This Haunted Hotel In Canada Is Like Something From 'The Shining'

Nestled among the trees and the mountains in Banff National Park is one of Canada's most iconic hotels, the Fairmont Banff Springs.

The Banff hotel is well-known as Canada's "Castle in the Rockies," providing service to guests for more than 130 years — but it also has a haunted history that may send a chill down your spine.

It turns out that of the many guests who made the Fairmont Banff their temporary home over the years, some may have never left.

The hotel opened in 1888. Since that time, it's said that there have been many stories of "guests who never left and staff who came back."

One of the more famous tales tells of a woman who had her wedding at the hotel in the 1930s.

It's said that as she was descending one of the hotel's marble staircases when she suddenly stumbled and tragically fell to her death.

Since then, many have reported seeing the "ghost bride" in the hotel, dancing in the hotel's ballroom or walking down the staircase.

The story is so well-known that Canada Post even featured the ghost bride on a stamp, while the Royal Canadian Mint issued a coin depicting the female phantom.

Another well-known spectre is a bellman who seemingly never left the hotel.

Sam McAuley, or "Sam the Bellman," as he's known, was a long-time employee of the Fairmont Banff, who once said when he retired that he would come back and "take care of guests for all of eternity."

Sam died in 1975, but it seems he made good on his promise. The helpful spirit is said to still be assisting guests, with visitors reporting being helped by an elderly Scottish bellman in decades-old period garb, despite there being no such person on staff.

One of the friendlier spirits of the hotel, Sam is said to help guests get into their rooms and collect their bags for them.

Another story tells of the strange history of Room 873, which is said to have been sealed shut after "countless bone-chilling experiences."

The reason the hotel room would have been sealed off hasn't been confirmed. As one story goes, the room was the site of a "family murder-suicide," and was permanently shut off after many reports of supernatural activity from those who stayed in the room.

However, the hotel is said to have denied such events. Still, that hasn't stopped guests from heading up to the eighth floor for themselves to investigate the missing Room 873.

Another tale from the hotel as once told by a member of staff may remind you of something from a Stephen King novel.

As the hotel concierge once explained, the hotel used to be seasonal and was only open in the summertime, with a caretaker who would attend to the hotel during the winter.

The caretaker is said to have told staff that he would feel a "presence" on the eighth floor, which he was convinced was a woman.

The story may remind some of that of The Shining, in which Overlook Hotel caretaker Jack Torrence (famously played by Jack Nicholson) and his family take on the task of staying at the hotel during its off-season, only to see a few ghosts of their own.

And really, it's hard not to draw comparisons between the hotels.

In The Shining, the Overlook Hotel is set in the Colorado Rockies, nestled into a pine-covered mountain that is reminiscent of the location of the Fairmont Banff.

The interiors of the hotels are even quite similar, and many have wondered if the hotel served as the inspiration for King's story.

The interior of the Fairmont Banff Springs. Right: The Overlook Hotel in 'The Shining.'Fairmont Banff Springs | Facebook, IMDb

However, the actual hotel that inspired the story is thought to be the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, which King stayed at in 1974 and which is apparently just as haunted.

Unlike the Overlook, the Fairmont would make for a nice getaway and has, on more than one occasion, been called one of the best stays in Canada.

For those wanting to know more about the spirits that may roam here, ghost tours are offered to guests detailing the hotel's haunted history.

If you do choose to stay the night, however, just know — you might not be alone.