Each October, in celebration of ghostly lore, history and hauntings, Historic Hotels of America unveils its list of the Top 25 Most Haunted hotels. This year, Hotel Colorado earned a spot among the haunted elite. 

“The historic hotels highlighted in The 2025 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Most Haunted Hotels list are places where generations of staff and guests pass along the tales of spectral Revolutionary War soldiers, smoky silhouettes of U.S. presidents, melancholy spirits of tragic brides, unexplained footsteps, and parties that never stopped, as well as friendly phantom bellhops and engineers,” an Oct. 8 news release from Historic Hotels of America states. “For believers and skeptics alike, these hotels offer legends of guests who never want to leave, and staff who never stop helping.”

In recognition of its rich history and ghostly reputation, Hotels of America named Hotel Colorado, founded in 1893, as one of the 2025 Top 25 Most Haunted Hotels. The iconic Glenwood Springs landmark is joined on the list by Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel and Spa, Autograph Collection as well as the Wort Hotel in Wyoming and Sayre Mansion in Pennsylvania.

Historic Hotels of America highlighted Hotel Colorado’s most famous ghost — Walter, named after Walter Devereux, the hotel’s founder — and recognized Glenwood Springs’s beloved hotel for “stories that defy a mundane explanation,” according to the release. 

Guests claim that Walter’s presence, and wafts of his cigar smoke, can be sensed around the hotel in the evening, the release states. 

“One of the most popular ghost stories is Walter Devereux and smelling cigar smoke throughout the hotel,” Alta Otto, Hotel Colorado’s social sales manager, said. “…A lot of people think there are spirits roaming around in the halls, and when you’ve been around for over 100 years, there’s a lot of stories and legends tucked away.”

Another spirit said to roam the halls of the Hotel Colorado is Bobbie. According to legend, Bobbie was a nurse who was killed by a jealous lover while the hotel served as a naval hospital during World War IIl, the release states. Some guests attribute wafts of Gardenia — a perfume from the 1930s and 40s — to Bobbie.

“It’s exciting to be named one of the 25 most haunted hotels,” Otto said. “There were some pretty fun hotels listed in the article.”
Guests can seek out Hotel Colorado’s resident spirits for themselves during the hotel’s second annual Halloween Costume Ball on Friday, Oct. 24. Visit hotelcolorado.com/events/halloween-ball/ for more information.