Lafayette Hotel

The Lafayette Hotel in Marietta, Ohio, rebuilt after a 1916 fire, is haunted by former owner S. Durward Hoag, who lived on the third floor for decades and reportedly checks on guests from beyond. Staff describe the activity as "innocent or funny," including a self-operating elevator, rearranged suitcases, and a Bible mysteriously opened to the Book of Jeremiah.

A guest returned to their room at the Lafayette Hotel to find their sandwich missing. It reappeared the next morning on the coffee table, untouched.

This is the kind of haunting the Lafayette Hotel in Marietta, Ohio deals in. Not terror, not violence, just low-grade mischief from spirits who seem more interested in housekeeping than harm. General manager Sheila Rhodes puts it simply: "Talking with guests, most supernatural reports are innocent or funny." Nobody has reported anything frightening, which makes the Lafayette one of the friendliest haunted hotels in the state.

The building at 101 Front Street originally opened in 1892 as the Bellevue Hotel. A fire destroyed it in 1916, and within two years it was rebuilt and renamed the Lafayette Hotel in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, who visited Marietta in 1825 during his farewell tour of the United States. The hotel sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum rivers, in a town that was the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory.

S. Durward Hoag purchased the hotel in the early 1930s with his father. The Hoag family lived on the third floor for decades, treating the hotel as both business and home, until Hoag sold the property in the early 1970s. He is the prime suspect for most of the ghost activity.

"A lot of people think that it's Mr. Hoag still kind of watching over his hotel and making sure things are as they should be," Rhodes says. Guests on the third floor have reported a man's figure walking through the room, pausing to sit in a chair by the window, then vanishing. One visitor captured a partial video of the figure before it disappeared.

The elevator operates on its own with some regularity, traveling to the sixth floor and returning without anyone pressing a button. Guests have returned to their rooms to find suitcases turned upside down. On one notable occasion, a Bible was found open on a nightstand, turned to the Book of Jeremiah. The guest who reported it swore they had not touched the book.

A woman in Victorian-style clothing has been seen in corridors on multiple floors. Her identity is unknown, but staff describe her as a separate presence from the Hoag activity. She walks with purpose and does not interact with guests.

In the basement, a spirit the staff call Thomas is reportedly a young boy. Investigators who have visited have described the presence as playful and childlike, consistent with the general tone of the hotel's hauntings. Nothing aggressive has been documented downstairs, though the basement's temperature runs warmer than expected and the overall atmosphere is unsettling in a way that is hard to pin on any specific feature.

A woman's spirit in the basement-level women's restroom has reportedly locked doors and turned off lights on guests. This is about as hostile as the Lafayette gets.

Doors close on their own throughout the building. Showers turn ice cold for a moment, then return to normal. The Hoag family, even in death, appears to run a tight ship.

The Lafayette has leaned into its reputation. Hidden Marietta Tours operates ghost tours that include the hotel, and staff are happy to share stories with interested guests. The hotel is also a genuinely lovely place to stay, with riverfront views, period furnishings, and a dining room that locals actually use. The haunted angle is a bonus, not the main attraction.

Rooms can be booked directly through the hotel at lafayettehotel.com or by calling 740-373-5522. Requesting the third floor is the obvious move for anyone hoping to meet Mr. Hoag.