Sin City’s Got a Different Type of Spirit

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Sin City’s Got a Different Type of Spirit

There is no one right answer to finding the best hotel in Las Vegas.  Some travelers want to be on the Strip, near Sin City’s non-stop party.  Others are won by a great price, nice accommodations, casino games, or specific hotel amenities.  One thing most travelers aren’t looking for is a room they can share with a stranger- and even if they are, it’s probably not a spirit one.

(images:vegastonydotcom:flickr) Circus Circus

(images:vegastonydotcom:flickr)
Circus Circus

It seems like even spirits can’t get enough of the debauchery, the bright lights, and promise of riches.  Maybe it’s the reminder of childhood that keeps Circus Circus guests from leaving.  Circus Circus was built in 1968 as a circus themed resort and features the world’s largest stationary circus, carnival games along a midway, and giant tents.  It is also the home of the ghosts of a mother and her little boy.  After she killed her son, she shot herself in room 123.  Visitors claim to see the duo roaming the hotel looking for the child’s father, moving hotel furniture, and making loud noises.  The same night of the murder/suicide, three people were killed in the kitchen.  Cries for help and screaming can be heard around the hotel and the words “help me” have materialized in bathroom mirrors by unseen hands.

The Tropicana, a Cuban themed Vegas hotel opened in 1957, greets its visitors with a large tiki mask face looming at its entrance.  Visitors have reported getting rashes after touching it.  Others report strange purple hazy clouds in photos with the mask.

(images:chicagoaddick/flickr) Excalibur

(images:chicagoaddick/flickr)
Excalibur

Arthurian themed Excalibur shares its rooms with a special haunt on the 10th floor.  Guests report feeling someone directly behind them, hovering and whispering directly into the ear.  Turning around, the hallway appears empty.  Other experiences include phones ringing in the middle of the night with no one on the line, alarm clocks turning on and off, static coming from televisions that are turned off, and moving furniture.

The Luxor Hotel also has activity on the 10th floor.  Three construction workers were crushed by a wall when building the famous pyramid.  They are said to cause disturbances to guests on the 10th floor.  There have also been multiple reports of suicides as individuals jumped into the atrium from the walkway.  One of the jumpers was a prostitute.  She manifests on the backs and necks of people walking on the 26th floor.  Some have even been pushed.  In 2007, the Luxor was the scene of a bombing, killing a young victim, but was never investigated.  Some say the eye installed in the pinnacle of the tower is the reason for the hotel’s cursed guests and strange energy.

(images:OvertheExcellence/flickr Luxor

(images:OvertheExcellence/flickr
Luxor

It’s the 7th floor Panorama suite at Planet Hollywood that keeps visitors up at night.  Guests report hearing a key in the door, jiggling of the knob, and whispering in the hallway.  Some have heard the buzzer ring to find no one there.  Room guests have reported a strange presence in the room and have had items disappear or appear out of nowhere.

(images:myjavamania/flickr) Bellagio

(images:myjavamania/flickr)
Bellagio

The Bellagio, famous for the light and water show, was formerly the Dunes Hotel and Casino.  Before the hotel was imploded in 1993, visitors report feeling cold spots through the main tower and portions of the casino.  The top floor lounge hosted spirits even after closing time.  Workers report seeing a blue glow and hearing voices- even after verifying no one was there.  In 2000, actor Justin Pierce committed suicide by hanging himself in the Bellagio.  Workers have also reported strange occurrences in that fated room.

Employees at the Bellagio are not the only ones who have experienced the paranormal.  At the famous Caesar’s Palace, workers report the sensory water faucets turning on and off on their own.  They explain that when attempting to put their hands under the already running faucet, it turns off.  Other faucets in the same bathroom will then turn on and off.

(images:Cksling/flickr) Caesar's Palace

(images:Cksling/flickr)
Caesar’s Palace

Past employees are also said to haunt some of Vegas’ hotels.  Bally’s Hotel is the location of one of the worst high rise fires in history.  In 1980, 87 people died and over 700 were injured when a fire broke out in a casino restaurant.  The hotel was rebuilt 8 months later.  Apparitions are often spotted in the stairwells, many acting as if trying to escape.  Toilets flush themselves in the bathrooms, lights turn on and off, and faucets work on their own.  Workers report rooms being destroyed after just having cleaned them.  Others have reported seeing shadows of bodies on the beds.  The most extreme sightings include a small group of apparitions who appear in the gambling areas at tables and slot machines.

(images:Don3rdse/flickr) Flamingo

(images:Don3rdse/flickr)
Flamingo

Some hotels’ haunts are famous faces.  One of Vegas’ oldest casinos, Flamingo, is haunted by the founding father, mobster Bugsy Segal.  Pool guests report seeing apparitions of the mob gangster.  Employees report seeing him frequently appear on the 5th floor.  He has also been sighted in the Wedding Chapel, the Presidential Suite, and the gardens.

The old adage is that everything that happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.  Perhaps that’s true for the seemingly uninvited hotel guests that join partygoers looking to gamble, party, and relax on the infamous Vegas Strip.  If nothing else, it certainly gives hotel seekers a little something extra to consider.

Megan Borchert
Megan Borchert
Lover of all things unusual, Megan is a staff attorney for the state of South Dakota. When she's not stuffed in an office writing case synopses, you can find her at home with her army of Schnauzers, snuggled up with some strong wine and a good book.

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