Paranormal tourism is growing fast, that much isn’t in dispute. Some report as much as 4.1% annually through 2030, showing the interest out there for experiencing unexplained events firsthand. What’s causing them on the other hand is still very much up for debate…
Whatever the reasons behind paranormal experiences, if you want a less than settling night’s sleep on your next weekend break these five English hotels don’t need any embellishment. The documented accounts speak for themselves…
1. The Schooner Hotel, Alnmouth, Northumberland
The classification: The Poltergeist Society named this place Britain’s most haunted hotel. Twice.
The numbers: Around 60 resident spirits. More than 3,000 reported paranormal sightings.
The building dates back to the 17th century. Staff and guests report shadow figures in corridors, unexplained cold spots, and objects moving without human intervention. Room 28 supposedly generates the most activity with guests report feeling watched, hearing footsteps when corridors are empty and witnessing furniture rearrange itself.
The hotel maintains detailed logs of incidents reported to staff and this bit, at least, is Bizarre But True!
Book your stay: The Schooner Hotel
2. Ancient Ram Inn, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire
The archaeological layer: Evidence suggests the site was used for child sacrifice. Prehistoric tools and Roman coins found on the property add factual weight beyond ghost story construction.
Built in 1145, the inn served as a priest’s residence and later a public house. Paranormal investigators document extreme activity—objects thrown across rooms, physical contact with unseen entities and electronic equipment failures that follow predictable patterns.
The Bishop’s Room reportedly houses a demonic presence. Guests who attempt overnight stays frequently abandon even the room before morning comes…
Book your stay: Ancient Ram Inn
3. Langham Hotel, London
The celebrity factor: Charles Dickens stayed here. So did Oscar Wilde and Napoleon III.
And apparently, they never fully checked out…
Room 333 generates the most reports—a German prince who jumped from the window is said to appear to guests in full Victorian dress. Staff document sightings of a doctor in period clothing wandering the corridors. Napoleon III’s ghost reportedly haunts the basement.
The hotel opened in 1865 and over 150 years of documented accounts suggest there’s something truly happening here, regardless of the explanation…
Book your stay: The Langham Hotel
4. Chillingham Castle, Chillingham, Northumberland
The torture chamber: Still intact. Still generating reports.
The castle, perhaps aptly named, dates to 1344. It served as a fortress during Anglo-Scottish wars. The torture chamber housed prisoners and some of the ‘equipment’ remains on display even today.
Guests report an entity known as the “Blue Boy”. A child’s screams echo through the Pink Room at midnight, followed by a blue halo of light. When renovators opened a wall, they found the skeleton of a young boy with fragments of blue cloth. Difficult to explain any other way than paranormally?
Lady Mary Berkeley’s ghost walks the corridors supposedly searching for her husband who ran off with her sister. Staff and guests report rustling silk dresses, cold spots, and the scent of lavender in empty rooms.
Book your stay: Chillingham Castle
5. The Mermaid Inn, Rye, East Sussex
The smuggler connection: The notorious Hawkhurst Gang used this place as their base in the 1730s. They’d sit at the bar with loaded pistols on the table. No magistrate dared interfere.
Built in 1420 with cellars dating to 1156, this Grade II* listed inn has hosted everyone from Queen Elizabeth I to Johnny Depp. But the celebrity roster isn’t the only draw…
Room 16, the Elizabethan Chamber, hosts reports of a ghostly duel. Guests witness two men in 16th-century clothing fighting with swords, one killing the other, then dragging the body through a trapdoor. Night cameras have captured sword movement and shadow figures. Multiple guests have photographed the same shadowy figure in the corner.
Room 17 contains a rocking chair that moves independently, accompanied by sudden temperature drops. Chambermaids refuse to enter alone when it’s rocking. The chair was then eventually removed due to guest complaints.
The lady in white appears throughout, sitting by fireplaces, walking through walls, stopping at the foot of beds. A murdered chambermaid supposedly haunts Room 5 and secret tunnels connect to other buildings, used by smugglers for quick escapes.
The inn keeps detailed logs of guest reports. The consistency across decades creates patterns that folklore alone cannot explain.
Book your stay: The Mermaid Inn
So, Should You Book?
Thousands of people report weirdness in these exact locations. You can dismiss it all as suggestion and creaky floorboards if you want – we try our best to in a website based on things being verifiably true.
Or you can book a room and find out for yourself.
They’re all taking bookings. The ghosts, supposedly, come included in the price…!
