San Antonio, Texas · Haunted hotel guide
The Emily Morgan Hotel: Haunted History, Ghost Stories & Where to Stay
Standing directly across from the Alamo in downtown San Antonio is one of the strangest-looking hotels in Texas.
The Emily Morgan Hotel rises above Alamo Plaza with narrow Gothic Revival windows, an ornate tower and stone gargoyles staring down from the exterior. But look closely at those gargoyles. Some appear to be suffering from toothaches, stomach pains and other ailments. That’s because this building wasn’t originally a hotel. It was the Medical Arts Building—a skyscraper filled with doctors, dentists and medical facilities. The Emily Morgan Hotel itself says the building once contained more than 100 medical professionals as well as a morgue and crematorium. Today, guests sleep where people once came for medical treatment.
And according to decades of stories, some of the building’s former occupants may never have left. Phones reportedly ring with nobody on the other end. Elevators stop at floors nobody selected. Guests have described hearing hospital carts rolling through otherwise empty corridors. And on one particular floor, people have reported something even stranger: the unmistakable smell of a hospital. Welcome to the Emily Morgan. And yes… you can actually stay here.
Reported hauntings are folklore and guest accounts; a reservation does not guarantee a paranormal experience. Booking links open the named provider’s website. Read our affiliate disclosure.
Plan a stay at The Emily Morgan Hotel
Compare dates and room types on the official website. If a particular room or floor matters to your trip, confirm it directly, along with access arrangements and the full price, before booking.
The Emily Morgan Hotel at a glance
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas
- The setting
- Historic Medical Arts Building — built in the 1920s; hotel opened 1984
- Reported lore
- Phantom phone calls, unexplained elevator stops, apparitions and eerie hospital sounds
- Famous for
- Its former medical building, Gothic architecture and location directly beside the Alamo
- Best fit
- Haunted getaways, San Antonio trips, history lovers and paranormal travelers
The Building Before the Hotel
The building dates to 1924, when developer Clifton George and architect Ralph Cameron created the Medical Arts Building beside Alamo Plaza. It was an impressive structure for its time. The 13-story building briefly became the tallest building in San Antonio, and hundreds of medical offices eventually operated inside it. Some physicians reportedly spent their entire careers there. Cameron incorporated the building’s purpose directly into its architecture. The Gothic-style gargoyles decorating the exterior weren’t merely monsters. They depict different medical problems and ailments—a bizarre architectural reminder that this was a place where sick and injured people came looking for help.
The building remained heavily occupied by medical professionals for decades before doctors gradually moved into newer medical facilities elsewhere in San Antonio. Eventually, its purpose changed completely.
From Medical Building to Hotel
After spending time as conventional office space, the former Medical Arts Building was acquired by hoteliers in 1984. A two-year renovation transformed it into the Emily Morgan Hotel, while preserving much of the building’s distinctive architecture. Another major renovation followed in 2012, and today the property operates as The Emily Morgan San Antonio – a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. It joined Historic Hotels of America in 2015. But converting medical offices into comfortable hotel rooms apparently didn’t erase the building’s previous identity. At least according to the stories.
Why Is It Called the Emily Morgan?
Interestingly, Emily Morgan isn’t a ghost associated with the hotel. The name refers to Emily D. West, a woman connected to Texas folklore surrounding the Battle of San Jacinto. Over generations, legend transformed West into the mysterious “Yellow Rose of Texas,” with stories claiming she helped distract Mexican General Santa Anna before the Texan attack. How much of that romanticized story is historically accurate remains debated. But when the former Medical Arts Building became a hotel, its owners chose the Emily Morgan name as a tribute to the legendary figure.
So if someone tells you the hotel is haunted by a woman named Emily Morgan… that’s not actually the established legend. The hotel’s paranormal stories are much more closely connected to its medical past.
The Most Haunted Floors
you’re specifically coming here looking for ghosts, three floor numbers appear repeatedly: 7. 9. 14. Historic Hotels of America has identified the seventh, ninth and fourteenth floors as the areas most frequently associated with paranormal reports. Stories have linked these floors to various medical functions during the building’s earlier life. And the alleged activity sounds remarkably hospital-like. Guests have described strange smells. Unexplained noises. Doors moving. Apparitions. And even experiences resembling glimpses into the building’s former life.
