The 114 year-old Grand Galvez has a long history of ghostly sightings

Two spirits sighted at Grand Galvez by Melissa Hall, known as Grand Galvez Ghostess

Grand Galvez in Galveston TX is part of the Autograph Collection by Marriott

114-Year-Old Galveston Hotel Offers Thrilling Ghost Tours and Paranormal Experiences This October

GALVESTON, TX, UNITED STATES, October 1, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- This October and throughout the Halloween season, the historic Grand Galvez, famously known as Texas’ most haunted hotel, is inviting thrill-seekers and ghost enthusiasts for a chilling experience they will not forget. With over a century of paranormal sightings, including the infamous Lovelorn Bride, Audra, in Room 501, this luxurious beachfront hotel promises a haunting adventure paired with modern glamour.

Take a Paranormal Journey with Grand Galvez Concierge AKA Ghostess of Galveston

Step into the world of spirits and supernatural legends with exclusive, year-round Ghost Tours hosted by none other than the Ghostess of Galveston, Melissa Hall. Known for her deep connection to the hotel’s spooky past, Hall has captured over 100 spine-tingling photos of the specters that wander the halls. For a limited time this October, Melissa will lead extended evening tours, offering goosebump-guaranteed walks through the hotel’s eeriest corners.

In an October 2021 Texas Monthly article: “In the six and a half years she’s worked there, she’s collected more than fifty photos of the specters that wander its halls, some of whom, she says ‘are as clear as me and you.’” Visit her Faacebook for stories and images.

• Ghost Tours of The Grand Galvez – 1 ½ -hour goosebump-guaranteed, guided tour by Grand Galvez Ghostess Melissa Hall are available year-round. October tours include:

o Wednesday, October 2 at 6:30pm
o Thursday, October 3 at 6:30pm
o Friday, October 4 at 7:00pm
o Thursday, Oct 17 at 6:30pm
o Friday Oct 18 at 7:00pm
o Sunday, October 20 at 5:30pm
o Wednesday, October 23 at 6:30pm
o Thursday, October 24 at 6:30pm
o Friday, October 25 at 7:00pm
o Saturday, October 26 at 7:30pm
o Sunday, October 27 at 5:30pm
o Wednesday, October 30 at 6:30pm
o Thursday, October 31 at 7:30pm
o Reservations are limited and required, tickets are $30 per person, must be pre-paid and are non-refundable/non-cancelable. All tours take place at Grand Galvez, 2024 Seawall Boulevard, Galveston, TX.
 Reservation link on “Ghostess of Galveston” Facebook page or on EventBrite:
 https://ghostessofgalveston.eventbrite.com/

Ghostly Legends About Grand Galvez (formerly Hotel Galvez)

Whether it’s the mysterious whispers of a little girl who haunts the hotel spa or the heartbreaking tale of Audra, the bride who never left, the Grand Galvez offers a rich tapestry of paranormal history. In fact, Room 501 is the most requested by guests hoping for an encounter with the fabled Lovelorn Bride.

Kathleen Maca, in her book, “A History of the Hotel Galvez” (The History Press, 2021), details the many stories, sightings, spirits and legends that haunt the beautiful property situated on the famed Galveston Seawall. Selections from her book, pages 162 though 168:

• An image reportedly captured in an original press photo taken in 1911, hangs in the west loggia of the hotel. Many guests claim to clearly see the ghost of a gentleman standing in front of a French door politely tipping his bowler hat.

• The story of Sister Katherine, a nun from St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum, which was located just down the beach from where the Grand Galvez was built. During the height of the 1900 Storm, the brave sisters of the orphanage lashed children to themselves to keep them from washing away. Tragically, all nuns and orphans drowned. The bodies of Sister Katherine and her wards, still tied together, were found on the shore in front of where the hotel now stands. As with many storm victims, they were buried where they were found. Witnesses and guests at the hotel claim to see the figure of a nun in a long, dark habit protectively pacing the southern lawn of the hotel and looking out to sea whenever, a major storm approaches.

o Dedicated Sister Katherine continues to keep watch over the playful spirits of the children, to whom many of the shortly pranks in the hotel are credited.

