👻 HAUNTED PLACE · EXP. Nº9475
ACTIVE
Hotel Union Square
Hotel Union Square is a location reputed to be haunted in San Francisco, California, US. Its reputation comes from reported apparitions, unexplained phenomena and eyewitness accounts gathered over time.
Where is Hotel Union Square?
- Location
- San Francisco, California, US
- Type
- Hotel / inn
- Coordinates
- 37.786, -122.408
- Testimonies
- 0
- Last updated
LOCATION
Why is Hotel Union Square said to be haunted?
Hotel Union Square, at 114 Powell Street in San Francisco, was built in 1913 for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition and operated a Prohibition-era speakeasy called The Golden Bubble in its basement. Dashiell Hammett was a patron of the speakeasy and had a celebrated affair with Lillian Hellman, who may have inspired Nora Charles in The Thin Man. The hotel is reputedly haunted, particularly Room 207, where a female ghost has been reported by guests (San Francisco Chronicle, Halloween 2004). The hotel's Dashiell Hammett Suite (Room 505) was created during a 2008 renovation. The hotel does not promote or advertise any hauntings. Address: 114 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. Reservations: 415-329-5003.
What is the history of Hotel Union Square?
Hotel Union Square was built in 1913 as the Golden West Hotel for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, at 114 Powell Street in San Francisco. During the Prohibition Era, a 10,000 square foot speakeasy called The Golden Bubble operated in the basement, its original terrazzo floors and wallpaper still surviving in what is now a storage area. In 1935 Egyptian-style mosaics by Helen Bell Bruton were added in the entryway. Personality Hotels purchased the building in the early 1980s and reopened it after refurbishment as Hotel Union Square in 1985. The building was extensively renovated in 2008, when a Dashiell Hammett Suite was created in Room 505. Dashiell Hammett was a patron of the speakeasy during Prohibition, and Lillian Hellman may have conducted much of their love affair at the hotel; he booked his bride-to-be Josephine Dolan into a suite the night before their 1921 wedding.
Timeline: the documented record of Hotel Union Square
- 1913 Hotel Union Square built as the Golden West Hotel for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition at 114 Powell Street, San Francisco.
- 1935 Egyptian-style mosaics by Helen Bell Bruton added in the entryway.
- 1985 Personality Hotels reopens the building as Hotel Union Square after refurbishment.
- 31 October 2004 Antoinette May's SF Chronicle Halloween feature reports ghost anecdotes at Room 207; concierge Tom Steele says guests have seen a female ghost who awakens sleeping companions.
- 2008 Extensive renovation creates the Dashiell Hammett Suite in Room 505.
Is there a rational explanation for Hotel Union Square?
The hotel's own website and marketing materials make no mention of ghosts or hauntings. The only published ghost account comes from a single 2004 Halloween feature in the San Francisco Chronicle, which reports anecdotal guest experiences in Room 207 without verifying them. The Chronicle article itself notes that 'on closer investigation … no one's there.' Concierge Tom Steele's repeated claims of ghostly apparitions appear in a lifestyle article, not in any documented paranormal investigation. Lillian Hellman's alleged connection to the ghost is likewise unsourced beyond that one article. As with many hotels marketed as 'haunted,' the reputation may serve commercial interest: the hotel promotes the Dashiell Hammett Suite as a literary-themed amenity, and ghost stories attract media attention and curiosity seekers. The SF Chronicle article itself qualifies its claims with 'of course, on closer investigation … no one's there.' The hotel's own website, archived at the Wayback Machine, makes no reference to hauntings, ghosts, or paranormal activity anywhere in its public-facing pages.
Can you visit Hotel Union Square?
Hotel Union Square is at 114 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. The hotel is open to the public and welcomes guests. The Dashiell Hammett Suite (Room 505) is a literary-themed room available for standard room rates. The hotel does not promote or advertise any hauntings. Standard hotel amenities include a fitness center, business center, and on-site dining. Public transportation: Muni lines 1, 6, 7, 8, and N/J/P/Q/R/S streetcars stop near Union Square. Parking: Several commercial lots are within two blocks; the hotel does not validate parking. The hotel is ADA-accessible. Reservations: 415-329-5003 or hotelunionsquare.com. The hotel's official website makes no mention of ghosts or paranormal activity in its public-facing pages, as confirmed by the Wayback Machine archive.
Sources consulted
- Wikipedia contributors, «Hotel Union Square» — Wikipedia, 2026 web
- Antoinette May, «Is there a spirit here tonight?» — San Francisco Chronicle, 2004 newspaper archive
- Mike Humbert, «The Dashiell Hammett Suite at Hotel Union Square» — The Dashiell Hammett website, 2009 web
- Art and Architecture - San Francisco, «Helen Bell Bruton's Tile Murals at the Golden West Hotel» — Art and Architecture - San Francisco, 2016 web
- Lincoln McElwee, «Hotel Union Square: San Francisco's First Boutique Hotel at the Heart of it All» — AKA Mom Magazine, 2014 web
Reviewed by V. Serrano on 2026-08-22 · How we verify our content
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