Haunted Omni Parker House: Boston's Ghostly Hotel History

Yes, the Omni Parker House is widely considered one of the most haunted hotels in Boston. Staff and guests have reported everything from a mustached figure believed to be founder Harvey Parker to an elevator that keeps stopping on an empty third floor. Here's the haunted history behind the stories, and what's actually documented.

The Omni Parker House sits at 60 School Street, right across from King's Chapel and its old burying ground, in the heart of downtown Boston. It has been welcoming guests since 1855, and in a city this old, that's plenty of time for a few residents to decide they never want to check out.

A Short History of the Parker House

Harvey D. Parker opened the Parker House in 1855. It quickly became one of the city's most fashionable addresses, and it's often described as the oldest continuously operating hotel in the United States. Most of the original building was demolished in the 1920s, with one wing staying open while the current, larger hotel went up; it opened in 1927, so the doors never fully closed. It joined Omni Hotels & Resorts in the 1980s.

The hotel's fingerprints are all over American food culture. Both Boston cream pie and the soft, folded Parker House roll are credited to its kitchen, and you can still order them there today.

It was also a gathering place for literary Boston. The famed Saturday Club, a circle that included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne, met there regularly. Charles Dickens stayed at the hotel during his American reading tour of 1867–68, and a mirror he is said to have rehearsed in now hangs on the mezzanine.

The guest list kept growing. John F. Kennedy announced his first run for Congress at the hotel, and both Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh are said to have worked there as young men, Malcolm X in the restaurant and Ho Chi Minh in the kitchen.

Why Is the Omni Parker House Haunted?

A building that has hosted more than 170 years of travelers, celebrations and quiet endings is bound to collect stories. Most of the Omni Parker House haunted history centers on a few spots: the upper floors, the third floor, and that famous mirror. Here are the legends people tell most often.

Harvey Parker still checking on his guests

The best-known story belongs to the founder himself. Guests on the upper floors, particularly the tenth, have reported seeing a heavy-set older man with a dark mustache standing in the hallway or at the foot of a bed. In one oft-repeated account from 1950, an elderly guest described exactly such a man outside her door. Staff who heard the description reportedly recognized Harvey Parker, who was famously devoted to his hotel and its guests. He died in 1884, but the story goes that he's still making the rounds.

The elevator that stops on three

Another legend involves the actress Charlotte Cushman, one of the most celebrated stage performers of her day, who died at the Parker House in 1876. Staff have long told of an elevator that rises to the third floor on its own, opens its doors to an empty hallway, and waits. Some employees attribute it to Cushman. Others point out that old elevators do strange things. Either way, it's a hard story to shake when you're riding up alone late at night.

The Omni Parker House room 303 legend

No room at the hotel draws more questions than Room 303. According to the legend, a guest died in the room in the mid-20th century, and later visitors reported the smell of whiskey and the sound of laughter with no one else in the room. The story claims the room was eventually taken out of service and converted to storage.

You'll also hear rumors connecting Room 303 to Stephen King and his haunted-hotel-room story "1408." Those rumors have never been confirmed, and it's best to treat them as Boston ghost-tour gossip rather than fact.

Dickens's mirror

The mirror on the mezzanine, said to be the one Charles Dickens practiced his readings in, has its own reputation. Staff have reportedly noticed odd condensation appearing on the glass, and a playful legend says that saying "Charles Dickens" three times in front of it will summon something. We'd recommend admiring it quietly.

Is the Omni Parker House Really Haunted?

That depends on who you ask. What's certain is that the hotel has a long, rich history, a roster of famous guests, and a staff that has passed down ghost stories for decades. The reports are just that: reports, shared by guests and employees and repeated by Boston historians and ghost hunters. If you stay there, you'll most likely get a great night's sleep and a slice of Boston cream pie. If you get something more, you'll have a story to tell.

Visiting the Omni Parker House Today

The Omni Parker House is a working luxury hotel at 60 School Street in downtown Boston, along the Freedom Trail and steps from Boston Common, King's Chapel and Old City Hall. The lobby and its restaurant and bar are open to the public, so you don't need to be an overnight guest to soak up the atmosphere, try the hotel's namesake rolls, or take a look at the historic décor. Please be respectful of guests and staff, and remember that the guest floors are private.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Omni Parker House haunted?

It has a strong reputation as one of Boston's most haunted hotels. Guests and staff have reported sightings attributed to founder Harvey Parker, a self-operating elevator, and unexplained smells and sounds, though none of it has been proven.

What happened in Room 303 at the Omni Parker House?

Legend says a guest died in Room 303 in the mid-1900s and that later guests reported whiskey smells and laughter, leading the room to be converted to storage. The details come from ghost lore rather than documented records.

Who haunts the Omni Parker House?

The most common candidates are founder Harvey D. Parker, actress Charlotte Cushman, who died at the hotel in 1876, and, according to some, the lingering presence of Charles Dickens near his mirror.

Was Boston cream pie invented at the Parker House?

Yes, the hotel is widely credited as the birthplace of Boston cream pie, as well as the Parker House roll.

Boston has no shortage of haunted hotels, old taverns and eerie burying grounds, and the best way to hear their stories is with a drink in hand. Join a Nightly Spirits Boston haunted pub crawl and discover the ghostly side of America's most historic city.