With a haunted history dating back to the 1930’s, The Hermosa Inn will be encouraging guests to explore the property and experience their own ghost sightings throughout the month of October. Guests who book any room or room package at the resort between October 1 – 31, 2016 will receive a list of the ghost stories that have occurred throughout the grounds that will allow them to take a self-guided ghost tour.

“We’re celebrating our 80th anniversary this year so our history dates back to the Old West, making us quite the spirited locale,” said Managing Director Steve Ast. “And while some guests specifically stay here because it’s haunted we can safely say that all encounters have been friendly ones.”

Ghost stories from the Inn include the following:

Closing the Door

Apparently Lon likes the doors shut. A maid actually quit after having doors shut on their own multiple times while she was cleaning the guest casitas.

A Pat on the Head

A guest came into the restaurant to show her friends some of Lon Megargee’s original artwork that hangs in Last Drop (the portion of the Hermosa Inn that was Lon’s original art studio and residence). The host showed them the way, walked in the other room, had his hands full and when he came back to the guests (still with both hands full) the woman was looking up in the air. Our host asked what she was looking at, or if the roof was leaking from the rainy day, and she said “No, you just patted me on the head.” He assured her that he did not, as his hands were full.

Cowboy in the Mirror

Yet another maid quit her job at The Hermosa Inn; this time due to the reflection of a cowboy that appeared in the mirror behind her. When she turned around, no one was there.

Lady in Pink

Multiple guests have asked “Who is that lady in the pink gown walking over the bridge by the pool?” While we don’t know who she might be, a lady in a floor-length flowing pink gown (something not of this time period) does appear to guests in the late hours of the night or early mornings as she walks across the bridge.

Lon Did It

Oftentimes candlesticks will somehow fall out of their candlestick holders and other objects seem to move on their own or be misplaced. Decorations on the host stand have been “pushed” off, and a host was talking to a guest at the bar when a bottle of tequila flew off the shelf and broke multiple glasses. The staff will often joke “Oh, Lon must have done that!”

Kids at Play

One of the restaurant’s evening dishwashers refuses to work alone at night because she has seen children of times past playing out in the parking lot upon leaving at 1 or 2 in the morning, in addition to seeing the Pink Lady mentioned above.

Spirits in the Cellar

When workers were doing construction in the underground wine cellar of LON’s, they had left various tools in disarray and went upstairs to get something. When they came back down, all their tools had been neatly placed in a row. There have also been accounts of doors opening/closing and lights going on and off.

The Night Watchman

A reporter visiting from Germany asked about the night watchman we have on property upon checking out. He saw this “watchman” twice; once closing the doors of room 107 and once by the pool. Both times he studied the reporter, surveying his activities, but remained standing there. There is, however, no night watchman employed at The Hermosa Inn and no one was staying in room 107 during their stay.

For more information or to book a stay at The Hermosa Inn call 602.955.8614 (or toll free at 800.241.1210) or visit HermosaInn.com. For ongoing news and upcoming events, find The Hermosa Inn, LON’s and Last Drop on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and the Hermosa Inn blog.