2. The Cecil Hotel
Originally constructed in 1924 as a hotel for business travelers, the Cecil hotel in downtown Los Angeles was hit hard by the depression. By the 1950’s The Cecil was well known as a low rent home for transients and other people at the bottom of society. The Cecil has had its share of suicides and murders. 2 serial killers stayed at the hotel including the infamous “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez in 1985, and Jack Unterweger in 1991 who murdered three prostitutes in his room at the Cecil.
The Cecil is reportedly the last place famed Black Dalia, Elizabeth Short, was seen alive, and in 2011 Canadian tourist Elisa Lam disappeared under mysterious circumstances from the Cecil only to found 2 weeks later dead in one of the hotels rooftop water tanks. (she was discovered after a number of guests reported a foul taste to the water.) The mystery of Elisa Lam’s death deepens with security camera footage of Lam acting strange in the elevator of the Cecil shortly before her disappearance.
In 2012, an episode of Biography Channel’s Haunted Encounters: Face to Face shot part of an episode in the Cecil. The episode was titled Ghosts of Skid Row/Kreischer Mansion. The show sent the Paranormal Syndicate team along with their canine investigator Captain to explore reports of haunting at the Cecil Hotel. Currently there is a feature film about Elisa Lam in development as well as a documentary about the hotel currently shooting.
If you are looking to try your luck with the spirits of the Cecil, it is currently accepting reservations under the name The Stay on Main
