The Elms Hotel
Room 225
Excelsior Springs, Missouri
August 11-12, 2014
Website
I was at The Elms Hotel back in 1998 for a Halloween Wedding. I remember it being a really nice place and wandering the halls at night. After going to The Crescent Hotel in 2012, this place really looked a lot like it. Both built in the late 1800's, both had a stone exterior, and both had tons of history. Things had changed since the last time I was there. As a matter of fact, about $20 million worth of change was done with recent renovations to the hotel. One of the theories is that during and after renovations, paranormal activity really kicks up. With that in mind we were hoping this was to be the case for us.
Unfortunately this was not meant to be. I probably should have taken it as an omen when my voice recorder with fresh batteries didn't work. But then again I did have it for probably 10 years, so I got good use out of it. So no EVP. We did do an unofficial ghost tour that the hotel staff set up for us. They said they were working on getting one going considering the TAPS / Ghost Hunters team investigated the previous year, and they would hook us up. Sure enough they did. After we had dinner at 88 at The Elms Restaurant, we met up with Jay Fanning, one of The Elms employees. He took us through the hotel showing the various locations people have reported activity. From the private fifth floor lounge down to the lap pool in the basement, the tour guide gave us tidbits of history and such, which was enough to keep us engaged. He did let us know that if we went down the path behind the hotel, people have reported activity out there as well. During the tour we went by the Al Capone Suite (Room 214) and the Harry Truman Suite (Room 300). Later that night when it was just the wife and I, we smelled cigar smoke around the Harry Truman Suite, which is one of the claims. It is a non-smoking hotel, so we weren't smelling someone who just lit up a stogie.
Nothing too paranormal to report, but it was a nice stay. Also visited some of the stores and restaurants in downtown Excelsior Springs on Broadway. Much praise to Broadway Bar & Grill, Ray's Diner, and BobKorn Kettle Corn.
