Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States, and several of its hotels have been taking in guests, or holding prisoners, for well over a century. Unsurprisingly, a few of them come with ghost stories attached. None of this is proven, of course, and the hotels treat it with varying degrees of enthusiasm. But if you want a stay with a story this Halloween, or any time of year, these are the Boston hotels you can still book that are most often named as haunted, with what is actually said about each, and three famous haunted inns within a day trip of the city.
The stories below come from the hotels themselves, local historians such as History of Massachusetts, and the Historic Hotels of America "most haunted" list. We report them as legends, not facts.
Haunted hotels in Boston at a glance
| Hotel | Area | The legend | Why stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omni Parker House | Downtown, Freedom Trail | Founder Harvey Parker, the third-floor elevator, room 303 | The most famous ghost stories, plus seasonal history tours |
| The Liberty | Beacon Hill | Former inmates of the Charles Street Jail | The most atmospheric building: a former jail |
| The Lenox Hotel | Back Bay, Boylston Street | A cigar-smoking poker player in room 300 | A 1900 hotel near Copley Square |
| Fairmont Copley Plaza | Back Bay, Copley Square | Unexplained noises on the sixth floor | Gilded Age grandeur on the old MFA site |
The legends, hotel by hotel
Omni Parker House, Downtown
Opened in 1855 on School Street, opposite the Old City Hall, the Parker House is the most famous haunted hotel in Boston. It is widely described as America's longest continuously operating hotel, although it closed temporarily during the pandemic in 2020. Founder Harvey D. Parker is said to walk the upper floors; guests report an elevator that stops on the third floor by itself, a story linked to the actress Charlotte Cushman, who died at the hotel in 1876; and room 303, according to local legend, earned such a reputation that it was taken out of service. Charles Dickens stayed here on his American reading tour, and the mirror he is said to have rehearsed in hangs on the mezzanine. The hotel's historian runs history tours in the Halloween season; ask the hotel for dates. It is also where the Boston cream pie and the Parker House roll were invented, which may be the better reason to go.
The Liberty, Beacon Hill
The Liberty Hotel occupies the former Charles Street Jail, a granite building from the 1850s that held prisoners until 1990. The catwalks, the central rotunda and some of the old cells survive in the lobby and bars, and the hotel offers history tours to guests by reservation. Stories of former inmates lingering near the cells are told, but the real draw is the building itself: the most atmospheric choice on this list, and the easiest to justify on design alone.
The Lenox Hotel, Back Bay
Opened in 1900 on Boylston Street, The Lenox was briefly Boston's tallest building. Its best-known story, as told by local historians, is about room 300 and a former guest nicknamed "Red", said to have hosted poker games, whose cigar smoke guests claim to smell.
Fairmont Copley Plaza, Back Bay
Built in 1912 on the site of the original Museum of Fine Arts, the Copley Plaza is a grand Gilded Age hotel on Copley Square. Staff and guests point to the sixth floor for unexplained noises at night, though no particular ghost is named.
Three famous haunted inns near Boston
- Hawthorne Hotel, Salem: about 30 minutes by commuter rail from North Station. Rooms 325 and 612 are said to be the most haunted. Salem's month-long Haunted Happenings festival makes October the busiest, and most expensive, time to stay.
- Concord's Colonial Inn, Concord: room 24 is said to have served as a makeshift operating room after the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, and it draws ghost hunters.
- The Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge: in the Berkshires, about two and a half hours west of Boston, with the fourth floor and room 301 named as its supernatural hotspots.
The Hawthorne Hotel and The Red Lion Inn appear on the 2026 Historic Hotels of America list of most haunted hotels; Concord's Colonial Inn featured on earlier editions.
One more name you will see in older lists: the Hotel Buckminster in Kenmore Square, where a 1919 meeting is said to have set up baseball's Black Sox scandal. It closed in 2020 and no longer takes guests.
Ghost tours and spooky things to do
- Ghost tours: several companies run evening walking tours of the Freedom Trail's burying grounds and a trolley tour, Ghosts & Gravestones; book ahead for the weeks around Halloween.
- Burying grounds: the Granary, King's Chapel and Copp's Hill burying grounds, all on the Freedom Trail, date from the 17th century and are free to visit by day.
- Salem in October: if you go for Halloween, take the train; traffic and parking in Salem are notoriously difficult in late October.
Booking a haunted hotel in Boston
October is the most expensive month for Boston hotels, and Halloween 2026 falls on a Saturday, so book early and compare total prices, taxes and fees included. Our guide to Boston hotel prices by month shows how much the calendar matters. For more on the areas these hotels are in, see our guides to Downtown, Beacon Hill and Back Bay.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most haunted hotel in Boston?
The Omni Parker House is the hotel most often called the most haunted in Boston, with stories about its founder Harvey Parker, the actress Charlotte Cushman and room 303.
Can you stay in the old Charles Street Jail?
Yes. The former jail is now The Liberty, a hotel in Beacon Hill that keeps the original rotunda and catwalks.
Is the Omni Parker House really haunted?
Nobody can prove it, but the hotel has been open since 1855 and has collected ghost stories for more than 150 years, many of them shared by its own staff.
Where are the haunted hotels near Boston?
The Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, Concord's Colonial Inn and The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge are the best known, and all have featured on the Historic Hotels of America list of most haunted hotels.
Is Salem worth visiting for Halloween?
Yes, if you like crowds and festivities: the whole month of October is Haunted Happenings. Take the commuter rail from North Station and book any overnight stay well ahead.