The Haunted Vinoy Resort
Posted: 10.30.2024 | Updated: 05.02.2025
Known by locals as “The Pink Lady,” the regal Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club is a historic hotel with a storied past.
The hotel opened at the height of the roaring 20s and was successful for decades before closing in the 1970s and falling into disrepair. The Vinoy made a triumphant comeback in the 1990s and is now a four-diamond hotel.
The Vinoy is so popular that some former guests still haven’t checked out. Reports of ghostly apparitions in the hallways and poltergeist activity in guest rooms have earned the hotel a solid reputation for being haunted.
Even major league baseball players have reported being frightened by the ghosts of the Vinoy, some of whom have been haunting the hotel for nearly a century.
Looking for thrills after dark? Explore Tampa’s haunted alleys, historic landmarks, and spine-tingling sites with a Tampa ghost tour like no other.
Why is The Vinoy Resort haunted?
Nestled along the sparkling waterfront of downtown St. Pete, the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel is a stunning blend of beauty, history, and mystery.
But behind its glamorous pink walls lies a chilling past that keeps ghost hunters and curious guests coming back for more. Yes, you guessed it—the Vinoy Hotel is haunted.
This grand resort first opened its doors in the 1920s, welcoming celebrities, presidents, and high society. But over time, it faced decline, eventually becoming the abandoned Vinoy Hotel, left to decay in silence… and possibly, to become a playground for spirits that refused to leave.
Today, the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel is back in business, restored to its original beauty. But some say not all the guests ever checked out. From mysterious footsteps in empty hallways to the eerie sightings of a “lady in white,” this hotel holds more than just historic charm.
What really happened behind those doors? Is it just stories—or something more? Read more to find out about the haunted history of this iconic resort and why the Vinoy Hotel haunted tales still send chills down spines.
The History of the Vinoy Resort
The history of the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel began at a party hosted by oil tycoon Aymer Vinoy Laughner in 1924. A real estate developer named Eugene “Gene” Elliott told Laughner he should buy the 12 acres of land across the street from Laughner’s home and develop it into a resort.
As the story goes, Laughner said he would buy the land if his guest Walter Hagan, a professional golfer, could hit a golf ball off Laughner’s gold pocketwatch four times without breaking it. After Hagan successfully did so, Laughner and Elliott drafted a contract on a paper bag.
Construction began on February 5, 1925, and the hotel opened that year on New Year’s Eve. Built in the elegant Mediterranean Revival style, the Vinoy cost $3.5 million to build and was one of the most expensive hotels in the area, with a nightly room price of $20.
The resort even withstood the effects of the Great Depression. Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover stayed at the Vinoy, and celebrities such as Jimmy Stewart and Babe Ruth. During World War II, it was used as a housing and training facility for soldiers.
After the war, the Vinoy was purchased by Charles Alberding, who turned it back into a resort. The resort eventually closed in 1974.
After that, all the furnishings were sold off, and the roof eventually caved in on the hotel. It was a frequent site of criminal activity, and locals joked that alligators had moved into the building, which had regularly flooded during storms.
After being placed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the Vinoy in St. Pete was saved by Renaissance Hotels & Resorts and the Vinoy Development Corporation. The Vinoy reopened in 1992 following a $93 million renovation and continues to stand the test of time.
Hauntings at the Vinoy Resort
As far as hauntings go, guests at the Vinoy have reported feeling as if someone else were in their room. They have heard voices, footsteps, shuffling, and even the sound of chains, which is especially unsettling. Closet doors have been known to open on their own, lights flicker, and the bathroom faucets turn on and off in the middle of the night.
The Vinoy regularly hosts major league baseball teams, and a number of players and reporters have experienced the ghosts of the Vinoy. Relief pitcher Jon Switzer said they kept hearing a scratching noise while staying at the hotel with his wife. They determined it was coming from the painting above their bed as if the woman in the painting were trying to get out of it.
A player for the Toronto Blue Jays was staying at the hotel with his family, but his wife refused to stay another night after witnessing the faucets in the bathroom turn on and off on their own.
