A Spooky Stay at the Jerome Grand Hotel

I crawled out of bed, having spent my first night at what is allegedly one of America’s spookiest locations – the Jerome Grand Hotel. My stay was the impetus for my road trip to Arizona. I saw the Ghost Adventures show profiling the hotel and immediately booked a stay; after previous spooky experiences, I knew I had to take it another step and see what would happen in Arizona.

I immediately felt a chill upon check-in. But that was likely to the overall decor of the hotel. Odd paintings, medical equipment recalling the hotel’s days as a hospital, and spooky little things hanging all over the place set an haunted atmosphere. Despite feeling uneasy the whole time, I loved it.

My room was comfortable, but the hotel had a lot of the defects a building would if it was constructed in the early 1900s. On the other hand, though, it also has a lot of the charm and quirkiness such period buildings do – especially ones that were once hospitals. And that is what I had traveled to Jerome, Arizona to see, the quirkiness and other side of such buildings. The high class and big frills hotels aren’t for me anyway.

But the Jerome Grand Hotel certainly wasn’t lacking on that front, either. The Asylum restaurant – located in the hospital’s original main entrance – was absolutely amazing. The food was some of the best I’ve ever eaten at a hotel and the staff was extremely friendly. I liked it so much, I actually dined there both nights of my stay. And I’m supposedly not the only one who thinks so, either, since the bartender said the occasional movie star with a home in nearby Sedona is found in the restaurant at night.

Various room discounts are offered through entertainment bookings, like the ghost hunt expedition I took. It wasn’t like other hunts I’ve done, actually trying to make contact with something on the other side, but instead more of a tour relating other spooky incidents. Those are all left for the guests to discover on their own, equipment kindly being provided at the front desk; the hotel’s lobby is where the old emergency room could be found.

My room, number 37B, was comfortably located in the old psyche ward and is allegedly one of the most active rooms in the hotel for ghost encounters; it is also the newest room, since a handful are still undergoing renovations from the old hospital days. I tossed and turned both nights I stayed at the Jerome Grand Hotel, finding it difficult to sleep, since the bed was way too soft for my liking – I normally prefer an overly firm bed. But there was no way I was going to give it up in exchange for a less haunted room or one with a better view.

I left the Jerome Grand Hotel in one of Arizona’s quirkiest cities – a town built on a steep hillside with the old hospital building right at the top – pleased with my stay. It was fun, different, and a place I won’t soon forgot for all kinds of spooky reasons. But, those all campfire stories for another time.