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Have you ever wanted to roam the halls of the Lafayette Hotel, much like the reported apparitions that call it home?
Hidden Marietta is teaming up with the Lafayette to allow guests to do just that on Sunday for an event they are calling "Lights Out Lockdown."
The idea behind the event is to allow access to areas that are normally off limits to guests, according to Melisa Farris, an executive housekeeper who has been at the hotel for five years.
"I have worked with Hidden Marietta on some of their events before and we decided to do this to bring light to the history of the hotel and also to bring in people who have never stayed here who might have an interest in this kind of thing," she said.
The third floor, lobby, employee staircase and even the basement will be open to guests from 9 p.m. until about 4 a.m., if they choose to explore for that long. Farris said most of the guests on Sunday will likely be there for this event and any others are told that it will be happening when they book their room.
The third floor seems to be the most haunted area of the hotel, for reasons not exactly clear to the staff.
"A lot of people have had a lot of experiences," Farris said. "They've heard voices, seen shadows. I've had things disappear…"
One of her other experiences happened when she was cleaning a room on the third floor, had closed the door behind her to prevent any pranks and began to clean the mirror in the bathroom.
"I looked up in the mirror to see a man, dressed in a white shirt, tie, the whole thing, just kind of checking me out. I looked behind me and obviously there was nobody there," she said.
The likely culprit is S. Durward Hoag, owner and resident of the hotel from 1921 until his retirement in 1973. After his death in 1982, Hoag still seems to linger in the place he called home for so many years.
"A lot of people claim to have seen a man dressed in a shirt and tie certain to be Mr. Hoag. Others say there are kids, a lady in the basement and, more recently, a man in a brown suit that no one seems to know who he is," said Farris.
Hidden Marietta has gotten more and more requests for ghost hunts, which has prompted them to take up permanent space in the Lafayette's basement, according to owner Jessica Wielitzka.
"We will have a soft open on the First Friday in April and a grand opening on First Friday in May," she said, referring to the monthly First Friday events held downtown.
Ghost Trek has been happening at the Lafayette since 2008.
Hidden Marietta also scopes out other buildings like the Anchorage, Peoples Bank and Mid Ohio Valley Players theaters and others, and offers private or group investigations.
"I think the interest comes from people hearing the stories for so long around town that they want to be part of it, they want to have their own experience," Wielitzka said.
Guests this weekend are invited to bring their own paranormal investigation equipment or Hidden Marietta will have some available. Reservations are required and must be made by calling 740-373-5522.
If you go
¯ What: Lights Out Lockdown overnight ghost hunt.
¯ Where: Lafayette Hotel, 101 Front St.
¯ When: Check in Sunday at 8 p.m., check out Monday between 11 a.m. and noon. Guided ghost tour at 9 p.m. Self-guided ghost hunt 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. or may continue as long as you wish.
¯ Cost: Prices vary according to room; rates $140-215. Includes ghost tour, ghost hunt, pizza dinner and breakfast.
¯ Reservations: 740-373-5522.