The Radisson Hotel Albuquerque

Located at 2500 Carlisle Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, the Radisson Hotel and Water Park was built in 1971. The hotel offers New Mexico’s first indoor water park, in addition to the usual hotel amenities, such as wireless internet, in-room coffee, and a fitness center.

Image by Octavio Ramos Jr.

It is unclear why the Radisson Hotel is considered a haunted place, but there have been many eyewitness accounts of strange happenings in the hotel, particularly on the third floor. This floor has since been closed off after the hotel’s renovation, adding even more mystery to the place. There are many stories about the third floor (it supposedly once had a bar that was partly destroyed; the floor is covered with countless pillow feathers). Hotel managers keep parts of the third floor under lock and key, with some rooms used for human resources. Management is supposedly tightlipped about the third floor.

Folks who have stayed at the hotel claim to have heard strange noises at night. Noises include scratching and bumping, but perhaps the worse noises consist of bloodcurdling screams that apparently come from a woman. Another phenomenon reported by guests is that they are shaken awake during the middle of the night. Some claim that the hands that shook them were small, much like a child’s hands.

According to staff members who have worked at the hotel, an incident occurred in 1976 that may play a role in the hauntings. Supposedly, a local and married politician used the hotel to rendezvous with a young woman who was the man’s mistress. When the wife discovered the affair, she followed them to their hotel room, where she killed them both and then hanged herself in the room’s bathroom. Supposedly, the ghosts of these people walk the hotel, and some guests have reported quiet sobs coming from outside their rooms’ walls. Another rumor is that the room, now permanently locked, still has blood on the carpet and the bathroom’s tub, sink, and tile.