• The images of a young girl bouncing a red ball has been seen multiple times through the years by guests, staff and workmen, the ball makes no sound as it bounces off the hard floor, and her form seems to slowly fade as she walks, uninterested in those who watch her.

• Certain spirits seem to appear quite clearly to guests, who can describe their appearance in detail. One of these is a little girl about three feet tall who plays just outside the spa. Her blond pigtails are tied with ribbon, and she is wearing a white dress with black “Mary Jane” shoes, a popular style in the early 20th century. She has been heard to whisper “ice cream” into the ears of passerbys. This can be explained by the fact that the hotel soda fountain and ice cream parlor used to be where the spa is now located.

o She might also be one of the tiny ghosts that leave child-sized handprints along the bottom of the glass spa door. Employees confirm that, though they may wipe them off multiple times a day and never see the children in the area, the small prints quickly reappear.

• The most famous ghost and a classically tragic story of the Grand Galvez is named Audra, also known as the Lovelorn Bride. Audra was engaged to a mariner who sailed out of the Port of Galveston. In the mid-1950s, she checked into Room 501 to await his return, after which they planned to be married.

o Each day, she would walk down the hall of the fifth floor, take an elevator to the eighth floor and then climb a narrow ladder leading to one of the four turrets atop the hotel. Sitting inside the shelter of the hexagonal turret, she would watch though an opening for his ship to return.

o When she received the news that her lover’s ship had gone down in a storm with all hands-on deck, she refused to abandon hope. She kept her vigil of returning to the turret to watch for him, but after several days the heartbroken bride-to-be accepted that she would never see him again.

o In despair, she hanged herself in the west turret, where she had last seen his ship sail out to sea.

o As if her story was not tragic enough, a few days after her death, her fiancée came looking for her at the hotel. He had been rescued by a passing ship during the storm.

o To this day, there are many paranormal events that happen in Audra’s Room 501, reported by guests, staff and many news and film crews.

 The key sometimes does not work and when reported to the desk clerk, the key was scanned for the room code and the display read “Expired 1955”.

 The room phone has been known to repeatedly ring when the switchboard reports that no calls were received.

 There are reports of a woman walking the halls and whimpering sobs near the elevators. Guests have felt the pressure of something invisible sitting next to them on the bed.

 Other sightings, sounds and stories abound.

• An unnerving bit of décor at the Grand Galvez has kept a watchful eye on the occurrences of the hotel since it opened in 1911. The portrait of the hotel’s namesake, Bernardo de Gálvez, hangs in the second-floor landing facing the hotel’s main lobby. Legend has it that the extremely white eyes of the painting follow guests as they walk by.

o Because of its reputation, visitors often try to photograph the painting but end up with a skull-shaped glare where the face should appear in the photo.

o Staffers insist that this can be avoided by asking the infamous portrait’s permission before a photo is taken.

• In September 2009, Discovery Channel’s Ghost Lab featured Hotel Galvez while investigating a correlation between weather and the paranormal. The hotel was also included in an episode on the
Travel Channel’s Ghost Stories called the “Ghost of Sister Katherine.”

GRAND GALVEZ BACKGROUND:
Located on Galveston Island and the sun-kissed shores of the Texas Gulf Coast, Grand Galvez, Autograph Collection – a stunning 219-guest room hotel that envelopes visitors with grand experiences and captivating, gracious services – is part of Autograph Collection Hotels, Marriott Bonvoy’s diverse and dynamic portfolio of independent hotels championing individuality. The hotel and resort have welcomed guests worldwide for more than 110 years. The AAA 4-Diamond property is the finest and only historic beachfront hotel on the Texas Gulf Coast, is renowned as the “Queen of the Gulf” and the most haunted hotel in Texas.

Hotelier Mark Wyant, owner, Seawall Hospitality LLC, purchased the property from the heirs of Galveston Island-born oilman and developer George P. Mitchell in March 2021. Mr. Wyant, along with his wife, Lorenda Wyant, has instituted extensive renovations which emphasize great respect for the iconic architecture and historic design of the property. The focus is on the alluring, luxurious, glamorous and sophisticated reputation of Grand Galvez, creating an interpretation of modernism blended with the energy of the Jay Gatsby.

Barbara Buzzell
The Buzzell Company
+1 214-912-0691
bb@buzzellco.com
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