Ghost Hotel – Fairmont Banff Springs
/
By: Donovan Kelly
Have you ever been staying in a hotel, but you cant stop thinking about what could have happened there in the past? You could be staying in the same room a celebrity stayed in, or maybe one a gruesome murder took place. With so many people going in and out of hotels everyday, there’s no way to know how many ghosts could be around.
Fairmont Banff Springs is one of the most famous hotels in all of Canada and is as haunted as it is huge. The hotel was opened in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway as one of the first of Canada’s railway hotels. Urban legends say there was a gruesome murder in room 873, which has reportedly caused paranormal activity. Staff and visitors of Fairmont Banff Springs claim that there are resident ghosts, such as Sam the Bellboy and The Bride.
According to internet blogs and urban legends, room 873 of the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel was once the scene of a murder-suicide and has been haunted ever since.
The legend goes that a small family, were staying at the hotel, enjoying their lives. Unfortunately, the father was abusive and had serious mental health issues. One night the father drank too much, causing things to go south fast. When he returned to the room from the bar, he snapped and killed his wife and daughter and then himself.
After room 873 was cleaned, it went back to normal, guests and all. But things were different. Quickly, guests began to report being woken up by screams, and feelings of being watched. The paranormal activity in the room began to be too much, so the room was shut down. The door to the room was removed and painted over,
Sam McCauley was an elderly Scotsman who worked at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel as the head bellman from the 60s – 70s until he died in 1975. Ever since his death, staff and guests have reported seeing him wandering the halls of the hotel.
The most famous sighting of Sam was by two guests who were experiencing difficulties with their room key. The two called the bell desk for assistance but were left waiting for 15 minutes. Eventually the bellman arrived at their room but found that the guests had already been let into their room by another bellman. Confused, the bellman asked who had helped them, and the guests began to describe an elderly Scotsman named Sam who had helped them.
by: JP Fariax
The bride is the second ghost that can be seen at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel. She is commonly seen dancing in the ballroom wearing her wedding dress or descending the stairs as she did on her wedding day.
Reportedly she died on at her own wedding. She was walking down the stairs, making her grand entrance to the wedding, but the wind had other plans. The wind blew the veil in front of her face, blinding her. The veil not only made her trip down the stairs, but also caught on fire from nearby candles. Unfortunately, she broke her neck from the fall and burnt to death. Ever since that day she has been haunting the hotel, waiting for her husbands return.
Maybe the next time you’re at a hotel you’ll see a ghost, or maybe you’ll get murdered and spend eternity haunting it.
Isaiah landry
Isaiah Landry is a writer currently studying professional writing at Algonquin College. When it comes to writing, or anything, he has a hard time keeping it serious and can’t help but blurt out stupid jokes. Along with writing, he also likes to draw and play bass and guitar. Besides being artistic, Isaiah likes to spend his time surrounded by friends, telling stories, and making people laugh.
