Are you a "Haunted" Inn? If so...

[The Farmers Daughter]

Do you tell your guests or keep it on the low down? We have some live in 'entities' that make themselves known from time to time. Not angry or malicious or dark...more curious and at times a bit disruptive. Things like footsteps on the stairs or in the hallways when no one is there. Doors opening and closing ( one slammed in the face of a guest who spent 10 minutes coughing and spewing all the reasons why there are no such things as ghosts!) I found that humorous. I think they made their point. lol!
I just wish I could get them to dusk and vacuum...anyway...do you tell your guests in advance that their shower might spring to life of its own accord at 3 AM, etc?

 

[SandySoule]

I would suggest that you publicize the ghostly presences around Halloween, and keep it on the down low the rest of the year. Gets huge media coverage in October, but is generally ignored the other eleven months. Click here to see our round-up press release of haunted inns, then contact some of the innkeepers directly with your concerns.
Good luck!
Sandy

 

[Morticia]

I don't mention it. Most guests are not sensitive enough to get any vibes other than the happy ones. And they associate being happy with being on vacation and liking where they are. The ones who DO experience the grumpy spirit may mention it and it's funny that they associate the grumpiness with something external to themselves, ie- a spirit, while the happiness is internal.
If you were to go thru my house on a tour you'd get what I mean. There is one room that visibly relaxes guests.

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

Do you offer any type of explaination after the fact?
I was pouring OJ this morning for guests who were looking forward to breakfast (this was their exact statement the day before). They waited until I went back into the kitchen and made a break for it. I heard the front door close and looked out to see them running away like their hair was on fire.
I can't imagine what the problem could be unless they encountered "Abigail" or "Priscillia" the night before. I feel bad because our "girls" are harmless and friendly.
I was sharing this story with another Innkeeper who lives in an adjoining state who told me that they had a chargeback once from guests who stayed with them and departed when informed they were a 'haunted' Inn. Guest claimed they were obligated to disclose such information.

 

[Morticia]

Do you offer any type of explaination after the fact?
I was pouring OJ this morning for guests who were looking forward to breakfast (this was their exact statement the day before). They waited until I went back into the kitchen and made a break for it. I heard the front door close and looked out to see them running away like their hair was on fire.
I can't imagine what the problem could be unless they encountered "Abigail" or "Priscillia" the night before. I feel bad because our "girls" are harmless and friendly.
I was sharing this story with another Innkeeper who lives in an adjoining state who told me that they had a chargeback once from guests who stayed with them and departed when informed they were a 'haunted' Inn. Guest claimed they were obligated to disclose such information..

I just collect the stories. If someone tells me and they seem like they won't freak I'll trade stories with them. Because 95% of the guests in that room never say a word, they either don't sense anything or they don't want to say. The best story, kind of like yours, was a woman who is sensitive to that sort of thing and she was telling me how she 'handled' the situation (basically by talking to the spirit) and while she was telling me the story, the front door opened and closed (we were both standing there and saw it happen). I asked if that (the door) happens to her often and she said, 'All the time.'
I don't think it's necessary 'disclose' this in advance as the majority of guests will never encounter anything. I've lived here 5 years and have never encountered anything. (But, the joke is, I'm not sensitive!)

 

[Proud Texan]

Too bad you don't have spirits that will take care of PITAs for you.

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

Too bad you don't have spirits that will take care of PITAs for you.

.

Ooooooh ! I like your ghostie....too cute! She's a keeper!

 

[JBloggs]

How do ghosts have footsteps? I thought they were spirits.

 

[Proud Texan]

How do ghosts have footsteps? I thought they were spirits..

How do ghosts have footsteps? I thought they were spirits.

Don't know how they have them, but they do. I rented a haunted house once about 30 years ago. I'll never forget it as long as I live. With only my wife and me home at the time, we would hear someone walking up the stairs, someone walking in the hall and banging on the piano in parlor. Also, rocking chairs would rock by themselves.
I never mentioned this to a soul until one day, a few years ago, we were having a garage sale. I began talking to a customer who, it turned out, was now living in THE house. I asked him if he had ever noticed anything unusual while living there and he became animated to say the least. He regaled me with tale after tale of the various hauntings he and his family had experienced and was greatly relieved to know that he wasn't totally crazy.
Do ghosts exist? Who knows. But there was something in that house.

