Post by Joanna on Nov 21, 2013 3:29:57 GMT -5
Is Bradenton's Hampton Inn Haunted?
The former Manatee River Hotel in Bradenton, Florida, has welcomed thousands of guests in its 87 years, but some are wondering if a few never checked out. Yes, Bradenton could have its own haunted hotel. Much of the building was gutted during its $21 million renovation to become the Hampton Inn & Suites, to form new rooms and walls, but a new door never stopped a ghost.
The stories can cause chills in those who believe, which is why Liz and Ron Reed of the Paranormal Society of Bradenton want to scan the hotel for ghosts and spirits of Bradenton’s past. “My husband and I are dying to get in there,” Liz Reed said. The two have every reason to believe entering the Hampton Inn is like entering The Twilight Zone. “It’s probably more active now that it’s renovated because it has been disturbed and has changed things around,” she added. “Sometimes that can make it more active.”
At one time, the hotel at 309 10th Street, West was an assisted living and retirement home, where at least a few people spent their final hours on Earth, but, according to Ms. Reed, those spirits might not be the ones roaming the halls at night. “It could be someone who loved the hotel, and their spirit decided to return,” she said.
Several recent tales seemingly support the contentions of the ghost-hunting pair. Perhaps the spookiest is from Bradenton Police Sgt. Tony Cerniglia. While talking to a security guard contracted to protect the property during the renovation, the guard told him a tile worker noticed something on the fourth floor. “The tiler was doing tiling and said he looked down a hallway and saw a white female in a white dress at the end of the hallway. He put it on his cellphone and got a good picture of it,” he said. But Cerniglia hasn’t seen the photo himself. That’s how these stories usually go – somebody hears it from someone but hasn’t experienced it for themselves.
There are rumors the seventh floor is the most active for supernatural activity. Dave Gustafson, director of the Bradenton Downtown Development Authority, said there are tales of people claiming objects are magically rearranged when they return, during a time the housekeeping staff was nowhere around. He also has heard second-hand stories of accounts of police walking their beat seeing human figures in the windows while the hotel was closed for renovations.
Police Chief Michael Radzilowski said he doesn’t recall any calls for service at the hotel through the years for paranormal activity, and he hasn’t seen any ghosts, either. But seeing ghosts isn’t necessary, it’s feeling their presence, Ms. Reed explained. She claims spirits can be detected with voice recorders, infrared cameras, laser grids and electromagnetic field detectors.
The tales, passed on from generation to generation in Bradenton, allege Clark Gable, Babe Ruth and Greta Grabo all stopped in at the Manatee River Hotel. Famous gangster Al Capone supposedly once stayed here, too. He did own property in St. Petersburg and Miami, and Bradenton might have been the best place to stay the night to and from. When the hotel was being renovated in the mid-2000s, local investor Darrell Reha was making improvements to the building before he wanted to bring condos to the assisted living home. During renovation, the contractor found a gun in the penthouse that appeared to be a .38 special revolver, Cerniglia recalled. “I guess it was actually initialed A.C., which stood for Al Capone,” he added. The contractors also found a guest log with Capone’s signature on it, Cerniglia was told, but no one knows what happened to either the gun or logbook. A 1992 story about an auction of Capone’s belongings indicated one of the items available was a glass water pitcher engraved with the initials A.C., so a gun with his initials isn’t out of the question.
Gustafson does not believe in ghosts, but at least one experience challenged his skepticism. During his honeymoon 20 years ago, he stayed in an old building in Charleston, S.C., where he was awakened in the middle of the night by phantom singing. Maybe those spirits in transition are here, too, in Bradenton, and haunted hotels could be another segment for tourism. “I think it’s another opportunity, and I think it’s really cool,” he observed.
Hotel staff members are aware of the legends, but until there is proof – and there never will be – the stories are open to interpretation. For what it’s worth, the hotel was full during its opening night, and Wednesday morning, staff didn’t have any reports of paranormal activity or bumps in the night, said Kelly Ann Dixon, director of sales and marketing for the hotel. “With its unique and colorful background, there always could be a chance,” she admitted during a recent evening tour of the top floors. She also said the Reeds are welcome to book a room and use their instruments to satisfy their curiosity. “We welcome everyone as guests,” she quipped.
The chance of seeing ghosts already prompted at least one visitor to stay the night. Nick Walsh, 11, was with his grandmother Mary Walsh at the hotel Tuesday, and part of the first family to check in. The 11-year-old said one of the reasons he wanted to come to the historic hotel was because of the stories. “I heard that there’s ghosts,” he said.
Brian Long, director of development for the hotel’s operator, Widewaters Hotels, isn’t sure if he should embrace ghost stories at his hotels. Another group wanting to investigate paranormal activity contacted him during the Hampton Inn’s construction, but he politely declined. “I don’t know if it’s a benefit or a deterrent,” he said. “To a 3-year-old girl, that could be a deterrent.” Has he experienced any ghosts? “I haven’t run into any,” he admitted. “And if I would, I might not tell you.”
Sources: Charles Schelle, The Bradenton Herald, November 21, 2013, and The Manatee River Hotel.
