Haunted Hotel, San Fran Style

Already lectured by my significant other that it was stupid to stay in Starwood Hotels, I think the Marriot gods answered his prayers and had it in for me on my latest trip to San Francisco. And boy did they. Realizing that the gorgeous St. Francis Hotel, recently acquired by Westin, was not only in my company policy but was also five star and would contribute to my Starwood Points, booked myself for what I thought would be two nights of luxury. I was wrong.

Let me preface this by saying that my experience will not- and shouldn't deter anyone- from staying at the hotel in the future. The service is top knotch, the architecture is elegant, and Bourbon Steak, the restaurant located inside the hotel, is insanely delicious. However, two nights ago, I decided to have a late night cardio sesh in the downstairs gym. On my way back to my floor, which was the twelfth, I decided to take the elevator to the Old Tower, which is the historic section of the floor. Upon getting off the elevator, and call me crazy, but this huge draft of freezingly cold air blew down the hallway so quickly that it even moved my clothes. Regardless of the fact that I still wasn't sure if this was supernatural or not, it took me by surprise, not to mention that the Shining-esque hotel surroundings made the experience all too creepy for my liking.
I was pretty shaken up, and decided to ask the concierge if there was a forceful air conditioner or something that that on the 12th floor- he would either think I was the craziest guest in the world, or provide me with some resolution to what happened. Well, after telling the concierge what happened, his facial expression quickly changed.
"There are no vents, or even windows, on the floor itself," he explained to me, "And we get notified about something like that happening once a week. Guests have felt wind, others have seen doors slam, and some have even seen the figure of a white apparation. A silent film star passed away on the twelfth floor in the twenties, and weird things have been happening up there ever since. I don't even go up there late at night."

I was totally tripped out, asked to have my room moved, but with the hotel entirely booked, ended up having a glass of wine and sleeping with the light on.

Maybe it was coincidence, but the fact that I was even sleeping on a floor deemed as haunted was enough to shake me up. The Westin St. Francis is a gorgous hotel in the heart of Union Square in San Francisco- Just don't stay on the twelfth floor. Needless to say, I wish I stayed at the Marriot.