The Monte Vista: My Stay in the Most Haunted Hotel in Arizona

I’ve always been a big fan of the paranormal and ghost stories. I’ve watched almost every episodes of Ghost Adventures, seen a ghost myself, and I love visiting haunted attractions and towns across the US. While it is fine to visit these places during the day, the thought of staying overnight is a bit scarier especially if you have watched 1408 (one of my John Cusack’s best in my opinion) too many times! During my time living in Flagstaff, I always wanted to book a room at the historic Monte Vista, a property long associated with spooky hauntings.

I never booked a room because honestly it seemed a bit pointless at the time as I would rather spend my money to travel somewhere new. However, I recently relocated to Phoenix and figured this would be the perfect opportunity to finally check it out. I had to stay somewhere, right? This hotel was actually cheaper than most other options and is centrally located to everything downtown.

Flagstaff is a 2 hour drive north of Phoenix and a great place to escape the dreadful summer heat and also enjoy snowy winter weather and sports when The Valley of the Sun is still sitting at 70 degrees which in all honesty gets very boring. Mike and I booked a recent trip up here for the 4th of July to enjoy the cooler temps and seasonal festivities which are lacking in Phoenix. It was a great time and we enjoyed our stay at the hotel. Not only does this hotel have a long history of hauntings, but also some big celebs have stayed here over the years. As a movie buff and a fan of spooky stories, this made a stay here all the more intriguing to me.

The second oldest hotel in town

In terms of opening date, this hotel comes in number 2 after The Weatherford (I really would love to say here one of these days too!). The Monte opened on New Year’s in 1927 so it will be celebrating its’ 100th anniversary next year. According to the property, the hotel was built in the 1920’s as a result of an increase in the city’s tourism. This led to a demand for more lodging.

It’s also now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s located just off historic Route 66 on San Francisco Street in the lively downtown district. The visitor center sells some cool Rt. 66 knick knacks. Flagstaff’s downtown is very walkable, lined with local business, and it is never boring (I love all the local restaurants!). You can walk to Wheeler Park which is home to numerous events (there was a 3 day art festival taking place during our recent trip).

You can’t miss the Monte as the bold neon really stands out amongst the smaller buildings. This is one of the few remaining of the retro neon signs which will probably all be gone in the future (let’s hope not). I learned years back during my visit to the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati that hotels and motels often used these signs to attract customers and it obviously worked as they are still eye catching. Interestingly, in this case, the neon sign was used to alert authorities of emergencies in town.

A few interesting historical tidbits according to the hotel itself:

I love reading up on the history of a place before I stay there. If you are interested, here are some historical tidbits about this long running hotel.

In the 1920’s, The KFXY radio station operated here with Mary Costigan, one of the first female broadcasters.

The cocktail lounge opened during the Prohibition Era as a newspaper publishing house (with rumors of bootlegging). Today, you can enjoy a drink here in a very lovely and fun setting. It’s one of the most colorful and fun places in town for a night out! It’s a great place to people watch and enjoy creative drinks.

There are tunnels connecting from Northern Arizona University to several businesses downtown including this hotel. Chinese immigrants were blamed for fires that broke out in the early 1900’s and were said to create the tunnels to escape harassment. Evidence of opium dens and moonshine were later found. You can learn more about the hotel’s historical significance on the Monte website.

We stayed in Humphrey’s Bogarts Room

Many famous guests have stayed at this property over the years including: Michael J. Fox, Humphrey Bogart, Jon Bon Jovi, Bob Hope, Bob Hope, Esther Williams, and Zane Gray. As a movie and music buff, I find this pretty cool.

I like how they mark each room with the guest who stayed there. We walked around the property to see who stayed in which room. Honestly, I am a big Back to the Future fan so I would have loved to say in Room 216 where Michael J. Fox stayed. We were booked in Room 409 which is marked as Humphrey’s room (he also stayed in 408 according to the sign next door).

The rooms are small and pretty outdated. Fortunately, we got a room with a Queen bed but there are also budget friendly hostel style rooms with shared bathrooms and signature rooms with jacuzzi tubs, and deluxe Queen rooms with a fireplace. The air conditioner did not work at all so we were pretty hot and miserable. The room had a lot of historical charm, just don’t expect modern luxury amenities. I would stay here if you are a history buff or ghost hunter. You may want to consider another hotel if you are seeking something more upscale.

The decor was unique with some Casablanca memorabilia. On a side note, most of the movie filmed in a studio, but one scene was shot at the hotel according to this Arizona Daily Sun article.

Other famous guests

Western movie actors: During the 40’s and 50’s many westerns shot around the desert. John Wayne, Jane Russell, and Gary Cooper all stayed here at one point which I find pretty cool.

Bing Crosby stayed in Room 213. He starred in over 100 films, one of my personal favorites being White Christmas.

Michael J. Fox stayed in Room 216. He is best known as marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy and Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties, although I also loved The Secret of My Success, Greedy, and Life with Mikey (3 underrated classics).

George Babbitt stayed in Room 301. He was a City Council member back in the early 40’s and also one of the founding families. I never made a connection between him and the Babbitt’s Backcountry Outfitters located right next door to the hotel.

Michael Stipe, the lead singer of R.E.M. stayed in Room 205.

Jon Bon Jovi, known for some of the best rock songs of all time like “Living on a Prayer” and “It’s My Life,” stayed in Room 305 which is the most haunted room on the property.

