Jerome Grand Hotel

The Jerome Grand Hotel is a well-known hotspot for paranormal activity. Ghost hunters and paranormal experts often visit the hotel in hopes of gathering hard evidence for ghosts. The phenomenon is so common that the Jerome Grand has restricted ghost hunters and private tours from entering the guest floors.

Many of the ghosts are leftover from the hotel’s hospital days. Patients who passed away still inhabit their hospital wards. Guests have heard coughing, wheezing, and labored breathing from empty rooms. Some presume these to be from patients who may have had tuberculosis, which was a common ailment at the time. Guests have also seen the ghosts of two hospital employees and a patient roaming the hotel. A male doctor carrying a clipboard, a female nurse, and a female patient in a gown have been seen wandering together around the halls.

While the Jerome Grand was still abandoned, two separate psychics caught on to a ghost who claimed to be the “Head Nurse” or “Nurse in Charge”, who seemed to hang out in what is now the restaurant and lounge area of the hotel. This area was originally the dispensary and main entrance of the hospital. The Head Nurse was distraught with the removal of the original dispensary desks. When the new owner moved the desks back into the lounge, another psychic came in and confirmed that the Head Nurse was pleased, and hasn’t made any complaints since.

In the hotel, numerous guests have reported the ghosts of children in the hallways and hotel rooms. They’ve heard giggling, laughing, and crying coming from what seem to be empty rooms. On one occasion, a guest heard a baby crying, loud enough to force him to call the front desk. When hotel security checked, the room was vacant. The ghost of one boy, in particular, seems to be the most common. He is said to be about 4 or 5 years old, and guests often see him running up and down the hallways, either laughing or crying. He’s also been seen in the hotel rooms while guests are asleep, staring at the occupants while standing at the foot of the bed.

The ghost of Claude Harvey, a hospital maintenance worker, still haunts the building. Claude died in 1935 under mysterious circumstances; his body was found pinned under the Otis elevator. Claude Harvey was presumably murdered, though there isn’t any evidence to support that claim. The elevator was inspected and was said not to be the cause of his death. No autopsy or x-ray was taken, as the United Verde Copper Company didn’t want to be held liable, nor did they want the controversy. Many say he was murdered, and his body was placed under the elevator to make it look like an accident.

Staff working the graveyard shift often see Claude Harvey’s ghost near the boiler room, usually walking up the stairs or roaming around as if still working. He appears as a shadow against the wall; nobody has seen a full apparition. His shadows have been seen in the laundry room, where staff have also heard him coughing and sneezing. When staff checks out the strange noises, they always find the laundry room vacant.

Not every ghost at the Jerome Grand is human; a spirit cat also lives in the building. Guests and staff have felt the cat brush up on their legs, and others hear it purring, meowing, and scratching at doors. Guests have had encounters where the cat snuggles up with them in bed or leaving a ghostly “imprint” where the cat was curled up a moment before. In 2008, a guest staying in Room 20 captured a clear image of the cat, sitting on a table looking at the photographer. The photo is kept at the front desk, among photos of other ghosts.

In addition to ghosts, guests and staff have reported strange experiences, such as lights and TVs switching on and off on their own. TVs and table lamps are also known to unplug on their own. Unknown cell phones and camcorders have been found dead center under the bed. Assorted items have gone flying across hotel rooms with no explanation.