The Oxford Hotel

One of Denver's oldest hotels, built in 1891 near Union Station in the LoDo district. The Oxford Hotel features Victorian-era architecture and was designed by Frank Edbrooke, who also designed the Brown Palace.

The Oxford Hotel opened in 1891, designed by architect Frank Edbrooke -- the same man behind the Brown Palace Hotel -- making it the oldest grand hotel still operating in Denver. Located at 1600 17th Street in the heart of what is now the LoDo district, the Oxford was built to serve the flood of travelers arriving at nearby Union Station during Colorado's mining boom. It quickly became one of the city's premier establishments, rivaling the Brown Palace for prestige. But on September 8, 1898, Room 320 became the scene of a crime that would haunt the hotel for more than a century.

Twenty-four-year-old Florence Montague entered Room 320 and found her husband in bed with another woman. In a rage, she shot him in the stomach and then turned the gun on herself. Both died in the room. Ever since that night, Florence has never left. Hotel public relations representative Julie Dunn has acknowledged the haunting openly: "She'll turn the faucet on and off, she'll turn the lights on and off, she'll pull the covers back." Male guests sleeping alone in Room 320 report being awakened by unseen hands tugging at their arms and ripping the bedsheets away. Some have described being scratched, pushed, or even feeling hands around their throats, waking up gasping for air with red marks on their necks. Long scratch marks have appeared on guests' backs and arms overnight. Florence's reflection has been seen in the room's mirrors -- a woman in Victorian clothing, her face contorted with fury. Hotel staff have become cautious about assigning Room 320 to men traveling alone due to the intensity of the encounters.

The Cruise Room bar, which opened in 1933, harbors its own resident spirit. Bartenders and patrons have repeatedly witnessed a man in an old-fashioned postal uniform walk into the bar and order a beer. He mutters about needing to "get the gifts to the children" before drinking and vanishing, sometimes leaving a full bottle behind on the bar. The ghost is believed to be a mailman from the early 1900s who set out to deliver Christmas presents to children in the mountain town of Central City but never arrived. The townspeople assumed he had stolen the gifts. When the snow melted at winter's end, his partially frozen and decomposed body was found near Central City, the undelivered presents still with him.

In the women's restroom near the lobby, guests are sometimes startled by the apparition of a scruffy, bearded man in late Victorian clothing -- nicknamed "the peeper" -- who leers down with a gigantic grin before vanishing the moment someone screams. One hotel employee reported seeing his full apparition standing in the corner of the restroom, staring intently at her. She refused to work late shifts afterward. Security found no one when they checked. The hotel's historic elevator, one of the first in Denver, frequently operates on its own, traveling to floors where no one pressed the button. Staff have reported seeing a shadowy figure inside the car when the doors open, only to find it empty. Bathroom stalls throughout the hotel lock themselves, and sinks turn on and off during the night.

The Oxford Hotel embraces its reputation as Denver's most actively violent haunting. Paranormal investigators who have been granted access report that the spirits here are unusually hostile and aggressive compared to other locations. Room 320 remains available for booking -- though guests are typically warned about what might await them after dark.