I was on Facebook the other day and I came across this article that states a whole list of things
one should do before one enter a hotel room.
I got a little spooked out and recalled of all the weird rules my Mom once told me about hotel rooms.
How you place your shoes, should you put stuff on the empty bed next to you if you’re staying alone,
should you off all the lights, and many many more.

So out of curiosity, I went to Google about haunted hotels and the do’s and don’ts when it comes to hotel rooms.
It’s pretty interesting so I decided to come here and spook all of you out too!
I hope you are reading this late at night, preferably in a hotel room.
(Hehe. Kidding!)

i. Knock the door before you enter the room
You can even ring the room bell if you want.
This is said to “inform” the spirits that you are about to enter the room.
It’s a polite gesture so the spirits might not feel offended if you just barge into their room.

ii. Flush the toilet as soon as you enter the room
This is say to flush away all bad things.

iii. Cover the mirrors in the bedroom
Remember to cover the mirrors when you are sleeping.
This is to ensure that they are not staring back at you from the other end.

iv. Make sure your shoes are both in opposite faces.
Eg, one half of the shoe faces up, the other half faces down.
This is to have the yin and yang effect. A natural balance in the room.

v. Don’t leave the bed unattended (Double bed rooms)
This only applies if you are not occupying the other bed.
Make sure you put things on the bed.
This is to ensure you are not inviting any invisible vistors to spend the night in your room.

vi. Leave the bathroom lights on at all times
Spirits like to hang around at damp and dark places and
your bathroom would seem inviting if the rest of the room has lights on.
By switching the lights on, spirits might probably find your room inhabitable.

vii. Always request for double bedroom
This only applies to those traveling alone.
It’s said that by ordering another bed, you would not face a situation
where the spirit might just be sleeping next to you as you can’t even occupy the whole queen sized bed by yourself.

viii. Say “NO” to rooms near exits
They say that rooms that are next to exit (emergency) areas usually attract more spirits than other rooms.
Why? It’s because of the lonely and deserted stairway that attracts these spirits.
And because they travel through walls easily, they tend to linger at the next room just to disturb the unfortunate inhabitant.

ix. Bibles in the room
The Bibles in the room are not meant for reading.
If you find that the bible in your room is left opened in the drawer, request for a change of rooms.

There are often many “stunts” that ghosts like to do in horror movies.
How to make sure that the room is haunted and it’s not just you being over-suspicious worrywart?

Rapping on the Walls
This can be caused by a ghost trying to get your attention or by loud plumbing in the walls.
Check with management to see if there are any known plumbing problems in your room or on your floor.

Footsteps
Check the hallway to make sure someone is not walking by or listen
to ensure it is not coming from the occupants in an adjoining room.
If you see no one, you should request for a change of room if you’re smart.

Things Being Moved
Many times when a spirit wants attention it will take small items, such as jewelry, keys or even cell phones
and move them to another location.
Make note before leaving the room where you left these items and ensure that
it was not housekeeping moving things around to clean.

Lights Turning On and Off
Check with the front desk for any known electrical problems or area power surges before you panic.

Doors Slamming Shut with No One Around
Check for drafts and loose door hinges, which may cause the door to close on its own.

Shadows
Check to make sure that no one is walking around outside your room’s window or
the exterior light is not casting shadows from passers-by or cars.

Touched
Make sure that it is not your clothing, hair or something in the room that you may have brushed up against.
If it’s not, scream and run out of your room. And don’t look back! Haha.

Voices
Check to make sure it is not from the other room, in the hallway or outside of your room’s window.

xxx

I also came across this article that spoke about the top 5 haunted hotels in Asia.
Good to take note for all you frequent travellers, I guess!

Yu Shan Fan Dian, Chengde, China
The 220-room hotel Yu Shan Fan Dian is three hours north of Beijing on the Yangtze River.
As legend has it, the ghost of the Empress Dowager Cixi is omnipresent on the hotel grounds and in the halls.
The place where the hotel was built was once Qing Dynasty property, you see,
so the old Dowager feels duly protective of her garden.

Asia Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
At first glance, it is easy to write off the Asia Hotel in Bangkok as spooky.
The corridors are dimly lit and rooms quite old and musty. Lights flicker on and off in the dead of night.
A typical story involves guests waking up just in time to see ghostly figures sitting on the sofa staring at them,
only to vanish into thin air.

The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, India
The Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai is haunted by the ghost of W. A. Chambers, the hotel’s chief engineer.
Chambers travelled to France shortly before the hotel’s completion.
He later returned to India only to find out that it was built in the opposite direction. (WTF!)
He was so heartbroken that he took his life.
Hotel staff and guests claim that his ghost roams the old wing of the hotel obviously still lamenting his design gone bad.

First World Hotel, Genting Highlands, Malaysia
Genting Highlands, the famous hill resort in Malaysia, is also known as one of the most haunted places in Malaysia.
Paranormal incidents have been reported at the First World Hotel.
Given that it is a casino resort, a lot of gambling-related suicides have happened over the years.
There are eerie sounds in the middle of the night as well as apparitions of restless spirits.
Locals even claim that some hotel rooms are never rented out even if the hotel is fully booked
because occupants fall sick after their stay.

Grand Hyatt, Taipei, Taiwan
Ghost stories about the Grand Hyatt Taipei are rooted in the hotel’s dark history.
Apparently the hotel was built on a World War II prison camp where hundreds of people were incarcerated and
eventually put to death.
Guests of the hotel have allegedly seen ghosts in the corridors while others have heard strange noises from unoccupied rooms. Paranormal activities and rumors regarding the hotel have so negatively affected the business
that management decided to consult Feng Shui experts.
Chinese calligraphy and scrolls have since been installed in strategic places within the hotel
in the hopes of warding off restless spirits.

I hope you are slightly spooked out too because I’m quite spooked out doing all the research at 4am. :p

Credits to:
http://www.spookycorner.com
http://www.hotelclub.com