The Benson Hotel

A luxury hotel built in 1913 by lumber magnate Simon Benson, featuring Italian marble floors, Austrian crystal chandeliers, and Circassian walnut paneling. Now part of the Curio Collection by Hilton.

The Benson Hotel opened on March 5, 1913, following an eight-year construction effort financed by Simon Benson, a Norwegian-born lumber magnate who had become one of Portland's wealthiest and most influential citizens. Benson wanted to build the finest hotel in the Pacific Northwest, and the result was a French Second Empire structure featuring imported Austrian crystal chandeliers, Circassian walnut paneling from the forests of Russia, and Italian marble floors. The hotel quickly became Portland's premier address, hosting presidents, dignitaries, and celebrities throughout the twentieth century. Among its most notable guests was Mitch Mitchell, drummer of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, who died of natural causes in his hotel room on November 12, 2008.

The most frequently reported ghost at the Benson is Simon Benson himself. Staff and guests encounter a well-groomed gentleman in a formal suit on the 7th, 9th, and 12th floors, as well as on the main staircase and in the bar. Benson was a lifelong teetotaler who famously installed twenty bronze drinking fountains throughout Portland to give working men an alternative to alcohol during their lunch breaks. Even in death, he apparently maintains his temperance crusade: bartenders have documented glasses being knocked from patrons' hands, bottles tipping over on their own, and drinks sliding across the bar as if pushed by an invisible hand. In the formal dining room, he has been observed motioning people to move before vanishing. Staff have also reported seeing Benson change from his formal suit into lumberjack attire, as though shifting between his roles as society figure and timber baron.

A second spirit, identified as a mischievous boy believed to be one of Benson's sons, haunts the 9th floor. He hides behind bedside tables and jumps out at guests, plays pranks that startle but never harm, and creates the sound of running footsteps in the corridor. Staff have taken to leaving candy and small toys in the hallways to encourage interaction with the child spirit.

Two female apparitions also wander the hotel. The Lady in White is described as a woman in a long white dress carrying a purse, walking purposefully through the corridors as if she is late for an appointment. The Lady in Blue appears specifically in the mirrors of the downstairs lobby, manifesting as a woman in a bright turquoise dress whose reflection is visible even when no one matching her description is in the room. A fifth spirit, a helpful porter, has been reported assisting disabled guests and guiding people down the staircase by placing a hand on their backs, continuing his duties of service long after death.

The Benson remains one of Portland's most elegant hotels and a regular feature on ghost tour itineraries. All five documented spirits are described as benevolent, ranging from Simon Benson's temperance-minded drink-swatting to the porter's quiet helpfulness, making the hotel one of the rare haunted locations where the ghosts seem genuinely concerned with their guests' well-being.