The Haunted Hotel Vendome
Posted: 10.29.2024 | Updated: 10.29.2024
Phoenix. A city with a lot of heat and a lot of hauntings.
And we’re not being metaphorical here – several areas in the Valley of the Sun are rumored to house ancient curses, loud ghouls, and spectral ghosts. One of those places is the Hotel Vendome, which has been a welcoming home to thousands of guests over the years, mortal…and otherwise.
Why is the Hotel Vendome Haunted?
But what exactly has caused the Hotel Vendome to become so haunted? It certainly wasn’t always this way, and it’s believed that the origin of the hotel’s ghostly residents is tragic.
Read on to find out who haunts this place in the American Southwest, and book a ghost tour with Phoenix Ghosts to explore more of Arizona’s haunted history and eerie buildings.
Hotel Vendome History
The Hotel Vendome was originally constructed in 1917 to accommodate the growing need for housing for the miner community that had sprung up around Prescott, Arizona. Designed to not only house residents and workers, the Hotel Vendome was touted as a classy establishment, boasting 31 rooms and a whopping 16 bathrooms total (impressive for the time). It lived up to its name and became a beloved fixture in the town.
However, in 1983, the place was overhauled and modernized. But its historic value and status as a town fixture was important to Prescott, and they made sure to painstakingly preserve as much as the original architecture as possible – the original antique clawtub bathtubs and wood paneling are still around.
Having been around for over a century, the Hotel Vendome has changed hands several times and had a dozen owners, including a pastry maker, a carpenter, and even an FBI agent. Originally intended as a luxury destination, its reputation fluctuated over the years—at times attracting wealthy tourists and, at other points in the 20th century, serving as a low-rent flophouse.
Today, however, its reputation as a hotel and a historic landmark has leveled off, and it’s still an attraction widely seen as one of the best-preserved hotels from the early twentieth century.
A Heartbreaking Tale
One of the stranger stories about the Hotel Vendome involves a woman named Abby Byr. She was a guest of the Vendome in the 1920s and was suffering from the tuberculosis epidemic that ravaged America.
Abby had chosen Room 16 in the Vendome as a place where she could rest and recover. Medical advice at the time urged people with tuberculosis to seek a warmer climate to recuperate.
But there was another reason she’d chosen the hotel – Abby had been a former owner of the Vendome, and, in exchange for her still managing the hotel, she was allowed to stay in Room 16, free of charge.
And she didn’t come alone either. Abby Byr, you see, was married, although it was not a union that was fated to last. While Abby stayed in the Hotel Vendome, sick and in pain, her husband stayed with her, offering his wife the tender care she deserved.
Or, at least, he did for a little bit. But one night, Mr. Byr slinked away into the night, never to return.
Most people, including Abby, believed he abandoned his wife in her time of need. Devastated, she refused to eat or drink, and that, coupled with the tuberculosis, killed her.
Many hotel workers believe Abby’s still here, adjusting lights and fans to her liking. She’ll even turn down the TV if she’s not a fan of the show—especially anything on MTV!
But, while she may be picky, she can also be quite a benevolent spirit too. She’ll helpfully turn off faucets that have been left on, and some claim that she still enjoys watching over guests. To see her, request to stay in Room 16 of the Vendome, and be sure to leave a gift for her before your stay begins.
A Ghost Cat
Despite Abby’s husband having left her in her time of need, one traveling companion stayed with her. We neglected to mention her before – Abby Byr’s cat, Noble.
By all accounts, Noble was your usual cat. She liked to laze about, she liked yarn, and she liked biting people who got too close. And she absolutely loved Abby, too. Abby returned the sentiment, but, unfortunately, after she starved herself to death, Noble soon followed.
Abby’s ghost hadn’t manifested yet to be able to feed her beloved cat. Perhaps Abby assumed someone would knock, looking for their hotel manager. Surely, someone would have a problem with their heating or a question about their room.
But Abby’s sad end didn’t end with her death. Tragically, nobody came looking for Abby until long after she died, and by that time, her poor cat, Noble, had also died of starvation.
Like her owner, Noble was content to stay in Room 16 even after death. Hotel workers swear they’ve heard a cat pawing and meowing in the closet when cleaning the room. Noble’s favorite place to hide in life was that same closet, and despite the workers looking over the room, they haven’t been able to find any trace of a cat.
So, old Noble seems to have stuck around to hang out with Abby. No one tells a cat where to go – not even in the afterlife!
Haunted Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona. It’s the heart of Arizona, with plenty of heat, history, and hauntings to go around. Hotel Vendome has been around since just about the beginning of the town and has a colorful array of ghosts inhabiting it that fits the colorful city the hotel is in.
Book a ghost tour with Phoenix Ghosts for a more in-depth way to learn all that haunts the Valley of the Sun. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Arizona hauntings.
Sources:
http://hauntedhouses.com/arizona/vendome-hotel/
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/stays/arizona/hotel-vendome-haunted-az
https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/b5a77f8e-c519-4468-a68c-7fd92717e2ef
http://www.hauntedhoneymoon.com/hauntedplaces/hotelvendome.html
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