Sports reporter Barry Davis stated that while he did not encounter any ghosts while staying at the Vinoy, he had a recurring dream where he was at the Vinoy walking down a long hallway. The dream was unsettling, to say the least, and Davis noted, “I’ve had so many nights in that hotel that it gives me the creeps.”
Speaking of major league baseball, multiple players have seen the ghost of Babe Ruth, a regular at the Vinoy in its heyday.
The Lady In White
No haunted location is complete without a Lady in White, and the Vinoy does not disappoint. Although she’s not the most commonly seen spirit, the Lady in White has left her mark on the hotel and on those who have encountered her. She’s typically seen floating down the fifth-floor corridor in a white dress from the 1920s or 1930s and carries a forlorn expression on her face.
The true identity of the Lady in White remains a mystery, but there are a few theories. The most widely held belief is that she is the ghost of the socialite Elsie Elliott, who was married to Eugene Elliott, the man who reportedly gave Aymer Vinoy Laughner the idea to build a hotel.
It’s said that Eugene either pushed Elsie off their back deck or down a flight of stairs to get out of giving her the majority of his fortune in a divorce. Elsie’s maid, Annie Gadsden, was supposed to testify in court that Eugene had murdered his wife, but she disappeared without a trace shortly before the trial began.
There were rumors that Eugene paid her off and sent her to Europe, but she could have met a more deadly fate. In any event, some believe that it’s Annie who haunts the fifth floor, unable to move on from the unspeakable crime she claimed to have witnessed.
Finally, there’s a tale about the Lady in White being the spirit of Babe Ruth’s former lover, but there’s no evidence to confirm that the acclaimed baseball player had ever met with a woman at the hotel.
The Man in the Top Hat
Another longtime ghost of the Vinoy is the spirit of a man with a tophat, coattails, and a waxed mustache. He’s known to get onto the elevator with guests and gets off on the fifth floor before vanishing.
As with the Lady in White, the identity of the man in the tophat has never been verified, though some believe it’s the ghost of Karl Abbott, who was the first manager of the Vinoy.
In 2003, Boston Red Sox player Scott Williamson woke up in the night feeling pressure on his back and having trouble breathing. When he turned over, he saw the man in the tophat standing over him and staring.
Word quickly spread of Williamson’s encounter with the tophat man, but he maintained that it was true, stating, “It’s just crazy stuff, one of those freaky things. I’m not one for ghosts, but I know I couldn’t breathe.”
Haunted Tampa
The elegant yet eerie Vinoy St. Pete has long been a centerpiece of local history—and a hotspot for the paranormal
With its grand halls and vintage charm, the Vinoy Renaissance Hotel carries with it more than just historic beauty; it carries whispers from the past.
From tales of the abandoned Vinoy Hotel during its years of neglect to the chilling sightings of the lady in white, drifting silently through the night, this place has become a staple in the lore of the vinoy hotel haunted.
Is she a forgotten guest? A bride-to-be who never made it to her big day? Or just one of many souls still checking in—but never checking out?
The Vinoy Hotel haunted history is full of real facts, eerie encounters, and questions left unanswered. If you’re curious about what still lingers in the corners of this iconic hotel, book a Tampa ghost tour with Tampa Terrors and hear these stories firsthand. Who knows what… or who… might show up on your tour?
Want more eerie tales from the other side? Head to our blog for more haunted stories and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for your daily dose of spooky content!
Sources:
- https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/the-vinoy-resort-and-golf-club/history.php
- https://tampahistorical.org/items/show/76
- https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/superstition-is-the-way-for-mlb-players-and-that-includes-haunted-hotels/
- https://psiresearcher.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/the-vinoy-hotel-and-a-lady-in-white/
- https://northeastjournal.org/spirit-of-the-vinoy-a-historic-haunt/
- https://www.fishstripes.com/2006/5/20/73552/6015
Book A Tampa Terrors Tour And See For Yourself
Meet the ghosts of Oaklawn Cemetery on a Tampa ghost tour, where pioneers and pirates rest uneasily beneath Spanish moss.
Murder, mayhem, and cigar smoke—walk Ybor City’s haunted past with Tampa Terrors where phantoms still linger in the old factories.
