The Banff Springs Hotel

The Banff Springs Hotel is believed to be one the most haunted buildings in Alberta, Canada. Nestled in a picturesque stretch of the Rocky Mountains, the hotel was first constructed in 1888 and so began what is today a 764-room sprawling hotel. The hotel was opened by the Candian Pacific Railway in hopes that it would become a destination spot. However, I doubt the creators ever realized this hotel would soon become a hot spot for paranormal tourism.

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For nearly 40 years, the Banff Springs Hotel operated peacefully, as any new tourist destination aided by the railroad would. However, its strange history began in 1926. During this year, the hotel experienced a disastrous fire that completely destroyed the original wood-framed hotel. Oddly enough, parts of the structures survived, including a secret room that was inadvertently built without windows and doors and sealed up. However, some believe that this secret room was also included in the rebuilding and combined as part of a luxury suite. Allegedly, this room has inexplicable apparitions and a fair amount of unexplained activity. However, no one knows why there is activity linked to this room.

Since Banff had proven a desirable location, it was agreed that the hotel should be reconstructed in a new, sound manner. So, the architects had it built the same way castles were built - created from pure stone, surrounded by large towers. Because of this design, it would soon be known as the Castle of the Rockies.

One of the most infamous hauntings is that of The Bride. The story goes that in the 1930s a young bride died while enjoying her wedding week at the Banff Springs Hotel. When she was emerging from her suite to walk down the stairs, she tripped over her dress and fell over the banister to the ground. She died instantly, but it appears she hasn’t checked out yet. There is a more gruesome story of The Bride, though, in it, as she descends the staircase, her dress catches on fire from candles lit along the stairs and she falls to her death in the commotion of her family trying to put out the fire.

 Many have seen the young bridge descending the grand staircase wearing her gown. Others have also claimed to see her walking the halls of the hotel, alone. Strange sounds and occurrences happen in the bridal suites, and it is said The Bride can also be seen dancing by herself in the ballroom.

Another ghostly character well-known by hotel staff and guests alike is Sam the Bellman. Sam McCauley was an older Scotsman who acted as head bellman throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He died in 1975, but it seems he wasn’t quite ready to retire. Sam is one of the comforting, helpful spirits intent on improving people’s lives. One prominent incident involved two older women who called down to the service desk because their key was broken. However, the regular bellman was occupied and didn’t respond for some time. However, when the bellman finally made his way to their room he found the two women inside. They said that an older bellman donning a plaid jacket had helped them. No one was employed at the time that matched their description, and everyone has since agreed it was the ghost of Sam the bellman providing some extra help. 

There are multiple stories of Sam doing similar, helpful things for guests and staff members in the decades since his death. He can often be found spending time in his former office, which is now a guest room, as well as on the mezzanine floor. It is also said he has a particular affinity for the sixth and seventh floor.

Although there are many other stories I could share with you about this hotel, I’ll cut this blog after I tell you about the one thing every haunted hotel needs: an infamous room. At the Banff Springs Hotel, this room is 837. According to hotel lore, an entire family was murdered in the room. When the police completed their investigation and hotel staff were allowed back in, strange occurrences began. The cleaning crew could not remove the fingerprints of the small girl who had been murdered from the mirror. Once cleaned, they opened the room back up. However, guests that stayed in the room began to complain. There were reports of blood curdling screams, cold spots, and bloody fingerprints appearing out of nowhere. In response, the hotel decided to close off the room. However, many claim to see ghostly apparitions of a family in and around the room.

The above image is of Banff Springs Hotel in 1985 and is licensed under  he Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.