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Texas’ most haunted historic hotels

October 30, 2025

Texas' most haunted historic hotels

What are Texas’s most haunted historic hotels?

Jeffrey, our giant skull in the Locktopia Escape Room Houston Spellcaster room, attempts to answer that question. He doesn’t get out much anymore. If you play the room, you will see he is anchored to the wall for all of our protection!

But overnight, when the escape games are closed, Jeffrey doom scrolls to find haunted attractions he would like to visit one day when he breaks free. Let’s hope for our sake that doesn’t happen.

Naturally, Texas, a massive state with a long and storied history, offers plenty of opportunities to encounter restless spirits. If you are like Jeffrey and are seeking a hair-raising holiday, look no further than the Lone Star State’s historic hotels, where spectral guests and jilted lovers linger in eternal residence.

Gulp.

If you want something spooky, but not too scary, play one of Locktopia’s four escape rooms!

BOOK HERE

In the meantime, here is a look at Texas’s most haunted historic hotels that Jeffrey has found, which are guaranteed to give you chills.

The most haunted hotel stays in Texas

The Magnolia Hotel — Seguin
For those truly seeking a ghostly overnight experience, the Magnolia Hotel in Seguin, built in 1850, has earned the distinction of being deemed the most haunted hotel in Texas. This historic spot has gained national attention, having been featured on shows such as Ghost Adventures and PBS Strange Town. Visitors have the unique opportunity to either tour the hotel or brave an overnight stay.

Grand Galvez Resort — Galveston
In Galveston, the historic Hotel Galvez, now known as the Grand Galvez Resort and Spa, is bathed by the Gulf’s water in haunting lore. And before you say it out loud, the hotel’s walls are pink, not sandy brown like the water usually is. Built in 1911, the hotel is famously associated with the spirit of “The Lovelorn Lady,” often identified as Audra. According to the legend, Audra tragically took her own life by hanging herself in the hotel bathroom (or room 505) after learning that her fiancé or husband had died in battle. The hotel’s fifth floor is reputed to be a hub of eerie activity. Guests frequently report hearing unexpected footsteps and doors slamming. Some visitors even claim to have witnessed the imprints of Audra sitting on their beds while they sleep.

The Driskill Hotel — Austin
And you thought Texas politics were scary. But just down the street from the Texas Capitol in Austin, you’ll find the Driskill Hotel, recognized as one of Texas’s most haunted hotels. Since the Driskill is located right off 6th Street, you might find scarier stuff going on right outside of your window! The historic, opulent, 4-star hotel which opened in 1886, is supposedly haunted by a ghostly girl who is often seen on the grand staircase, where she allegedly fell to her death. The Driskill also features a particularly grim tale tied to Room 525, where legend claims two brides took their lives exactly 20 years apart.

The Adolphus Hotel — Dallas
The Adolphus Hotel, which has been in downtown Dallas since 1912, holds a reputation that extends beyond its opulent architecture. This grand Dallas hotel is famously associated with the legend of its own “Lady in White”. According to the story, sometime in the 1930s, a distraught bride-to-be was abandoned at the altar and, after waiting hours in the ornate ballroom on the 19th floor, tragically took her own life by hanging herself just above the spot where she was meant to say, “I do”. Nearly a century later, staff and guests report seeing her apparition, often described as a mysterious woman in white or a woman in a wedding gown, drifting through the 19th-floor hallways. Visitors have also reported hearing the woman crying. Beyond the heartbroken bride, the hotel is known for other eerie phenomena, including the phantom notes of a long-sealed grand piano and ghostly music played deep into the night by an unseen band. Furthermore, due to numerous deaths from falls down the elevator shaft involving workers and guests over the years, people riding the elevator sometimes report hearing the sounds of moaning echoing from the shaft.

The Rice — Houston (formerly Rice Hotel)
Although now converted to lofts, this downtown building has a historical reputation for hauntings. President John F. Kennedy stayed here before his assassination, and his ghost is reportedly seen haunting the ballroom and shaking doorknobs. Visitors also claim to have seen a ball of light roaming the corridors. Renovations and high leasing rates, however, may have led to the eviction of some of these spirits. This place was especially scary in the early 1970s when the 101 KLOL studios were located there, as we learn in “Runway Radio.”

The Le Méridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh
The Le Méridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh, which is Dallas’ second oldest hotel and was built in 1923, is recognized as one of the city’s most haunted locations and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel’s most famous spirit is Margaret, who was rumored to be the mistress of Colonel Harry Stewart, a frequent guest who bought the property and created Dallas’ first penthouse suite on the 11th floor in the 1930s. Margaret used the hotel’s now-covered secret tunnels and stairways to meet the owner, but her story ended tragically in the late 1930s when she reportedly fell or was pushed from the top floor to her death. Guests frequently report eerie encounters, especially on the 11th floor, where they claim to encounter the spirits of Margaret and Colonel Stewart; one guest even identified the apparition of a man in a black suit as Colonel Stewart from an old photo. Staff and visitors describe recurring phenomena such as lights flickering, doors opening on their own, glasses shattering without warning, and the unsettling sound of dogs barking in empty hallways. Other inexplicable events include the elevator gliding from floor to floor with no one inside and water appearing in the nightstand of a recurring guest. The paranormal activity is said to increase particularly during thunderstorms.

The Menger Hotel — San Antonio
For a stay with a spectral twist, the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, which opened in 1859, is famous for both its luxury offerings and ghost guests that refuse to check out. Among the spirits said to roam the halls are a courteous bellhop who continues his duties, a chambermaid, and a socialite who died tragically. Hey, good help is hard to find! The Menger Hotel even offers ghost tours for guests. Visitors have reported encounters with both friendly and “not-so-friendly” spirits.

The Jefferson Palace Hotel — Jefferson
In East Texas, the historic Jefferson Hotel staff apparently keeps a “Book of the Dead” at the front desk so guests can share their ghostly reports. While ghostly activity has been reported in every room, several areas are known for specific hauntings. Once operating as a brothel and speakeasy, the hotel is particularly known for Room 19. This spirit is thought to be a “lady of the evening” named Judy who was stabbed by a client. Guests reportedly glimpse her ghost in the bathroom mirror, appearing in the mists of hot showers. Messages like “Get out” or pleas for help, and the name “Judy,” appear on the bathroom mirror.