The Hood River Hotel is an old hotel, so it would make sense that we’d have a resident ghost. Rumor has it that the spirit of former owner Ola Bell resides in one of our town-view rooms.
We’ve got no proof of it. A few people have commented about something mysterious happening during their visits to the Hood River Hotel. Just as likely, they were sleep-walking or conflated dream space with reality. Maybe a breeze dusted their cheek.
In short, none of our guests — none, to be precise — has been 1) chased by a ghost, 2) attacked by a ghost, 3) massaged by a ghost. If we’ve got a ghost, she sure isn’t making anything like regular visits. “Knock-knock.” “Who’s there?” “Candygram.”
In fact, even if we did have a ghost, we’d guess she’s moved south to Palm Springs for the winter (it’s hard for ghosts to keep clothing on, so they get cold at this time of year).
Even so, the mere mention of a ghost can … spook some folks. So it was recently, when someone who had checked in at the Hood River Hotel heard this bit of lore about our resident spirt. That was all she needed. “I’m outta here,” she told the front desk.
We called a neighbor property and asked if they had a room. Nope. Full. Big business meeting. But, when they shared the situation with one of their guests, he chivalrously volunteered to give up his room, and take one of ours, so the ghost-a-phobic lass could sleep easy.
He, by the way, reported no ghostly encounters. But maybe he wasn’t Ola Bell’s type.
