The Fairmont Algonquin
This amazing hotel resort lies in the picturesque town of St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, New Brunswick. The hotel’s grand opening was in 1889 and quickly became known as an exquisite place of leisure. One of the most popular features was the “cure all” saltwater baths. This, coupled with clean air and local Samson Spring, were all believed to have healing properties.
The hotel was the enterprise of the St. Andrews Land Company. In 1903 the Canadian Pacific Railway Company took over ownership. The Algonquin suffered a fire in 1914 but soon recovered. The hotel was sold to local interests in 1970 and the Province of New Brunswick leased the property in 1973. The Province eventually purchased the Fairmont Algonquin in 1984.
Some notable guests who have stayed at the hotel include Sir John A. MacDonald, Bill Cosby, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lady Diana, Princess of Wales. Stephen King has also been a guest and some say the hotel may have given him the idea for “The Shining”.
Experiences
The hotel has had experiences attributed to twelve ghosts in all, but four of these ghosts are regarded to be the reason behind the main continuing unexplained phenomena.
- A bride is often heard crying in room 473, which has affectionately become to be known as “The Bride’s Room”. A bride did indeed die in this room in the early 1900’s and since then she has been seen in this room by both guests and staff periodically. Room 473 is considered to be the most haunted room in the hotel.
- A former night watchman has been heard walking up the back staircase as he clangs his keys on the railing.
- The lady in the dining room has been seen at night. She often rearranges the table settings and is thought to be a former employee.
- The bellman is another well-known ghost of the Fairmont Algonquin. This old fellow helps guests to their room as he tells them all about the hotel and the town. Tips are left at the front desk since the bellman disappears before he can accept them.
- Other strange occurrences that have happened at the hotel are things such as missing items on the fourth floor and door knobs that turn by themselves on the second floor. The sink taps have turned on at times on their own in the Library Bistro. The Algonquin’s tower has been closed for years but a light has been seen many times in it and also a lady dressed in white. Ghosts have also been seen in rooms 308 and 373 and a child has been heard laughing and playing throughout the hotel.
Investigations
February, 2007
Alison and Rob had a weekend getaway package for the Fairmont Algonquin so they decided to visit in February of 2007. Already aware of the Algonquin’s ghosts they thought that this would be the best time to go since it’s a quiet time of year and the old section of the hotel would be closed down for the season.
The first night they were there Rob just walked around exploring hoping to see something. Unfortunately, Rob didn’t. In fact, he didn’t even know he was in the old section until we found out later on from the front desk staff.
The duty manager told Rob that there were indeed no guests in the old section because they don’t use it in the winter. When he asked about the hotel’s ghosts they talked about stories and experiences. They wondered if we had heard or seen anything in the old section but Rob told them that he had not. The duty manager said that she’d be happy to take the two Grimmers on a tour the next night.
The next night the duty manager was a little busy and was unable to give us a tour. Unexpectedly, she gave us the key to room 473 which has been named the “Brides' Room", the most haunted room in the hotel! At this point we told the staff about Grim Undertakings. They were very open and accepting of us and gave us permission to conduct an impromptu investigation of the Bride’s Room. We started the investigation around midnight and it wasn’t till around 4 am that we were done.
We took both analog and digital pictures during this time without success. We left both audio and video running in the room, but upon review, no data was collected. Actually, there were two odd thumps and a slight shuffling/rustling near my camera, but being it is such an old building, this isn’t much to go on. It was already fantastic that I had the opportunity to stay at the Fairmont Algonquin, but this unexpected investigation sealed it as being a definite memorable experience. Alison and Rob would like to thank the staff for their hospitality and for embracing and accepting the ghosts that reside in their magnificent hotel.
Many thanks to A. Elaine Bruff, author of Mysteries of the Night: Tales & Ghosts of St. Andrews, since we learned a lot about the Fairmont Algonquin from her book.
