Thanks in part to such programs as “Ghost Hunters,” “Haunting Evidence,” and “Paranormal State,”
ghosts and the paranormal are fascinating a lot of people these days. And many people are learning that ghost tours and haunted locations can help add some excitement to tourism.

“It’s a wonderful way to learn about the history and culture of a city,” says Rhetta Akamatsu, author of Ghost to Coast: A Handbook of Ghost Tours, Paranormal Investigators, and Haunted Hotels.

Rhetta has collected contact information for ghost tours and paranormal investigation groups from coast to coast in this useful book. From Alabama to Wyoming, almost every state is represented. (A few, like North Dakota, do not seem to have any.) In addition, for the brave tourist, there is an illustrated list of haunted hotels.

“I only chose hotels which bragged about their ghosts on the Internet or in their brochures,” Rhetta says, “so that I knew they would be friendly to the ghost-curious.”

This 175-page directory also includes articles ranging from Rhetta’s own paranormal experiences to how-to guides for beginning paranormal investigators.

Ghost to Coast is available at Amazon.com, Borders.com, and most other major bookstores.

“It’s also available internationally,” Rhetta says with a laugh. “So if you’re in Hong Kong, or Germany or the UK, and you want to plan a trip to the U.S. to visit our ghosts, just Google Ghost to Coast and you can pick your destination.”

A measly 176 pages from cover to cover, this book promises to help you find that perfect haunted hotel for this year’s vacation, book a ghost tour, or contact a paranormal investigator about those pesky bumping noises you keep hearing in your attic.

Former ‘Friends’ star, Jennifer Aniston has reportedly experienced terrifying supernatural events while staying at Portland’s exclusive The Heathman Hotel. While it is unclear exactly what she has experienced, other guests have reported eerie goings-on during their stay. Room 703 is allegedly haunted by the spirit of a man who fell to his death.

Aniston is staying in a $1,200 per night suite two floors up from 703 while she works on an upcoming romantic comedy. She may be laughing while filming, but her experience inside her suite is no laughing matter.

Source: China Daily

If you are looking to stay at haunted hotel, you’ll find plenty to choose from. Many of these hotels were built in the late 1800s or around the turn of the century. They have a rich history as well as guests and employees who have become permanent residents.

1. Admiral Fell Inn in Baltimore: A scientist staying in Room 218 woke up when he heard the floorboard creaking and watched the apparition of a nurse walk through a wall.

2. The Driskill Hotel in Austin: The spirit of a little girl is seen in the first floor lobby, the ladies’ restroom on the second floor and the staircase leading to the mezzanine. She is believed to be the daughter of a Texas senator, who died in 1887 when she tried to catch her ball as it bounced down the staircase.

3. The Hawthorne Hotel in Salem: In one month, two guests staying at different times recalled seeing a woman moving down the 6th floor hallway and pausing in front of 612. Many guests have reported feeling a strong presence in the area. The identity of this woman is unknown.

4. The Hotel Galvez in Galveston: There is a legend of a woman who took her life after she lost her fiance at sea. The hotel was built in 1911 an is the only beachfront hotel in Galveston.

5. Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, West Virginia: Guests and employees have witnessed clouds of cigar smoke in the hallways, wafting through doorways or rising from the bar. Although the source has never been discovered, many suspect that the smoke comes from the ghost of William Chancellor who built the hotel in 1889. Another candidate is the ghost of Mr. Stealey, who worked as a general manager. He also smoked cigars.

6. The Hotel del Coronado in San Diego: Kate Morgan checked into the hotel on Thanksgiving Day in 1892 but never checked out.

7. Radisson Lord Baltimore: Long-time employee, Fran Carter received quite a shock when three visitors suddenly vanished before her eyes.

8. Hatt Mill building, the Napa River Inn: A maintenance worker watched a heavy box lift itself into the air and move across the shelf.

9. Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans: The International Society of Paranormal Research spent several days investigating the hotel, which was built in 1886. One of the spirits was John Wagner, who called himself “Solemn John.” Wagner committed suicide when he became despondent over business deals that went bad during the Depression.

10. Goldfield Hotel in Goldfield, Nevada: Once a bustling town of 35,000 people, this Goldfield is a near ghost town. Its hotel is considered very haunted and was featured on Fox Family TV’s World’s Scariest Places in 2001.

11. Stanley Hotel in Estes, Colorado: This hotel was the inspiration of Stephen King’s The Shining.

12. The Marshall House in Savannah, Georgia: Was featured on the Travel Channel’s “Haunted Hotels.” The hotel has been used as a hospital three times — twice during Savannah’s 19th century yellow fever epidemics and during the Civil War by the Union Army. Don’t be surprised if you wake up and find a ghost sleeping next to you.

13. The Queen Mary, permanently moored in San Pedro Bay: This historical ship-turned-hotel was featured on Sightings, where the late psychic Peter James communicated with several spirits, one of them an eight year-old girl who had drowned.

The Hotel Del Coronado’s most longstanding and internationally famous guest was believed to be Kate Morgan. According to legend, Kate checked into the hotel under the assumed name of Lottie A. Bernard on the afternoon of November 24th, 1892. She is accused of being a swindler and a cheat, charming men out of their money. She was married to a gambler, pregnant, and riding the rails.

Her death was ruled as a suicide after she was found on the steps leading to the beach on the morning of November 29, 1892. That is the legend. The truth, uncovered by researchers who used a new process called “Interdimensional Communication”, reveals a shocking case of mistaken identity.

Bonnie Vent (Research Medium located in San Diego, California) interviewed the spirit, who identified herself as Mrs. Lottie A. Bernard. Physical research into the case revealed that Bernard had taken a train from Denver to Coronado on December 2, 1892. Kate Morgan was living in Los Angeles under the assumed name of Katie Logan. She had left her employer’s house the day before Thanksgiving, promising to return the next day to make dinner. She never returned.

Several books were written about this case, although no one thought to question the story of Joseph E. Jones, who checked into the hotel on Thanksgiving day and told the bell boy that he had ridden in the same train car as Lottie. His name was listed in the registry directly below hers. Is that significant? It might be because he had refused to testify before the coroner’s jury.

Whatever the case, we know that the true identity of the ghost of the Hotel Del Coronado is not Kate Morgan.

Listen to sample footage of Interdimensional Communication from the documentary Conversations with the Dead at: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid959009698