One of D.C.'s oldest haunted hotels is going all out for Halloween with a suite that is sure to scare even the bravest travelers. Click through the photos to see the images and read the story of The Hay-Adams' Transylvania suite.
On the corner of H and 16th Streets in Northwest, D.C. sits one of Washington’s most prestigious five-star hotels: The Hay-Adams.
With classic décor and suites overlooking the White House, the boutique hotel is the very definition of refined luxury. But come Halloween weekend, the hotel’s pristine appearance will channel its darker side — and guests will be in for a good scare.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Six floors up, weary travelers will be greeted by a few uninvited guests when they open the doors to the hotel’s “Transylvania Suite.”
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
“We thought it would be fun to do something nontraditional, but in a very traditional Hay-Adams way,” says the hotel’s manager Colette Marquez. The Halloween-themed suite is available to book Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31 — that is, if you dare. After all, rumor is that the hotel, built in 1928, is haunted.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Guests who stay in the Transylvania suite will be treated to spooky cocktails and an in-room spirited three-course dinner with wine pairings.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Just be careful … You may not be dining alone.
The package also includes a “frighteningly outfitted butler,” a gift collection of old and new horror DVDs, and a few other surprises.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
The suite was decorated by designer Barbara Hamilton of the Ociana Group.
“It’s very Halloween, but very beautiful, really — very intricate and very classy,” Marquez said about the décor.
Black lampshades replace the classic white, spider webs hang from every corner, and creepy old photos send a chill up the spine.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
The Hay-Adams was built on the site of the former homes of John Hay and Henry Adams. Marquez says rumor has it that the hotel is haunted by the ghost of Clover Adams, the wife of Henry Adams, who committed suicide at the time the home on H and 16th Streets was being built.
“There are some rumors that there is a friendly, ghostly spirit that sometimes resides on the fourth floor of the hotel,” Marquez says. “She hugs housekeepers at times. There’s been a reporting of some white doves in some of the rooms.”
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Guests will do a double-take at the photos on the wall in the Transylvania suite. Many have been replaced by creepier portraits.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Even the bathroom is outfitted with Halloween décor. The suite overlooks Lafayette Park and the White House.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Even though it’s spooky, the canopy bed in the Transylvania suite is still outfitted in custom designed Italian linens, you’ll just have to look past the cobwebs.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Need to make a call for help? You’re out of luck. Next to the bed, guests will find a book of curses, rather than the hotel’s directory.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
In the morning — if they make it — guests will be treated to an in-suite breakfast and spicy Bloody “Scaries” to celebrate their escape from a hauntingly special evening. As of Oct. 29, the suite is still available for both Oct. 30 and 31. More information is available on the hotel’s website .
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania