The Most Haunted Hotels in Cincinnati

Posted: 02.28.2025 | Updated: 02.28.2025

Cincinnati is home to countless haunted locations, but its hotels seem to be especially filled with ghostly activity. Former guests reportedly haunt hotels throughout the Cincinnati area, sometimes hundreds of years after their death. Whether it’s a quaint bed and breakfast or a luxury hotel, the lodgings of Cincinnati offer guests a ghostly refuge.

Want to learn about these hauntings on your next trip to Cincinnati? Book a ghost tour with Cincinnati Ghosts today to get the full story!

What Is The Most Haunted Hotel In Cincinnati?

Some say that Ohio’s oldest hotel, the Golden Lamb, is the most haunted, with hauntings dating back to the 1800s. 

Others will argue that it’s the lavish Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, which was the site of a gruesome death during its construction, and a tragic suicide on the day it opened. 

Finally, there is the Six Acres Bed & Breakfast, which served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, and is home to the spirits of the living it helped protect.

Golden Lamb Restaurant & Hotel

The Golden Lamb Restaurant & Hotel is the oldest operating inn in the state of Ohio, having opened in 1803. Located a short drive from downtown Cincinnati in the town of Lebanon, the Golden Lamb has gone by many different names, including the Ownly Hotel, Bradley, House, and Lebanon House. 

Over the years, it’s also provided lodging for numerous celebrities such as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Politicians spanning from John Quincy Adams to George W. Bush have also spent the night at the Golden Lamb.

Above all, the Golden Lamb is famous for being haunted. In fact, the Food Network named its restaurant as the most haunted restaurant in Ohio. The hotel even has its own historian who also keeps track of the hauntings. 

There are a few spirits who haunt the Golden Lamb for various reasons. One of the ghosts is Clement L. Vallandingham, a US Congressman who accidentally shot himself while staying at the hotel. Vallandingham died at the Golden Lamb and his spirit has haunted it for years. His presence is usually coupled with the smell of phantom cigar smoke.

The Ghost of a Young Girl

The other spirit is that of a young girl who might be the ghost of former resident Sarah Stubbs or former guest Eliza Clay. Eliza was the daughter of Henry Clay who served as Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams. She had fallen ill while traveling and died at the Golden Lamb, leading many to believe the ghost girl is her.

Others believe the ghost is Sarah Stubbs who lived at the hotel in 1882. She and her family moved in there after her father died, which was traumatic for both Sarah and her family. Although Sarah lived to be 79, some believe that her young spirit was imprinted on the Golden Lamb since she lived there at such a pivotal point in her life.

Whoever this girl is, she’s most often seen by living children whose parents cannot see her. One guest tripped and fell walking into his room and heard a young girl laughing at him. When he looked around, no one was there.

Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza 

The Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza is a luxurious Art Deco hotel located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati. When the hotel opened in 1931, guests were stunned by its opulence.

The mezzanine of the hotel featured a half acre of Brazilian rosewood paneling, and there was a Hall of Mirrors designed after the Palace of Versailles. When Winston Churchill stayed at the hotel, he was so impressed with the bathroom that he had an exact replica put in one of his homes. 

The most famous ghost at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza is the Lady in Green. She is believed to have been the wife of one of the thousands of men who helped build the hotel. 

This man was a painter who allegedly fell from some scaffolding and died on the floor of the hotel lobby. After the hotel opened, the wife booked a room and jumped to her death from a window. Her spirit has been seen ever since.

The Lady in Green

The Lady in Green is most often seen on the mezzanine of the hotel, in the Hall of Mirrors, and riding the elevators. One employee reported riding in the elevator one evening with a woman in a green dress. The two made small talk until the woman suddenly vanished. 

The employee was so shaken by the experience that he had to take a leave of absence. During another elevator ride, a pilot staying at the hotel ran out of the elevator exclaiming that a woman in green had appeared out of nowhere. The pilot was said to be trembling with fear.

When the Lady in Green manifests in the mezzanine and Hall of Mirrors, she is usually asking for help. One employee recalled her walking up to him and asking, “Excuse me, can you help me?” 

Even more alarming is when her voice is heard but her apparition doesn’t appear. Instead, people may feel the Lady in Green whisper in their ear or feel a cold breeze on their neck that sends them running in the other direction.

Six Acres Bed & Breakfast

In the historic College Hill neighborhood just 15 minutes from downtown Cincinnati sits the stately Six Acres Bed & Breakfast. During the Civil War, the house operated as a stop on the Underground Railroad. 

Six Acres was built sometime between 1850 and 1860 by a farmer named Zebulon Strong. Strong was a Quaker and abolitionist who helped enslaved people on their path to freedom. Strong hid people in the home and transported them via a wagon with a false bottom. 

After being neglected for years, Six Acres was purchased by sisters Kristin and Chelli Kitchen who painstakingly restored it. Kristin had a lifelong dream of owning the house after she attended a graduation party there during her high school years. 

She had felt an immense peace looking upon the house’s rolling landscape and spent years attempting to buy it from the developer who had allowed it to fall into disrepair. Kristin and Chelli eventually realized that the house was haunted and began referring to the ghosts as “the ancestors.”

Ghosts of the Underground Railroad and More

Several spirits are said to haunt the Six Acres Bed & Breakfast. One is the ghost of a formerly enslaved woman who has introduced herself to guests as “Grace.” Another Black woman wearing Quaker-style clothing has also been reported. Judging from her clothing, she’s believed to have been a servant of the original owner.

The spirit of a young Black boy who died in the home while traversing the Underground Railroad has also been spotted. An African healing circle is carved into the floorboards in the Six Acres’ attic where the boy died. 

The only disruptive spirit is that of an elderly white man who creates poltergeist-like phenomena. However, Grace’s spirit seems to have some control over his unpleasant behavior.

Staff and guests regularly see shadow figures who slip out of view once they have been spotted by the living.

Haunted Cincinnati

Wherever you decide to stay in Cincinnati, it’s worth asking the front desk if they know of any ghosts. Chances are, there might be a haunting or two to learn about.

Want to dive deeper into the haunted history of Cincinnati? Don’t forget to schedule a ghost tour today with Cincinnati Ghosts! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and keep reading our blog for more real Ohio hauntings.

Sources:

• https://www.citybeat.com/news/neatherland-plaza-hilton-ghost-hunt-12230471
• https://tiyamiles.com/the-ghosts-of-six-acres-an-african-american-owned-underground-railroad-house/
• https://www.goldenlamb.com/news/does-the-golden-lamb-have-ghostly-uninvited-guests/