VIRGINIA BEACH — The Cavalier Hotel is known to be historic, but it’s also believed by many to be haunted.
As day turns to night, Virginia Beach’s most historic overnight stay sometimes gets a few unexpected guests.
“Next to insane asylums that are abandoned, hotels are probably the most popular venue for ghost stories,” said historian Chris Bonney.
Bonney has been researching the hotel for years. He said one of the haunted tales he’s discovered focuses on a lost cat, which belonged to a young girl on vacation with her family.
“And the cat got out of the guest room and came downstairs to the swimming pool and either fell in or jumped in or whatever, and the little girl jumped into the pool also to save her cat and both drowned,” said Bonney.
“Some guests have reported seeing the little girl walking through this area still looking for her cat.”
To make things even more eerie, mysterious feline paw prints have recently emerged in the back staircase.
The hotel even created a drink called the Ghost Cat.
Then there is the legend of the Pocahontas Room, now known as Becca Restaurant, where a strange female visitor often shows up without a reservation.
“She has been reported seen with her dog crossing through this room many times throughout the years,” said Bonney.
Bonney said even the elevators have stories.
“There was a story even when the hotel was closed that the elevators were known to go up and down without anybody in them or anybody controlling them,” said Bonney.
One of the spookiest ghost stories of them all dates back to 1929, on the sixth floor, where Adolph Coors fell to his death.
“He and his wife and daughter were having breakfast down in the Pocahontas Room,” said Bonney.
That’s when Coors, the founder of Coors Brewery, unexpectedly left the table alone and went to his guest room.
“And he came up to room 606 at the end of the hall here and as the story goes opened the window and jumped out to his death,” said Bonney.
Since then there have been several sightings of Coors haunting the halls — and he’s apparently not the only spirit.
“An African-American gentleman wearing military clothing perhaps from World War I warning people to be careful that there are other ghosts on this floor,” said Bonney.
There have even been reports from inside the rooms that something strange is going on.
“The guests report that they came in and the towels were one color and they went downstairs and came back a few minutes later and they claim that the towels had changed to another color,” said Bonney.
These stories have gained so much attention that the hotel even hosted a paranormal conference back in 2010 for those real-life ghostbusters.
“Who came here to the hotel to try and see some of these apparitions,” said Bonney.