I didn’t know this before staying here as it is not listed on their website, but Robert Englund aka Freddy Krueger stayed in Room 310. I am a big horror movie buff, so this was a nice surprise.

Here are a few more famous guest rooms we noticed walking around:

Another nice touch was the old movie stills in the hallways. This gave the hotel more of a historic touch and I found it much more charming than your blah modern hotel hallway with watercolor prints.

The legendary ghost hauntings

Room 210: A phantom bellboy is said to haunt around this room. John Wayne reported seeing this ghost multiple times during his stays and reported him as friendly (I guess that is a good thing!). According to the hotel, some guests hear someone saying room service and open the door and no one is there. Pretty spooky – I don’t think I would be able to get back to sleep!

Room 305: Multiple guests report seeing a vision of a women on a rocking chair. Both hotel visitors and housekeeping staff have seen the chair move and heard knocks from inside the closet over the years. According to the hotel, there was a long term renter that used to sit in a chair by the window – maybe her energy still resides. I’ve watched enough ghost hunting shows to know that residual energy is a likely theory.

Room 306: Two prostitutes were killed here in the 40’s (they were thrown out the 3rd floor window). The hotel reports that some male visitors have felt a ghost cover their mouth and throat.

The basement: Cries of a baby are often heard by laundry staff and maintenance men.

Monte V bar: Staff members have seen a figment of a couple dancing in the bar area.

For more ghost stories you can talk to any staff members or browse stories on their website.

Rendezvous Bar

I love the colorful bar area. The decor is great and historic ambiance is charming enough where I don’t mind overpaying for a drink. The lounge room has plenty of comfortable seating or you can sit in the main bar area where you can look out the windows and enjoy some people watching along San Francisco Street. It was really bustling so much over the 4th of July weekend that they ran out of some of the beers!

Even before staying at this hotel, I used to occasionally come here for my morning coffee. They serve great coffee and cocktails so you can wake up with a cup of joe in the morning and enjoy the lively night scene. It is open to non hotel guests too so I recommend stopping by if you need a pick me up or a place to hang out for the evening. They offer a big selection of rotating local beers, a long list of specialty cocktails, and wine.

The hours are pretty great too, 2pm-2am (5pm on Wednesdays). I just wished that they served coffee a bit earlier (although they do offer free drip in the lobby). Live music takes place several days per week and they often host fun events like karaoke nights.

Also, I have not personally checked it out yet, but The Lotus Lounge (an Asian fusion/sushi restaurant) opened in 2017. It seems to be popular with tourists but I have my favorite go-to restaurants so I never have the time. There is also another bar called The Monte V but I haven’t been here yet (this is where staff see the dancing ghost couple).

The lobby is pretty small but you will find a few historical plaques and also a little model of the hotel.

Additional details

Location: 100 N San Francisco St.

Parking: There is a small complimentary lot. If you can’t find a spot, you will have to pay for a garage or find street parking.

Pricing: We paid around $170 for a night which isn’t bad over a holiday weekend. Rooms range from $100-300 depending on weekday vs. weekend and whether you get shared traveler or a larger room. Summer and fall are the priciest seasons.

Things to know: It can get very loud. The bar is open until 2am and we heard very loud people until then. The hotel recommends booking a room on the 3rd or 4th floor (it was still noisy for us though). Dogs are not allowed. Amenities include free Wi-Fi and drip coffee in the lobby in the morning.

What else to do downtown?

This hotel is the perfect base because you can walk to everything downtown from here. There are a number of great local restaurants and coffee shops. One of the things I love about this town is that it is so local – you never need to resort to a common chain here.

I am a big coffee drinker and this city has some great indie shops. I really love Late for the Train. It’s a long running local roaster that has never disappointed me. I miss their old location along Hwy 180 but their new bigger location downtown is nice too. They have a fantastic patio surrounded by trees and you can’t beat their dark roast coffee and perfectly made Americano. The breakfast burritos have always been a nice treat for fueling up before a hike. We recently tried their pastries for the first time and weren’t disappointed!

A few of my recommended dining options nearby:

Charly’s at the Weatherford: I like the historic ambiance inside the city’s oldest hotel, the patio, the Mac and Cheese, and the Navajo taco.

Karma Sushi: This is a fun place for a night out. The setting is modern and fun and the ramen and sushi rolls are fantastic.

The Toasted Owl Cafe: Great breakfast tacos, burritos, and coffee in a cute & eclectic dining room (I love the owl theme).

Cornish Pasty: Awesome pasties with a lot of vegetarian options too. I like the vegan Guinness Stew!

Beaver Street Brewery: A bit of a walk but worth it. Great craft beer selection & amazing apps. I love the Elote!

Skip these: Pizzicletta is overrated (the pizza was totally burnt on our last visit and the ambiance is noisy and uncomfortable), Martanne’s Burrito Palace (overrated and overcrowded with sub par food).

What else to do in Flagstaff?

In my opinion, the real benefit of vacationing here is exploring the ponderosa pine hikes (which will be even more of a treat if you are coming from Phoenix). If you will be in town longer, I recommend checking out the Grand Canyon (just 1.5 hours away) and all the other natural wonders in the area.

I’ve explored a lot of incredible places in my 5 years living in Arizona. For info on the best historic sites, hiking trails, natural wonders, and attractions throughout the state, check out my Arizona travel guide.