10+ Terrifying Hotel Stories That Sound Straight Out of a Nightmare

Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, right? But sometimes, a dream getaway can turn into a real-life nightmare. From haunted hotel rooms to unsettling encounters abroad, these Reddit users shared their creepiest, most uncomfortable travel experiences — and we still have chills. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just planning your next weekend escape, these stories might make you double-check your hotel room... and maybe sleep with the lights on.

• My dad went to a hotel once and checked in to a first floor room. He went in the room, put his stuff down, opened the curtains...and a man was hiding there. My dad went “excuse me,” closed the curtains, got his stuff and left. Went to the front desk to explain that a man was hiding in his room.
  Turns out the guy had just robbed a place and somehow got into the room with an open window. © arcant12 / Reddit
• My mom was traveling for work and sat next to a man (fellow business traveler) on the plane. They had a casual conversation and exchanged business cards. Later that evening, she’s in her hotel watching TV and gets a phone call from the front desk that her husband is here, and they want to know if they can give him a key to the room. Turns out the man on the plane was pretending to be her husband to try to get into her room. © mmmannino / Reddit
• I was travelling alone for work and was staying in a sort of seedy hotel. But, I took a shower, ate a bad room service burger and decided to watch a movie in bed. It was almost midnight, and I was half asleep when the hotel room phone rang.
  “Are you alone?” a rasping voice asked. I was, so I said so. “Are you sure?” he asked again. My stomach dropped.
  I turned on the light and ransacked the room, looking for someone hiding in any corner. I couldn't find a thing. Safe to say I had a horrible sleep and checked out early in the morning.

• Family vacation. 1am. My brother and I had just finished watching The Shining on TV. Neither of us had seen it before. We heard someone trying to open our door. No one else was supposed to have keys.
  Someone tried to swing open the door, but the hotel lock stopped them. They kept trying to open it multiple times, banging the door against the lock. After a few tries, they gave up.
  The hotel desk clerk accidentally entered the wrong room for their keycards. It was probably the best way I saw The Shining. I can't be scared more than that from that movie. © helpicantchooseauser / Reddit
• The bathroom locked from the outside. If you accidentally shut the door all the way, you had to have someone in the room open the door for you when you were done. If you were by yourself, you were out of luck until someone came back, or you called the front desk from the bathroom to send someone up.
  This was pre-mainstream cell phone usage, so you may not have had your phone on you at all times. Needless to say, we got our stay comped. © cousin_geri / Reddit

• Was in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua last year. Massive spiders all over the room. Even woke up with a couple of little scorpions in my bed the first morning.
  Next night I'm sitting at the bar, chatting with a mate. I feel a tickle on the back of my neck and think it's a mosquito or something. I brush the back of my neck and another scorpion, this time wayyy bigger, plops on the ground at my feet. Stared at it for a moment in shock, and then squealed like a girl. © crow_man / Reddit
• The air conditioner was SPITTING OUT ICE while I was sleeping. Woke up thinking I wet myself, but then realized half the bed was soaked. Other than that, it was fine. © kimochii12 / Reddit
• The night manager kept pushing wasps under our door. I even waited by the door to catch the culprit, heard some noise and there he was on his knees with a wasp in the hands. He said, "It wasn't me" and ran off. © thermonuclearmuskrat / Reddit

• Ok, it was a hostel, but we got a private room, so I’m counting it. Never mind the unchanged grease stained hair from multiple people covered sheets, the years of dirt in the carpet, the suspicious stains all over the wall... the desk clerk came up to my wife with a bucket, showed her a live 4ft python and asked, "Hey, is this your snake? It came out of the pipes in one of the sinks downstairs." © *****forpie / Reddit
• My wife and I stayed in a pretty well known hotel in London. The rooms were pretty nice, but had a door which allowed someone to travel between our room and the one next to us. To do so you needed to open the door in my room and then someone had to open their in the neighboring room. There was only one handle on each door.
  One night, I woke up in the middle of the night and thought I saw someone moving around. It being the dark and the middle of the night, I thought it was my wife. The next morning I found my separator door ajar... © jack3tp0tat0 / Reddit
• My family and I stayed in a smaller town in Arizona for a week a couple years back. My younger sister had been out on the patio in the back of our room and accidentally left the door open while we went out to eat.
  Came back late at night and discovered this warthog looking thing (it’s called a Havelina I just learned) standing in the middle of the room. The hotel staff was really nice about it actually and somehow got it out. Didn’t sleep properly till we got back home. © igotthejuice3 / Reddit

It’s safe to say these travelers didn’t exactly get the five-star treatment. While most trips go off without a hitch, it only takes one spooky moment to leave a lasting impression. If you’re in the mood for more eerie tales, check out 10 Terrifying Things People Discovered After Moving In — just don’t read it alone at night.