As someone who has a fascination with all things paranormal, it is pretty reasonable to assume that I will take a look at anything that comes across my feed that is related to the supernatural. Naturally, a headline that reads, “If You Want to Stay at This New York Hotel, You Have to Sign a Waiver. It’s THAT Haunted” is going to grab my attention. It turns out this is in reference to the Shanley Hotel which is rumored to be the most haunted hotel on the East Coast. I wanted to conduct a little additional research to find out if it was actually true that guests would need to sign a waiver.
Unfortunately, it looks as if that part of the article cannot be substantiated. There is nothing on the hotel’s website that mentions a waiver and there are also people on the Shanley’s Facebook page that claim to have stayed there without any need to sign a waiver so it can be assumed that is not true. However, there are still some very interesting things going on here that are worth talking about.
The hotel was built in 1845 which makes it a good age when it comes to potentially haunted locations. It is located in the Shawangunk Mountains in Napanoch, New York. For a cost of $95.00 per person, guests are welcome to investigate the hotel and spend the night in one of the hotel rooms. The Rose Room is named for Rose Wilkes who was a former long-term guest of the hotel. Guests can enjoy a stenciled floor, a king size bed and a twin bed. It also appears that Eleanor Roosevelt was a personal friend of Mrs. Shanley. The Blue Room, aka the Eleanor Suite, is a furnished with a queen sized canopy bed and sleeps 2 people. There are several other styles of rooms available when you look at the website.
It is said that guests can experience paranormal activity at any time of day so it is not just things that go bump in the night. The bed and breakfast also claims that reputable paranormal investigators have documented activity through photographs and EVP sessions. Some of the unexplained occurrences guests can expect to see include rocking chairs that seem to rock on their own, clocks chiming mysteriously, hot and cold spots, and phantom smells and aromas. Others report hearing whistling, footsteps on the stairs and in the hallways, doors opening and closing, voices of children or laughter, and piano music. Additionally, there have been claims that people feel like they are being watched or followed, mysterious apparitions and shadows appear, and items end up relocating on their own.
One of the rooms, the Bordello, is said to be the most haunted room in the hotel. Inhabitants of the room have reported feeling lightheaded, a feeling of joy or heaviness, and shortness of breath. Murders, cover-up deaths, and various other secrets are all rumored to contribute to the strange things visitors may encounter on an overnight stay. I am not sure if I will ever be in Napanoch, New York or the Shawangunk Mountains, but if I do ever find myself there, I will definitely pay the Shanley Hotel a visit.
