The Menger Hotel
San Antonio's historic Menger Hotel, built in 1859 adjacent to the Alamo, is possibly the most haunted guest lodging in San Antonio, boasting at least 32 different spirits. The old hotel bar was purportedly where Theodore Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders, but other famous guests include Babe Ruth, Mae West, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and Sarah Bernhardt. Many a guest has claimed the sighting of the spirit of one of Roosevelt's buckskin-clad riders, but the hotel is also the post-earthly dwelling of distinct personalities, such as maid Sallie White, who was murdered by her husband on the hotel grounds, and Captain Richard King of Texas' renowned King Ranch. The hotel features 316 guest rooms and also houses the famous Menger Bar and Colonial Room Restaurant.
The Menger Hotel
204 Alamo Plaza
San Antonio, Texas 78205
(210) 223-4361
www.mengerhotel.com
The St. Anthony Hotel
The glamorous St. Anthony Hotel, built in 1909, has played host to quite a number of big names, including Eleanor Roosevelt, President Dwight, Eisenhower, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace, Prince Albert of Monaco, Judy Garland, and Fred Astaire. However, the St. Anthony is also a repository of paranormal activity. Sightings include those of a former hotel employee known only as "Anita," as well as an old woman who haunts the women's restroom. A melancholy young women reportedly wanders the hotel ballroom, and the spirits of a married couple return to "their" room to honeymoon. Murderer Walter Emerick attempted to check into room 636 of the hotel, but was given room 536 instead, where he eventually took his own life after being cornered by the police--read about the Gunter Hotel for the whole story. The St. Anthony Hotel has 352 luxuriously decorated guestrooms, 38 of which are suites. St. Anthony's Champagne Sunday Brunch continues to remain a favorite with locals and guests alike.
The St. Anthony Hotel
300 East Travis Street
San Antonio, Texas 78205.
(210) 227-4392
www.thestanthonyhotel.com
The Emily Morgan
Before guests began swanning through the Emily Morgan's doors in 1984, the Revival Gothic-style structure was the Medical Arts Building, a hospital and morgue built in 1924. The ninth floor is reportedly the hub of paranormal activity, with room 902 being the most haunted. Guests report toilet seats slamming, doors opening and closing, and carafes falling from counters for no apparent reason. The Emily Morgan was also the site of a building that once housed the Alamo's wounded. The hotel itself is named after Emily West, a young mulatto servant to Colonel James Morgan, who infiltrated the camp of Mexican commander Santa Anna, "distracting" him long enough to delay the Mexican army's charge in the Battle of San Jacinto and resulting in a win for the Texas army. The Emily Morgan Hotel has 177 rooms and suites, as well as a restaurant, bar, outdoor pool, and gym.
The Emily Morgan Hotel
705 East Houston Street
San Antonio, Texas 78205
(210) 225-5100
www.emilymorganhotel.com
The Crockett Hotel
If rumor has it that the dearly departed from the Alamo are said to have flooded into the Crockett Hotel, located adjacent to the shrine's chapel, it's no wonder: the hotel, constructed in 1909 and named after Davy Crockett, is built on grounds that were once part of the Alamo's bloody battlefield in 1836. The sounds of unearthly chanting and the trotting of horses' hooves as well as elevators that go up and down of their own accord are some ghostly experiences reported by guests. The Crockett Hotel has 138 guest rooms and suites and a dining area where continental breakfast is served daily.
The Crockett Hotel
320 Bonham
San Antonio, Texas 78205
(866) 539-0036
www.crocketthotel.com
Sheraton Gunter Hotel
Room 636 of the Sheraton Gunter Hotel is allegedly the site of ghostly goings-on. Originally dedicated on November 20, 1909, the historic Gunter Hotel housed famous guests such as Mae West, Roy Rogers, John Wayne, and Gene Autry, as well as U.S. Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. But the story of homely CPA Walter Emerick (alias: "Albert Knox"), who checked in with a mysterious blond lady of the night in February 1965, is most compelling. Legend has it that after butchering his lovely guest, Emerick jotted across the street to Joske's Department Store to purchase a meat grinder to dispose of her body. A chambermaid entered the room with her passkey to catch Emerick in the act of absconding through a fire exit with the woman's bony remains in a bloody blanket. The unidentified woman and her errant paramour, who committed suicide at the St. Anthony Hotel nearby, haunt Room 636, which has since been converted into a two rooms, 619 and 620. Guests report the sound of the ghostly couple bickering near the rooms. The Sheraton Gunter Hotel has 322 cattlemen's club-style guest rooms and suites, as well as a bakery, restaurant and lounge.
Sheraton Gunter Hotel
205 East Houston Street
San Antonio, Texas 78205
(800) 222-4276
www.gunterhotel.com
Other Supernatural Stirrings
Historic hotels aren't the only place to find ghostly action. San Antonio's Alamo City Ghost Tours' Evening Ghost Hunt takes you on an expedition of some of the most haunted places in the city, including the Alamo Plaza, the Old Spanish Palace, various battlefields and cemeteries, as well as old hotels (day tours are available for those faint of heart). To find out what bumps you may hear in the night during your "spirited" stay in haunted San Antonio, see the Resources links below.
