The Most Haunted Hotels in Virginia Beach

Posted: 03.07.2025 | Updated: 03.07.2025

The area surrounding Virginia Beach is home to some of the oldest inns in the entire United States. Some hotels have been operational for more than a hundred years, serving thousands of guests in that time. Over the years, tragedy has befallen some of these inns — turning what may have just been a historic hotel into a haunted hotel. 

Hotels are only one piece of the spectral puzzle of Virginia Beach. If you want to see some of the most shadow-laden locations in the area, book a ghost tour with Neptune Ghosts. 

What is the most haunted hotel in Virginia Beach?

While there are several haunted hotels around Virginia Beach, some really take eerieness to the next level. The most haunted hotels near Virginia Beach include:

• The Cavalier Hotel 
• The Chamberlin Hotel
• Glencoe Inn

From the deathplace of a famous brewer to a heartbroken daughter waiting for her father to return from sea, these inns have ghosts who have seemingly checked in for eternity. 

The Cavalier Hotel: Where One of America’s Great Brewmasters Died

Built over 100 years ago in the 1920s, the Cavalier Hotel astounded the Virginia Beach community when it was finished. The opulent hotel continued to win people over with its state-of-the-art features, like private bathrooms for every room and luxurious bathtubs that had the option to fill the tub with regular hot water or seawater for a unique bathing experience. 

Before long, the Cavalier was drawing esteemed guests like Bing Crosby, Muhammad Ali, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra, and more. One of these guests included Adolph Coors Sr., the founder of the Coors empire. 

The Violent End of Adolph Coors 

Adolph Coors’ story could have been the template for “the American Dream.” Born in Germany, Coors stowed away on a ship as a young man and came to America. Once here, he transformed a humble brewery in Colorado into one of the most successful breweries in the entire country. 

Yet, it seems the process of attaining his success made Coors a very serious man. It was said he required his family to eat dinner in silence at their Colorado mansion. 

Regardless of his personality, in 1929, Coors was a sick man. At 79 years old, he had just gotten over influenza, which nearly took his life. On the advice of his doctor, Coors and his wife Louisa headed to Virginia to spend some time relaxing at the new Cavalier Hotel. 

A few weeks into their stay, it seemed like Coors was starting to get better. That was, until a fateful morning when staff heard a crash outside the ground floor lobby. Rushing out, they found Coors’ body on the pavement — directly below his sixth story room. 

It was never determined if Coors jumped, or if something more nefarious happened, like his wife pushing him. Regardless of how he died, many guests have claimed to have seen his ghost wandering around the hotel to this day. 

The Kind Bellhop Ghost

Another resident spirit at the Cavilier Hotel is a friendly bellhop who stands on the stairs between the fifth and sixth floors. The man will gently warn guests to keep an eye out for apparitions during their stay. 

When a guest turns back to ask a question, the bellman has disappeared into thin air.

The Chamberlin Hotel: Where a Lonely Girl Awaits Her Father

While it now operates as a senior living community, the Chamberlin Hotel long offered one of the best views of any hotel that overlooked the Chesapeake Bay.  

The hotel was built a short drive from Virginia Beach to overlook Fort Monroe: a historically protected area that gives a glimpse into what life was like in the early days of our country’s history. 

However, senior citizens aren’t the only occupants of the grand building. Former guests of the hotel are said to still linger around the halls — giving a new meaning to the phrase “late checkout.” 

The Heartbroken Daughter

One of the most commonly spotted ghosts is a young girl who spends her time looking out the windows of the ballroom. Many years ago, the girl lived in the hotel with her father, a fisherman. 

One day, the girl’s father went out to sea — and never returned. Her spirit has never been able to accept that he’s gone, so she continues to gaze out to the water in hopes of finding him. 

If she does get tired of looking out the window, she occupies her time by playing the grand piano in the ballroom. If someone peers inside the room to compliment the player, however, the piano sits unoccupied. 

The Confederate Soldier

Another regular ghost is a man dressed up in a full Confederate uniform. He too doesn’t seem very interested in the residents of the building. Instead, he keeps his gaze set on Fort Monroe. 

Did the man see combat on the land he so intently watches over? Is that where he took his last breath? Does he hope to be reunited with his fellow soldiers?

The spirit doesn’t seem keen to give any hints away about his objective, as he disappears if anyone gets too close. 

Glencoe Inn: Where Roses Represent a Spectral Connection

Just down the road in Portsmouth lies one of the most haunted hotels in the greater Virginia Beach area: Glencoe Inn. 

There’s one ghost who has put Glencoe Inn on the map as far as otherworldly activity — an elderly woman spirit. This woman isn’t frightening to the guests of the inn, however. Instead, she is often spotted diligently working in the rose garden. 

Is the mysterious apparition a former gardener for the inn? Or perhaps she was even the owner in another lifetime? 

While her identity may remain a mystery, the rose-loving woman will often bring her hobby inside. Guests and staff will suddenly smell a strong scent of roses in the main hall, sometimes in the dead of winter when no roses are to be found anywhere on the property. 

Haunted Virginia Beach

While the ghost stories of the haunted inns of Virginia Beach center around former guests, many of the spirits who roam Virginia Beach have a different backstory: they died at sea. 

These lost souls included sailors who fought valiantly during the Revolutionary War and ended up being sent to Davy Jones’ Locker with their ship. Passengers crossing the Atlantic to the American colonies also suffered a similar fate when they faced bad weather. This included a young mother and her children, who can still be heard crying out next to the Norwegian Lady’s statue. 

Coast Guards who met their end trying to save others from the cold waters of Chesapeake Bay are said to still roam the Old Coast Guard Station, perhaps trying to continue to save people in their death. 

To learn more about the lives lost and lingering spirits in Virginia Beach, schedule a ghost tour with Neptune Ghosts; and be sure to keep your eyes peeled. You never know who you might see.

Want to learn about other haunted hotels around the U.S.? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to discover some of the most haunted inns in the entire country. To read more about the ghost stories of Virginia, check out our blog. 

Sources:

• https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/stays/virginia/va-haunted-hotels
• https://neptuneghosts.com/
• https://www.cavalierresortvb.com/the-historic-cavalier-hotel
• https://crimecapsule.com/who-killed-beer-magnate-adolph-coors/
• https://www.visitvirginiabeach.com/blog/post/haunted-virginia-beach/#:~:text=The%20Cavalier%20Hotel,encounters%20in%20the%20grand%20lobby.
• https://www.dailypress.com/2002/10/27/ghost-stories-3/
• https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/stays/virginia/va-haunted-hotels