
The Most Haunted Hotels in Philadelphia
Posted: 12.04.2024 | Updated: 12.04.2024
As the birthplace of the United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is as historic as it is haunted. Although it is often referred to as the “City of Brotherly Love,” Philly has an undeniable dark side, and many of the city’s hotels have become home to ghosts of the past.
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What Is The Most Haunted Hotel In Philadelphia?

Across the city of Philadelphia, you will find no shortage of haunted hotels. From quaint bed and breakfasts to historic luxury hotels, you can easily find a place to lodge in Philly where a ghost or two have been spotted. Founded in 1682, Philadelphia is one of the oldest cities in the United States, which likely accounts for the many hauntings that have been reported. While some hotels are eager to share their ghost stories, others try to keep them a secret. Read on to learn more about the haunted hotels of Philadelphia.
Cornerstone Bed & Breakfast
Located at 330 Barring Street, The Cornerstone Bed & Breakfast is a stately Victorian home that was originally built as a private residence for Mary Sellers Bancroft in the 1860s. At the time, the area was largely farmland with country estates built here and there. The area would eventually become Philadelphia’s first suburb, Powelton, and the site of Drexel University.
Bancroft was the great-niece of Revolutionary War-era painter Charles Wilson Peale and grandmother of acclaimed painter Maxfield Parrish. The house on Barring Street would become a family compound until Bancroft sold it in 1890. The house would go through a series of owners, eventually being used as a rental property. During that time, various architectural elements of the home were either removed or stolen. It was eventually purchased by Jill Moody who turned the house into the Cornerstone Bed & Breakfast. The Cornerstone is known for its lavish breakfasts and is a member of the prestigious Select Registry of independent inns and bed & breakfasts.
Ghostly Encounters
While ghostly activity isn’t listed on the Cornerstone’s website, plenty of reviews reference the hauntings at this old Victorian home. One guest stated that the ghost of a young girl has been seen roaming the third floor and feelings of being watched. Another guest claimed to have had a terrifying encounter with a spirit while staying in a room on the second floor of the Cornerstone. The guest reported that she awoke in the middle of the night to see a large mist hanging over her. She felt incredibly cold and was unable to move as the mist drifted closer to her. The guest also felt a heavy pressure building on her chest. She was eventually able to move and wake her husband. They did not spend a second night at the Cornerstone.
Guests have also encountered the apparition of a woman known to touch people on their foreheads and leave a lingering scent of perfume.
Mint House at the Divine Lorraine Hotel
Designed by architect Willis G. Hale, the Divine Lorraine Hotel originally opened as apartments in 1894. In 1900, it was converted to a hotel and operated as such until 1948 when it was purchased by the International Peace Mission Movement, a religion founded and led by Reverend Major Jealous Divine. Divine turned the Divine Lorraine into the first racially integrated hotel in the United States and a place where struggling Philadelphians could go for an inexpensive meal. After Divine’s passing in 1965, Jim Jones would try to take over but failed. Years later, he infamously carried out a mass suicide at Jonestown in Guyana.
The Divine Lorraine Hotel closed in 2000 and changed hands multiple times. In 2006, plans were made for a complete restoration, but instead, the building was stripped of all architectural elements and left a former shell of itself. The Divine Lorraine sat vacant for over 15 years, covered in graffiti and slowly giving way to the elements. It was purchased by Mint House in 2022 and underwent a comprehensive renovation that brought the hotel back to its former glory.
Spirits Continue To Linger
All manner of paranormal happenings have been reported at the Divine Lorraine. In the lobby, the front doors are known to open and close by themselves, almost as if unseen spirits are continually entering and exiting the hotel. Unseen forces are also known to move objects around on their own. The apparition of a woman has also been spotted in the hotel’s hallways, but she’s only visible from the waist up. Angela Cicala, who runs two successful restaurants in the hotel, reported that she had seen the ghost of a woman in a pink bathrobe wandering her apartment inside the Divine Lorraine. Strangest of all is the claim that the sound of music is heard coming from Reverend Divine’s penthouse, but the music plays in reverse.
The Bellevue Hotel

A hotspot for paranormal investigators, the Bellevue Hotel sits in the heart of Philadelphia near Rittenhouse Square. The hotel was built by George Boldt and construction began on the French Renaissance-style hotel in 1886. It would finally open in 1904 and be expanded in 1912. The opulent Bellevue features 1,090 guest rooms, stunning craftsmanship, light fixtures made by Tiffany and Lalique, and an electric system designed by Thomas Edison. Every president from Theodore Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan, spent time at the Bellevue. President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade rode from the airport to the Bellevue just days before his assassination.
In 1976, the Bellevue Hotel was the site of a massive tragedy that led to its closure. Following an American Legion convention, guests began falling ill with a mysterious respiratory illness. It would later be determined that a bacteria strain had been pumped through the hotel’s cooling system, infecting guests and the conference. In total, 34 people died from what would later become known as Legionnaire’s disease.
An array of hauntings have been reported at the Bellevue Hotel over the years. Common occurrences include sudden drops in temperature and guests waking up to discover the covers have been pulled off them. In more serious instances, guests have experienced temporary feelings of paralysis upon entering their room.
Haunted Philadelphia
Wherever you decide to stay on your next trip to Philadelphia, you never know whether or not you’ll experience your own ghost sighting. You can learn all about haunted hotels, homes, and other historic sites the city has to offer by booking a tour with Philly Ghosts today! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Pennsylvania hauntings.
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