit isn’t alone in haunting the ground floor either.
Near the hotel’s entrance, some stories say a phantom doorman sometimes greets guests. The man is identified by his long coat and tall, formal top hat. As guests pass this mysterious man, he is said to smile and tip his hat at them.
Ghosts Lock Up Guest Rooms
Despite the friendly phantom at the door, not every ghost at Columbia Gorge Hotel is inviting.
Some guests have reported being strangely locked out of their rooms, sometimes multiple times during stays. In some severe cases, workers have unlocked the doors just to find a barricade of furniture inside.
Some people have further reported their doors locking while they’re in the room, trapping them inside.
But, the problems purportedly resolve themselves moments later, as if the hotel ghosts are simply playing pranks with the door locks.
The Hotel’s Cigar-Smoking Phantoms
While many of the ghosts around the Columbia Gorge Hotel are unknown entities, some are thought to come from the building’s retirement home era.
At least one lingering spirit could be a former retirement home resident, who today is best known for their tell-tale cigar stench. They’re unknown aside from their taste for cigars, but this smokey retiree is a frequently encountered phantom at the hotel today.
Ghost Hunting at The Gorge
The ghost stories reported at this hotel have made it a popular destination for paranormal enthusiasts. Many guests purposefully book the allegedly haunted rooms, bringing along ghost hunting equipment to encounter something spooky in the night. And apparently, a good few of them do.
Several ghost hunters have claimed to record EVPs from their rooms during their stay. Others have reported black masses or full-fledged apparitions forming in their rooms in the middle of the night.
Find Rustic Wraiths at
Columbia Gorge Hotel
Columbia Gorge Hotel keeps a busy schedule throughout the year, just as popular of a rustic resort as it was when it opened in 1921. Countless guests come and go from the hotel each year, taking in the sights and experiences of the Hood River area.
The hotel’s luxury and the region’s beauty are the main draws to Columbia Gorge, but plenty still pay a visit simply to explore its hauntings.
You won’t find much in terms of ghost-centered tours or programs at Columbia Gorge Hotel today. But, you’re always free to book a room for yourself and see what ghostly things you experience. Maybe you can even book the famously haunted Room 330, and find out the identity of the mysterious apparition.
And even if you can’t land Room 330, perhaps you can still enjoy a tip of the hat from the hotel’s haunting doorman.
