Audio Transcript

A boutique hotel right on Hollywood Blvd, the Hollywood Roosevelt is the oldest continually operating hotel in Los Angeles. Having originally opened its doors on May 15, 1927, this hotel that has almost 100 years under its belt has seen a lot during its time and been a stopover for many-a celebrities.

In fact, this was the site of the first ever Academy Awards on May 16, 1929, and in addition to other events, has also played host to the Golden Raspberry Awards a number of times, which if you’re not familiar recognizes the year's worst in film—some titles that you might recognize that have received Razzie’s include:

• 2019’s Cats who won for Worst Picture

• Zac Efron who took home the 2017 award for Worst Actor for his Baywatch performance

• Dakota Johnson who won Worst Actress, also in 2017 for Fifty Shades Darker 

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This hotel has also cameoed in a variety of films and tv shows, including Catch Me If You Can, I Love Lucy and Beverly Hills Cop II. Not only has it made an appearance or two, it’s known for its very famous clientele, including some of its longer-term guests such as Marilyn Monroe who lived here for two years early in her career, Montgomery Clift who stayed during the filming of From Here to Eternity and Elizabeth Patterson who supposedly lived in the hotel throughout her career.

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So, clearly Marilyn Monroe isn’t the only famous guest still checked into the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, but she’s probably the most famous. It’s rumoured that Hollywood’s leading lady haunts her hold room, room 1200. Guests report seeing her in the mirror in her room, as well as in various mirrors around the hotel—including on outside of the management office that was formerly from Monroe’s room. One afternoon while an employee was dusting the mirror she reported seeing the “reflection of a sad, blonde woman.” But when she turned around to talk to her, there was no one there. When the employee turned back to the mirror she could see that the woman was in fact still there. Marilyn can also occasionally be seen in the mirror in the foyer.

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The actor Montgomery Clift, who you might know from films such as The Heiress and A Place in the Sun, hangs out inside and around his old room, Suite 928. Reports say that he’s often found in the room, outside the room pacing the hallway or on occasion lucky guests get a private concert when they find him playing his trumpet in the hallway. Guests also report that while he can’t be seen, they have felt his presence, And the housekeeping staff sometimes report feeling “something cold” brush by them or a presence watching or walking behind them.

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On one occasion, psychic Peter James decided to spend the night in Clift’s room. He reported feeling angry energy coming from the room when he stood outside the room. Later that night when he woke up, James felt something on top of him. He could barely move but managed to take a deep breath, move his arm and it was like the weight lifted off him. A few hours later he awoke again to see the apparition of Clift sitting in a chair at the corner of the room staring at him for an ungodly amount of time before getting up, walking towards the bathroom and disappearing.

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While not a famous ghost, Caroline a 5-year-old girl can be found some early mornings wandering the lobby. She wears jeans and a pink t-shirt with her hair in a ponytail, and can often be heard singing and seen skipping around the lobby. In 1992, psychic Peter James found her in the Blossom Ballroom and said she was looking for her mother who shared the same name. He later encountered her upstairs in the penthouse library where she confided that she was worried that her mom was hurt.

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Beyond Caroline, two entities are known to hangout in the Blossom Ballroom. The first is a tall man dressed in a tuxedo. Though he rarely makes an appearance, there is a 30-inch diameter cold spot that is apparently 10 degrees colder than the rest of the room. It’s said that he was an attendee at the first Academy Awards where he was nominated for a role—someone get this guy an Oscar so he can move on…The second entity in the Blossom Ballroom is seen playing the piano. He is a man wearing a white suit who disappears when he realizes he’s been spotted by the living.

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The pool area has also been reported as haunted at least once. Security guards saw what appeared to be people swimming one night after the pool had closed, so one went to check it out but saw nothing. He reported back on his radio that all was well and waved his hand at the camera and the security guard at the other end of the camera told him that he was waving his hand through an apparition's head.

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Beyond those encounters, guests have been locked out of rooms in instances where the door has mysteriously locked from inside. A housekeeper was once pushed into a closet by an unseen presence. The switchboard often gets called from unoccupied rooms, likewise the phones in empty rooms are often left off their receivers. And any attempts to film in known haunted places inside the hotel seem to be thwarted by unexplained electrical issues.

Suffice to say, this is probably one of the most haunted places on Hollywood Blvd. So, if you’ve got the extra cash and you’re looking for a little freight, we might suggest booking yourself a room.