The hotel of insanity

The sunspree resort as it used to be called, has had a history of tragic events and supernatural occurrences for years, and the hotel’s reputation grew from a nice mountain resort to a haunted hotel. Between 1991 and 2010, the sunspree resort hosted the flocks of tourists that would visit Gatlinburg, and being one of the oldest hotels in the city, has acquired quite a few stories, most famously being the tale of Alvin.

Alvin was the hotel’s cook and worker and he operated in the sunspree resort tower. He was said to be an incredible cook that could make anyone’s mouth water just from the smell of his food. He worked there for thirteen years and during that time, the owners noticed just how much of a dedicated worker he was. Everyone who worked there knew that Alvin’s dream was to someday own a boat, so during his thirteenth year, the owners gifted one to Alvin to show their appreciation to his labor. Excited, Alvin took his new boat to the lake, where he violently crashed and sank the boat along with himself in it. Although Alvin drowned, he never left his workplace. Alvin still roams the hotel’s kitchens. He haunts the cooks, often whispering their own names into their ears and has a habit of throwing and smashing plates. The faucets in the kitchen turn on and off, with staff believing that Alvin is still there washing his hands after cooking one of his delicious meals.

Just like any other haunted hotel, there is always that one room that’s haunted more than any other. Room 471 is the sunspree’s own haunted room. The story goes that in the summer of 1999, a business man stayed in that room who had a peculiar habit. He would walk laps around the sunspree’s pool which was located right across from the room. He would walk for hours, until eventually when the pool closed he would return to his room. One day the man never left room 471, and when a maid entered to make sure he was okay, she discovered the man had shot himself with a 357. Speculation arose since the man left exactly 3.57 for a tip on his nightstand. Guests who stay at the hotel claim they see his shadow walk around the pool, and after dark, his shadow can be seen staring out of the window of 471.

During the late 80s, the hotel hosted a group of boy scouts on the 7th floor. The leader of the boy scouts suddenly went psychotic. He began killing some of the boys, and when he was finally stopped, blood stained the halls red as some of the boys attempted to run. This incident marked the beginning of the hotel’s dark history. After the incident, the hotel closed for the winter, and one of the workers was cleaning the 7th floor when he suddenly heard screaming and running all around him. At first he thought someone was playing a joke or pranking him, but no one was there since the hotel was closed. The hotel is still up for business to this day, so if you ever find yourself in Gatlinburg and you want to experience a good scare, book a room for a night and bring a crucifix.