Empty corridors in darkness, tales of murders in rooms on far-off floors... Hollywood has put hotels at the heart of many a horror story – from the Bates Motel in Psycho, to The Overlook Hotel in The Shining. There are plenty of real-life hotels that could just as easily send shivers down the spine though.
All over the world, abandoned former tourist properties that once thronged with life have been left eerily derelict. While most are taken over, refurbished or knocked down, others remain standing, with ghostly tales to tell. Here's our rundown of some where you definitely wouldn't want to check in...
Kupari, Croatia
Beachgoers soak up the sun in front of abandoned Kupari resort's Grand Hotel. Kupari, once a glamorous military resort, is now a haunting 'Bay of Abandoned Hotels', after becoming severely damaged during the Croatian War of Independence. Just 12 kilometres from the bustling city of Dubrovnik lies the remote village with crumbling hotels that offer a glimpse into Croatia's turbulent past. At its peak, the complex featured six hotels – Pelegrin, Kupari, Goričina, Goričine II, Mladost and Galeb – along with a large campsite that once accommodated up to 4,000 lower-ranking soldiers. However, the resort's success came to an abrupt end in the 1990s, as Yugoslavia broke out in civil war. During the Croatian War of Independence, the Yugoslav People's Army attacked their own home in Kupari in an effort to drive out Croatian troops – but, by the time the fighting came to an end, the area was in ruins. Though Kupari briefly served as a Croatian army base between 1998 and 2000, the hotels were left to perish, with remaining materials salvaged by locals. Now, Kupari could be entering a new chapter, with the Guardian reporting last year that a €150million (£130million) redevelopment plan is in the works.
Hotel Añaza, Spain
Hotel Añaza has been an unsightly view for more than 50 years on the coast of Acorán. Hotel Añaza – known locally as the 'Ghost Hotel' – has stood as an urban eyesore for more than five decades on the coast of Acorán, just south of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The beachfront hotel in Spain that has been lying in ruin for over 50 years has been earmarked for demolition – a project that is expected to cost taxpayers €2.3million (£2million). The 22-storey Y-shaped structure, first constructed in 1973, is one of the most notorious abandoned landmarks in the Canary Islands – not just for its haunting appearance, but for the dark history of five lives lost within its walls. In response to decades of safety concerns, tragic accidents, and ongoing complaints about its detrimental impact on the coastal landscape, local authorities have finally confirmed that the building will be demolished. Five people have died after entering the building illegally, including a 13-year-old girl in December 2025. Fatal incidents include parachute jumps from the roof and falls through exposed gaps, while others have filmed daring parkour videos inside the structure. Trespassers now face fines of more than €500 (£437).
The Burj Al Babas, Turkey
The creepy Burj Al Babas abandoned villas in Mudurnu Town. It might sound delightful – but this collection of identical tiny castles has a truly uncanny feel. In the Turkish countryside, hundreds of identical neo-gothic villas stand starkly in the hillside, a project like something from a Disney film-set, which was left to rot in Turkey's recession. The stunning black-capped white villas rise in a valley beneath hillsides covered in pines, like miniature Neuschwanstein Castles planted in the East. The 587 partially built villas in the Bolu region each cost around £400,000, but they have stood empty ever since Turkey's economy took a dive. The ambitious Burj Al Babas project was supposed to entice Arab buyers; rather than travel to Europe, they could have a Medieval castle in Turkey. But the sprawling mass of unfinished dwellings stand as a totem of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's failure to overcome his country's economic situation. After years of growth, the economy took an unexpected downturn, AFP reported, with many economists predicting a recession for the country in 2019. The stunning development is emblematic of many less spectacular builds across Turkey which have been left to rot as the economy falters.
Stoke Rochford Hall, UK
The Grade I-listed property was on the market and has now been sold. Time stands still at the almost abandoned Stoke Rochford Hall. The grand stately pile, with a colourful past, remained empty for over a year – but was recently sold for an undisclosed sum to The Timeless Collection in February this year. The last residents living in luxury in the imposing Victorian mansion with stunning landscaped gardens were asylum seekers, but they were given their marching orders after a Government contract with the hotel company abruptly ended. It has had its doors firmly closed to guests and visitors. The only people allowed access to the historic property – surrounded by 30 acres of land in the sleepy village of the same name, near Grantham in Lincolnshire – were a handful of staff. Caretaker Colin previously told the Daily Mail: 'It's a beautiful building and location, but it needs people. It's been empty for a long time, 17 months, and we want to see it full with guests once again and back to life. It's like a ghost hotel. It's a shame it's unloved and unloved in.' Patrick Leoni Sceti, director at The Timeless Collection, said: 'We are pleased to acquire Stoke Rochford Hall. The combination of its historic character, extensive accommodation, and beautifully landscaped 28-acre estate offers an exceptional opportunity to reposition this incredible building. We look forward to preserving its rich heritage whilst exploring its full potential.'
Varosha, Cyprus
The Angolis Hotel Flats is one of several large hotel 'ghosts' in the area. Varosha lies in a UN buffer zone that separates Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus, and is under the control of the Turkish military. The Greek Cypriot residents fled in 1974 when Turkey invaded – and Varosha has been a ghost town ever since. Dimitri Bourriau, who specialises in capturing the beauty of abandoned buildings, took photographs of several abandoned hotels in the area. He captured an 'impressive cascade of vegetation' on the front of the Angolis Hotel Flats, one of the many hotel 'ghosts' in the region.
Hyatt Orlando Resort, Florida
An urban explorer shared a series of haunting images of the abandoned hotel resort. This hotel was built originally in the 1970s as the Hyatt Orlando Resort, with more than 3,400 hotel rooms and a convention center, it was a peak tourist hub. Its popularity was initially boosted due to its proximity to nearby attractions like Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. But the situation soon changed and by the end of the 1990s it had already changed ownership several times before being renamed the Orlando Sun Resort and reopening in 2007. Its revival was brief and it closed for good in 2010 – now standing as a ghostly monument to its former glory. Photographs reveal the state of disrepair the park has fallen into in the years since the doors were shuttered.
Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel, Liberty, New York
Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel is one of many Borscht Belt hotels that shut down over the years. Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel was a part of the buzzing Borscht Belt vacation scene in the Catskill Mountains. The Borscht Belt refers to the popular summer resort in New York favoured by Jewish families, in particular Eastern European Jewish immigrants. Grossinger's resort was the jewel of a vibrant vacation scene after the Second World War, that saw thousands of Jewish families flock to the verdant Catskill Mountains during summertime, earning the area its name. However, it was abandoned in 1986 after Grossinger's descendants sold it – and has remained empty ever since. And a devastating fire engulfed a building at New York's historic Grossinger resort in 2022, marking a new low for the abandoned hotel that served as the inspiration for the 1987 film Dirty Dancing and hosted celebrities. The fire took six hours to put out, and authorities are currently investigating the cause of the fire, according to a Liberty Fire Department Facebook post.
Polissya Hotel, Pripyat, Ukraine
The ghost town of Pripyat – and its Polissya hotel – was greatly affected by the Chernobyl disaster. The Polissya hotel, in the abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine, is a striking reminder of the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. Originally built in the 1970s as accommodation for guests visiting the nearby Chernobyl Power Plant, the hotel was half destroyed as a result of the explosion. Travel companies now offer tours to the hotel, which has become one of the city's most famous attractions, having starred in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Tourists are still required to have radiation testing, despite the disaster happening almost thirty years ago.
