The Most Haunted Hotels In Phoenix

Posted: 02.19.2025 | Updated: 02.19.2025

The city of Phoenix and the towns surrounding it are home to some of the most haunted hotels in the Southwest. These haunted hotels range from boutique bed and breakfasts to soaring high rises in the city center. No matter how different they might appear, they all share one thing in common: ghosts.

The ghost stories of Phoenix are both remarkable and terrifying. You can learn more about them by booking a ghost tour with Phoenix Ghosts today!

What Are The Most Haunted Hotels In Phoenix?

There are multiple haunted hotels in the Phoenix metro area, but a few stand out as the most haunted. In downtown Phoenix, the Hotel San Carlos was the site of a tragic death, and the spirit of a woman in white is unable to move on from her place of death. 

At the Hermosa Inn, the ghost of its former owner is as lively in death as he was in life. Finally, there’s the San Marcos Hotel, where the spirits of children who died there more than half a century ago still haunt.

Hotel San Carlos

When the Hotel San Carlos opened its doors in March 1928, it was considered the most extravagant hotel in the state of Arizona. Built in the Italian Renaissance style, the San Carlos was the first high-rise hotel in the state, the first to have air conditioning, and the first to have a hand-operated elevator. 

During Hollywood’s Gold Age, celebrities including Mae West, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Gene Autrey, and Marilyn Monroe all stayed at the San Carlos, making it the premiere hotel in Phoenix. 

However, the story of the Hotel San Carlos got off to a deadly start. On May 27, 1928, mere weeks after the hotel had opened, a 22-year-old woman named Leone Jensen jumped from the window of room 720 and fell to her death. The newspapers described her as a “pretty blonde,” but her story is much more than her looks.

The most commonly told story is that Jensen was dating one of the bellboys at the San Carlos. After he broke up with her, a grief-stricken Jensen leaped to her death. 

That said, Jensen’s suicide is still somewhat of a mystery. She did write a note to the manager apologizing for her suicide but didn’t say much else.

Haunted Happenings

Regardless of why Jensen took her own life, her ghost has been seen at the hotel ever since. Guests on the seventh floor have woken up in the middle of the night to see a woman in white standing at the foot of their bed. 

She stares at them for a matter of seconds before disappearing. This entity is widely believed to be Jensen’s spirit.

The phantom sounds of children laughing and playing have also been heard throughout the hotel’s many hallways. This ghostly phenomenon is attributed to the land that the hotel is built on. 

Before the Hotel San Carlos, the Little Adobe School stood on the land. Built in 1874, it was the first school in Phoenix but was torn down to make way for the San Carlos. While there are no recorded child deaths, many point to the school as the root of these unexplained hauntings.

Hermosa Inn

Located just outside downtown Phoenix in Paradise Valley is the Hermosa Inn. Now a boutique hotel, the inn was constructed in 1935 by renowned cowboy artist Alonzo “Lon” Megargee.

Megargee built the inn out of adobe bricks and designed it in a Spanish Revival style that included wooden beams and iron scrollwork. He was known to have a colorful personality and didn’t always play by the rules. 

He ran an illegal gambling ring out of the inn, and there was even a tunnel that connected the inn to a nearby barn to avoid detection. Megargee sold the Hermosa Inn in 1941 and died in 1960, but his ghost is believed to haunt the inn he loved so dearly. 

He is seen throughout the hotel, including room 7, which was part of his living quarters. Guests will hear heavy footsteps outside their door only to find the hallway empty. Megargee’s ghost also scared a maid into quitting on her first day after she saw his apparition in a mirror while cleaning the room.

The kitchen and bar are two other spots where Megargee stirs up trouble. His ghost has been known to throw pots and pans as well as wine glasses, which makes his presence unmistakable. 

Staff and guests have also seen the ghost of a woman in a pink dress. Some believe that it’s Megargee’s ex-wife, but it’s hard to know which one since he was married seven times.

Arguably, the creepiest sighting was made by a staff member who saw two ghost children playing in the Hermosa Inn’s parking lot. The identity of these spooky kids remains unknown.

San Marcos Hotel/Crowne Plaza Resort

Now the Crowne Plaza Resort Phoenix, the San Marcos Hotel, turned the small town of Chandler into a popular resort spot in the greater Phoenix area. Constructed in 1912, the hotel was designed in the Mission Revival style. When it opened in 1913, 500 people attended the grand opening.

However, there were only 35 rooms. Over the years, the hotel would expand to a sprawling 249 rooms. It was the first steel-reinforced building in Arizona and was the site of the state’s first golf course. 

Multiple strange paranormal occurrences have been reported over the years at the San Marcos Hotel. The apparition of a woman has been seen floating through the hotel. 

People have also heard a man moaning in one of the guest rooms only to find it empty. Front desk staff regularly have to deal with getting phone calls from vacant rooms and extensions that don’t exist. Guests also experience lights and faucets turning on and off by themselves in the middle of the night.

In the 1960s, a horrible accident occurred in the hotel’s irrigation tunnels. Two girls named Monica and Henrietta were playing in the tunnels when they were suddenly flooded with water.

Both girls drowned. Since then, the laughter of young children has been heard echoing through the basement. Many believe this is the residual haunting of Monica and Henrietta moments before their untimely deaths. 

Haunted Phoenix

Phoenix offers a variety of haunted hotels to stay at on your next trip. While you’re there, don’t forget to schedule a ghost tour with Phoenix Ghosts and learn about the city’s paranormal past! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Arizona hauntings.

Sources:

• https://frightfind.com/the-hermosa-inn/
• https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/2023/10/16/san-marcos-hotel-chandler-az-history/70789932007/
• https://www.phoenix.org/valley_history/hotel-san-carlos-a-haunted-history/article_7a9f272b-ce40-5536-aee6-d8438dac9c13.html
• https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/2019/10/28/haunted-arizona-hotels-how-phoenix-hotel-san-carlos-got-its-ghost-leone-jensen/2311366001/