Ghostly guests: Flagstaff’s Hotel Monte Vista named most haunted spot in Arizona

PHOENIX — The most haunted place in Arizona apparently lies about a two-hour drive north of the Phoenix area, along Route 66.

According to Travel and Leisure, the Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff, which once played host to big-name celebrities, is now the scene of some big-time haunts.

The travel publication said room 305 has a longtime guest who checked in, but never checked out: An old woman who stayed in the hotel for years used to sit in a rocking chair by the window. After she died, the chair allegedly began moving by itself and staff has reported seeing the woman’s ghostly apparition sitting there.

But that’s far from the only ghost story the hotel has scared up since it was built in 1927.

The hotel’s website lists plenty of creepy encounters:

• The ghost of a bank robber who died in the lounge is believed to greet guests and staff with a “Good morning!” from beyond the grave.
• Room 306 is said to be haunted by the spirits of prostitutes who were murdered and tossed to the street below.
• Room 220 is rumored to be the afterlife home of a person know as the Meat Man, a boarder from the 1980s who hung raw meat from his chandelier. Legend has it he died in the room and, after someone had cleaned it, a staffer walked in to find the sheets scattered and the TV on. The TV still acts of its own accord.

But our favorite story is associated with likely one of the hotel’s most famous guests: John Wayne. He was staying in room 210 when he heard a knock at the door and a call of “room service.” When he opened the door, no one was there.

Wayne reported the ghost to staff on more than one occasion. Believed to be a phantom bellboy, he has also been spotted by staff roaming the halls.

While we can’t confirm the stories ourselves, we’re going to keep our eyes and ears open the next time we make our way up to the Monte Vista.

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