The Smell on the 14th Floor
Smell is an unusual element in a ghost story. But it’s one of the recurring claims at the Emily Morgan. Guests staying on the 14th floor have reported detecting an unexplained odor resembling medical antiseptic or adhesive bandages. The hotel’s own haunted-history page acknowledges reports of a distinct antiseptic-like smell on the floor. That becomes considerably creepier when you know what the building used to be. You’re standing in a modern hotel hallway. There isn’t a medical clinic nearby. Then suddenly… it smells like you’re standing inside a hospital. Could there be an ordinary explanation? Absolutely.
The hotel itself cautions that mysterious experiences often have perfectly normal causes. But at two in the morning, ordinary explanations can become considerably less comforting.
The Hospital That Isn’t There
Even stranger are reports describing something almost like a scene from another time. Historic Hotels of America recounts claims from guests who opened their hotel-room doors and momentarily perceived what appeared to be a hospital environment rather than their modern accommodations. Other stories describe apparent nurses moving through corridors with old hospital equipment before suddenly disappearing. Are these genuine paranormal experiences? Memories influenced by knowing the building’s history? Stories embellished over time? We can’t know. But they fit remarkably well with the Emily Morgan’s former purpose. And they’re not the only strange experiences reported here.
The Phantom Hospital Carts
Imagine waking up in your room to a distinctive sound outside your door. Wheels. Something heavy rolling along the hallway. Perhaps a housekeeping cart. You wait for it to pass. Then you open your door. Nothing. Guests have reported hearing what sounds like hospital carts moving through the corridors even when nothing obvious is there. The Emily Morgan includes these accounts on its own haunted-history page. Others have described doors closing for no apparent reason or the sensation that someone else is nearby when the hallway is empty. And then there are the elevators.
Elevators With a Mind of Their Own
Old hotels and strange elevators seem almost inseparable. The Emily Morgan is no exception. Guests and staff have reported elevators stopping unexpectedly at floors without an obvious reason. Of course, elevators malfunction. Buttons get pressed accidentally. People call an elevator and walk away. There are dozens of mundane explanations. But knowing you’re inside a supposedly haunted former medical building changes the experience considerably. The elevator slows. Ding. The doors open. Nobody is there. And you’re suddenly wondering exactly what used to happen on that floor.
The Mysterious Phone Calls
Another recurring story involves the guest-room phones. According to the hotel, some guests have reported being awakened when their telephone rings during the night. They answer. Nobody is there. Again, there are obvious technological explanations for a phone ringing unexpectedly. But ghost stories don’t survive for decades because of what’s probable. They survive because of what happens next. You hang up. Turn off the light. Try to fall asleep. And wait to see whether the phone rings again.
The Bathtub Filled With Blue Water
One of the strangest stories doesn’t involve a guest at all. According to the hotel’s own account, a sales manager once stayed overnight at the property. She left her room for dinner. When she returned… her bathtub was filled with blue water. Nobody was supposed to have entered the room. It’s exactly the kind of story that sounds almost too strange to be true. But it’s one the Emily Morgan itself has chosen to preserve as part of its collection of unexplained incidents. Hotel staff have also reported rooms behaving strangely.
One account describes an attendant cleaning a room, entering the bathroom and emerging to discover pillows that had previously been on the bed now lying on the floor. Not terrifying. Just unsettling. Which somehow makes it better.
The Woman in White
And because apparently no historic haunted hotel is complete without one… the Emily Morgan also has stories about a woman in white. Guests have reported seeing a female figure walking through the hotel’s corridors. Other accounts describe unexplained shadows moving across walls. Unlike some famous haunted hotels, however, there doesn’t appear to be one well-documented historical woman whose death clearly explains the apparition. That distinction matters. There’s a difference between documented history and folklore. We know the building existed as the Medical Arts Building. We know doctors worked here. We know the structure became the Emily Morgan Hotel.
Reports of phantom nurses and mysterious women belong to the hotel’s paranormal tradition. They’re stories—not proof.