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

Well they sure exist here. We routinely hear the front door open, then close. Heavy foot falls like Revolutionary Soldier boots tromp up the stairs and down the hall.
Once I was complimented on our security. The guest said they felt very safe with whoever was on patrol here. The 'patrol' would routinely go down the hall and jiggle each doorknob to make sure the rooms were securely locked.

 

[Proud Texan]

Well they sure exist here. We routinely hear the front door open, then close. Heavy foot falls like Revolutionary Soldier boots tromp up the stairs and down the hall.
Once I was complimented on our security. The guest said they felt very safe with whoever was on patrol here. The 'patrol' would routinely go down the hall and jiggle each doorknob to make sure the rooms were securely locked.

.

Well they sure exist here. We routinely hear the front door open, then close. Heavy foot falls like Revolutionary Soldier boots tromp up the stairs and down the hall.
Once I was complimented on our security. The guest said they felt very safe with whoever was on patrol here. The 'patrol' would routinely go down the hall and jiggle each doorknob to make sure the rooms were securely locked.

Could have been a drunk guest returning late and forgetting which room was his.

 

[JBloggs]

Do Revolutionary boots sound different to Civil War boots? (Sorry I couldn't resist)

 

[Morticia]

How do ghosts have footsteps? I thought they were spirits..

Some of them make a heck of a lot of noise for 'vapor'! The one at my old house used to walk around and the floorboards would creak so I knew just where she was. After she got used to us she stopped wandering around. I always liked to think that she approved of what we were doing.

 

[wendydk]

We have one that DH and I have both seen and we know who he is, but he doesn't bother anyone. But a guest has never seen him, and we don't mention him. They do ask all the time (rather hopefully) about whether or not we have ghosts...we always say "If we do, they're happy".
On the other hand, all the townsfolk here about are absolutely positive that the place is a raging spookhouse...due to it's past and the stories that have snowballed over the years. We've had more than one local stop by to snoop around and finally admit that they were hoping to see a ghost.
I did have one lady in our second of third year who was sure she saw a glowing orb in her room that kept her awake...she was awfully excited about it. Her hubs said he would stay up and watch for it with her the next night....they were both pretty sheepish in the morning, as it turned out to be her indiglo phone on it's charger shining faintly on the ceiling.

However, I HAVE stayed at a truly haunted antebellum B&B in South Carolina several times, and have had some unforgettable experiences there. I would rather visit them than have them visit me!

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

We have one that DH and I have both seen and we know who he is, but he doesn't bother anyone. But a guest has never seen him, and we don't mention him. They do ask all the time (rather hopefully) about whether or not we have ghosts...we always say "If we do, they're happy".
On the other hand, all the townsfolk here about are absolutely positive that the place is a raging spookhouse...due to it's past and the stories that have snowballed over the years. We've had more than one local stop by to snoop around and finally admit that they were hoping to see a ghost.
I did have one lady in our second of third year who was sure she saw a glowing orb in her room that kept her awake...she was awfully excited about it. Her hubs said he would stay up and watch for it with her the next night....they were both pretty sheepish in the morning, as it turned out to be her indiglo phone on it's charger shining faintly on the ceiling.

However, I HAVE stayed at a truly haunted antebellum B&B in South Carolina several times, and have had some unforgettable experiences there. I would rather visit them than have them visit me!.

.
....they were both pretty sheepish in the morning, as it turned out to be her indiglo phone on it's charger shining faintly on the ceiling.

[/quote]
bwahahahahahahahaaaaaaa!

that's hilarious!

 

[gillumhouse]

We have been asked if we were. I respond with would you like one? To date, I have never experienced one but perhaps I am not sesitive. A lady who inn-sat for us back in 98 asked if we had a ghost. She insisted that when she tossed the linens over the railing as I instructed her to do, one towel was moved when she came down - she said she knows where it landed when she tossed and it was not there when she got downstairs. (I do not carry linens down the stairs - too easy to trip on something - I stand at the railing, say look out below, and let them go.)
I have thought for a long time it would be great to come up with a ghost, but they do not cooperate and I do not have a good enough immagination to cover it if I invented one.