Fairmont Hotel Vancouver - Haunted Hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia

The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver opened in 1939, designed by architects John S. Archibald and John Schofield specifically for the royal visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother). This grand railway hotel quickly became one of Vancouver's most recognizable landmarks, and over the decades has earned distinction as one of the city's better-known haunted locations. The hotel's spectral resident has become so beloved that management has embraced rather than hidden her presence. The "Lady in Red" haunts the hotel's 14th floor, where she has been witnessed by countless guests and staff members over the years. This benevolent spirit has been identified as Jennie Pearl Cox, a prominent Vancouver socialite who was a frequent and devoted guest of the hotel. Her life ended tragically in 1944 when she was killed in a fatal car accident on the Stanley Park causeway. Rather than moving on, Jennie Pearl Cox chose to return to her favorite hotel, where she had spent so many happy occasions during Vancouver's golden age of society gatherings. The Lady in Red's manifestations are numerous and well-documented. She hovers in the hallways of her beloved 14th floor, rides the elevators with unsuspecting guests, and has been seen stepping out onto window ledges. Her presence is most often detected through the hotel's elevator system, which mysteriously stops at the 14th floor without being summoned, as if the Lady in Red has pressed the button herself. Staff describe her as a friendly, even playful ghost, and the hotel has fully embraced her legend. The hotel lounge features a cocktail named in her honor, acknowledging that this spectral socialite has become as much a part of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver's identity as its stunning architecture. Guests frequently request rooms on or near the 14th floor, hoping for a glimpse of the elegant woman in red who refuses to leave her cherished home. Her story exemplifies how hotels can transform potentially unsettling hauntings into charming historical narratives that add character and allure to their properties.