Upon its opening in 1928, the Hotel San Carlos was one of the most luxurious hotels in the West. At the time it was the tallest standing building in Arizona, and many high-profile celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, filled the hotel’s rooms on a nightly basis. But the hotel with such a luxurious history also has a dark past.
People check into the hotel every day, but some guests decide never to check out. The Hotel San Carlos has a long history of deaths that occurred inside the hotel. Now ghosts are said to haunt the guests who check in.
The basement is said to be the most haunted part of the hotel, on account of alleged early deaths of two children who drowned in a well that was once in the hotel's basement. Since then, hotel guests have reported the sound of children playing outside their rooms in the middle of the night.
Bob Leone, a Hotel San Carlos employee, has never experienced paranormal activity while working at the hotel but claims several guests have reported the issue.
"People who have never even heard about the drowning have called the front desk around two or three in the morning complaining that kids are playing and keeping them up at night," Leone said.
Many guest have also reported seeing Leone Jensen roaming the halls. Jensen was reportedly staying at the hotel's seventh floor in 1928. During her stay, Jensen gained roof access, where she presumably jumped off the roof and fell to her death. The Arizona Republic reported Jensen’s death on May 7, 1928, with the headline, “Pretty blonde jumps from San Carlos early today.”
Reported paranormal activity can hurt a hotel's business, because it deters certain people from staying there. In the past, Hotel San Carlos' management has said that the hotel’s haunted reputation was damaging.
But the hotel has recently found a way to refresh its haunted history into something of a commodity, which now helps to financially support the costs associated with maintaining a hotel. The ghosts are so popular that the Hotel San Carlos began giving tours of the haunted parts of the hotel. The ghost tours are now an admired part of the hotel’s tourism, with thrill-seekers, paranormal activists and documentarians, including the Travel Channel’s “World Travels,” coming from all parts of the globe in hopes of catching a glimpse or cold touch from one of the alleged haunts.
Thorton Beyale attended a tour recently and claimed he felt a strong presence.
"I definitely felt something," Beyale said. "I could feel it very strongly in the basement. It was a heavy presence, I can't explain it."
Hotel management said ghost encounters are few and far between, but the majority of the encounters reported by guests are similar.
The tour proved to be exciting both paranormally and historically. It is recommended if you are interested in learning some history about one of Phoenix's most historical landmarks or if you are an aspiring ghost hunter.
Keep in mind that all hauntings are alleged; there is no guarantee you’ll see anything out of the ordinary, and urban legends play a large part in the mystique of the hotel’s haunted tours.
The haunted ghost tour is offered every Saturday at 9 p.m. Tickets are available at $13.
Reach the reporter at cmgaray@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @ghost1effect