The Missing 13th Floor… and Room 1408
There’s another fun detail hiding inside the Emily Morgan. The hotel follows the old superstition of skipping the 13th floor. After twelve comes fourteen. But the superstition goes one step further. According to the Emily Morgan, there is no Room 1408 either. Why? Add the numbers: 1 + 4 + 0 + 8 = 13. So the room numbers stop at 1407 before continuing with the Duke Suite. It’s probably the last thing you want to discover while spending the night in a supposedly haunted former medical building.
The Alamo Is Right Across the Street
The Emily Morgan’s location adds another layer to the atmosphere. Look outside and you’re staring toward the Alamo. The Battle of the Alamo took place in 1836, nearly nine decades before the Medical Arts Building existed. The hotel notes that fighting occurred extremely close to where the building now stands. That doesn’t prove any connection between the battle and reported paranormal activity inside the hotel. But from a haunted-travel perspective, it’s difficult to imagine a more atmospheric location. You can explore one of America’s most famous historic sites during the day…
then sleep in a Gothic former medical building directly across the street.
Is the Emily Morgan Hotel Actually Haunted?
There is no scientific evidence proving that ghosts inhabit the Emily Morgan Hotel. And refreshingly, the hotel itself acknowledges that strange experiences usually have ordinary explanations. That’s important. We don’t need to pretend every strange noise is supernatural to appreciate this place. The documented history is fascinating enough. The building really was constructed as a major medical facility. Doctors really did practice here for decades. Its grotesque gargoyles really do depict medical ailments. And guests and employees really have shared stories of unexplained experiences.
Historic Hotels of America has repeatedly included the Emily Morgan on its lists of America’s most haunted historic hotels, including its 2024 Top 25 Most Haunted Hotels list. Whether the ghosts are real? That’s the part you’ll have to investigate yourself.
Can You Stay at the Emily Morgan Hotel?
Yes. And that’s what makes this place perfect for Go Ghostly. The Emily Morgan remains an operating hotel at 705 E Houston Street in San Antonio, directly beside Alamo Plaza. It currently operates as The Emily Morgan San Antonio – a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Emily Morgan Hotel official website You aren’t merely visiting a supposedly haunted building. You’re sleeping inside it. And because of its downtown location, the hotel also makes an excellent base for exploring historic San Antonio.
Ready to Stay at the Emily Morgan Hotel?
Spend the night beside the Alamo and see whether the Emily Morgan’s eerie medical past feels a little more unsettling after dark.
Make It a Haunted San Antonio Trip
Start with the Alamo. Walk through downtown San Antonio. Explore the River Walk. See some of the city’s oldest buildings. Then return to the Emily Morgan after dark. Look up at the gargoyles. Take the elevator upstairs. Walk through the corridors. And if you’re staying on one of the floors associated with the hotel’s ghost stories, pay attention. Does the hallway suddenly smell like antiseptic? Do you hear wheels rolling outside your door? Does your telephone ring after midnight? Probably not. But if it does… you’ll know exactly why people have been telling stories about this building for years.
Why Go Ghostly
The Emily Morgan Hotel has almost everything we want in a haunted travel destination. A striking historic building. A bizarre former purpose. Gothic architecture. Medical gargoyles. A morgue and crematorium in its past. Phantom hospital sounds. Unexplained smells. Mysterious phone calls. And one of America’s most famous historic landmarks directly across the street. Most importantly, you can experience the building yourself. You don’t have to peer through a fence. You don’t have to sneak onto abandoned property. You can check in. Get your room key. Ride the elevator upstairs. And spend the night. Maybe you’ll sleep perfectly.
Maybe every mystery has an ordinary explanation. But if your phone suddenly rings at 3:00 a.m. and there’s nobody on the other end… you might reconsider. The Emily Morgan isn’t simply a ghost story. It’s a ghost story you can travel to. The Emily Morgan Hotel is also featured in our guide to 15 Haunted Hotels You Can Actually Stay In.
Ready to Spend the Night at the Emily Morgan Hotel?
Book your stay beside the Alamo and see whether San Antonio’s famously haunted hotel feels quite as welcoming after dark.
Keep planning your haunted getaway
Find another historic stay, compare the original collection, or pair your hotel with an evening tour.