The Hauntings of the Grande Colonial Hotel

Posted: 10.29.2024 | Updated: 11.20.2024

While walking amongst the salty air of San Diego’s sandy coastal communities, it’s easy to forget the grimmer aspects of life. The ghosts of this 100-plus-year-old hotel are there to remind you, though. 

Not far from the sounds of sea lions and squawks of seagulls lies a location with a rich, historical past. Once a gathering place for upcoming actors and actresses in the 1940s and 50s, the Grande Colonial Hotel was known for its privacy and glamour. Its notable occupants included the likes of Groucho Marx, Charlton Heston, and David Niven, among its esteemed lodgers. 

Today, this acclaimed haunted hotel may boast a restaurant with a Michelin Plate award, but the ghosts don’t seem to care. Its facade is as beautiful as it is opulent. A white-painted exterior, accentuated with blue and white striped awnings atop its glass, transports the viewer back to a simpler time. But who, or what, awaits you inside?

Is the Grande Colonial Hotel Haunted?

Unlike other haunted hotels in San Diego, such as the Horton Grand Hotel, whose haunting is linked to a documented murder, the Grande Colonial Hotel has no traumatic history to cite. By contrast, its past has been graced by elegance and luxury. And glamorous it must have been, as the ghostly inhabitants continue their spectral festivities well into the afterlife. 

Read on to discover why these former hotel residents seem so reluctant to leave. Ready to hit the pavement and see some of San Diego’s most haunted venues in real life? Book a tour with San Diego Ghosts. 

A History of Splendor 

The Grande Colonial Hotel remains one of San Diego’s oldest seaside hotels. Originally opened in 1913, it first operated under the name The Colonial Apartments and Hotel. Richard Requa, architect of the California Exposition in Balboa Park, designed the original structure, lending it the appearance of a perfect apartment hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Still, it was not without room for improvement. 

In 1925, owner George Bane opted to redesign the hotel in hopes of enlarging its vacation potential. Frank Stevenson was commissioned to draft designs for a new look fashioned to impress. The endeavor was vast. The present hotel had to be moved to the rear, and a new structure was constructed where it once stood. The new building was four stories in height, encompassing 28 apartments and 25 hotel rooms. 

This new and improved Colonial Hotel featured leaded glass arching above the French doors, allowing the sunlight to dance as it poured into the hotel. Within its walls hung elaborate chandeliers glittering over lavish furnishings and marble hearth fireplaces. But the Grande Hotel would come with none of the snobbery of many upper-class establishments.

Over the years, the Grande Colonial would be frequented by those from various walks of life, ranging from the military to celebrities. This grand hotel sheltered many of those from the neighboring Camp Callan during World War II while the hotel sunroom was partitioned to accommodate single servicemen at night as a makeshift barracks. 

The hotel has undergone many restorations and upgrades throughout the decades to sustain its opulent splendor. In preparation for its 2013 centennial anniversary, the hotel renovated its entryway, foyer, lobby, and other popular areas, honoring its historic legacy. Fine architecture of hand-stenciled carvings, Georgian-style arches, lead glass windows, and plaster crown moldings reflect its old-world ambiance of mystery. 

Strange Happenings at The Grande Colonial

The occurrences at the Grande Colonial Hotel are indeed mysterious. While no unseemly deaths have ever been recorded at this location, a bundle of odd incidents seem to collect here nonetheless — and they’re not just fixed to one room.

Countless spooky encounters have unfolded throughout the hotel, in guests’ rooms, stairwells, hallways, and even the kitchen. 

The apparitions of a man and woman in elegant apparel have been spotted in a hallway of the hotel. The dapper gentleman sports a tuxedo, top hat, cane, and white scarf. His female companion dons a gown in a creamy-white shade. 

Upon being approached by a staff member attempting to help them, they simply vanished around a corner, leaving no trace. Where to? Perhaps to attend a ghostly ball for the damned?

Unexplained events in guest rooms occur on occasion as well. One night, an occupant witnessed a glowing manifestation inside her room. The figure appeared to be a brown-haired young woman garbed in a lace dress. The guest believed the figure’s name to be Abigail.

Another guest encounter is even more peculiar. A young boy staying at the hotel described spying numerous small figures resembling Abraham Lincoln leaping about his room one morning. Staff were undoubtedly alarmed and confused by this, yet his mother bid them not to worry as strange things happened to them often.

After this event, the boy also revealed encountering a woman clothed in white brushing his hair. Could this have been the tuxedoed man’s companion, or was it perhaps the glowing presence of Abigail? It’s hard to say for sure. 

Ghostly Glitterati

One of the most renowned hauntings in the Grande Colonial manifests in the kitchen. While the kitchen was undergoing renovations, the spirits appeared to be especially active. Cabinet doors opened and closed, and stove burners switched on and off — even frying pans shifted about, according to a few staff members. 

Most of this activity has died down with the completion of the new restaurant, Nine-Ten, yet other mysterious events continue to occur nearby. In rooms above the bakery, staff and guests alike have recounted heavy footsteps, clearly audible voices, doors swinging, and even the sound of someone running down the stairs. Guests who call to complain are even more startled upon discovering the bakery is closed for the evening.

Who might this raucous behavior belong to? The bakery now sits in what was previously two apartments. In one room resided two men and the other two women. Known for hosting boisterous parties, one might assume this spirited foursome is currently attending a very different sort of after-party.

In another instance, an employee of the hotel disclosed seeing a figure shrouded behind a curtain. Upon investigation, he found no one there, and the window closed and locked. 

The most unsettling haunting is that of one particular room. This room, popular with actors and the elite seeking privacy, features a secluded entrance tucked away from prying eyes. Staff have reported calls coming from the unoccupied room late into the night, although no one is on the other end. 

Hotel employees who check the room always describe the same outcome: the room is empty, and the phone is off the hook. Who might this ghostly prankster be? Some theorize it is Groucho Marx himself, known for his mischievous behavior and playful antics.

Haunted San Diego

Today, the hotel’s 97 luxurious rooms are adorned in shades of blues, greens, and gold, harkening back to the hotel’s sophisticated heritage. Their elegant suites feature kitchenettes and sitting areas, with some even showcasing a fireplace. Rooms in the Grand Colonial’s North Annex appear to have a heavier amount of otherworldly activity, with rooms 235, 420, and 508 having the most documented phenomena.

Overall, the hauntings here land on the playful side of the ghostly spectrum rather than the sinister. In search of something more menacing? For more tales of spectral happenings and local hauntings, visit our blog. If you can muster up the courage to see some of them in person, book a ghost tour with San Diego Ghosts. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real California hauntings.

Sources:

https://www.aarp.org/travel/travel-tips/lodging/info-2022/haunted-hotels.html

https://www.houstoniamag.com/travel-and-outdoors/2017/10/searching-for-ghosts-san-diego 
https://www.gosandiego.com/hotels/the-grande-colonial-la-jolla/