RockResorts Offers A Spooky Special That Is Out Of This World

Two of RockResorts most notorious hotels have a spooky little secret: resident ghosts may occasionally roam the halls, rock in the rocking chairs or show up reflected in the mirrors!

La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and The Equinox Resort & Spa in Manchester, Vermont have the dubious honor of boasting many ghost sightings over the years. Both of these hotels are members of the Historic Hotels Association and have rich histories attached to them.

Book two or more nights at either The Equinox Resort & Spa during October 29th – November 16th, 2006 OR La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa during October 22, 2006 – November 15, 2006 and receive a $100 resort credit off of the OTHER haunted property, good for ONE YEAR!  This is a ghost lover’s dream, a golden opportunity to experience the unexpected and unexplained, during the spookiest holiday of the year. For more information on the Spooky Special, please call 1-888-FOR-ROCK or visit www.rockresorts.com.

The Equinox Resort & Spa in Manchester Village, Vermont dates back to 1769 and given the property’s long history, it isn’t surprising that some spirits still inhabit the hotel. The Equinox has served as one of the country’s most historically significant lodgings. In 1769, the Marsh Tavern was one of the state’s first lodgings, thus serving as a gathering spot for locals, many of whom would become memorable figures during the Revolution, including the legendary “Green Mountain Boys.” The Marsh Tavern was also the first Tory (British loyalist) property seized by revolutionaries to support their war efforts. “Serving the Republic since before there was a Republic,” the hotel was a meeting place for the fathers of the American Revolution, hosted American presidents (including Taft, Grant, Harrison and Teddy Roosevelt) and housed innumerable well-to-do Americans looking to experience the year-round vacation offerings of Vermont, New England’s most scenic and diverse vacation destination.

Today the Equinox Resort & Spa is a 183-room, full-service resort. Still, every so often, guests of the resort experience odd occurrences in their rooms such as the rocking chair rocking on its own, bed sheets being undone or curtains tied into knots. One guest went into the bathroom and came out to find his briefcase was opened with contents strewn, and the keys had been taken off his key-ring and scattered across the room. Ghosts from the revolutionary days? Nobody can say for sure.

La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa sits on six historically rich acres in downtown Santa Fe. Two centuries before Columbus set sail, the residents of ancient pueblos grew crops here and by 1610 the Spaniards had arrived. In the 19th century, the adobe city grew as residents from Europe and the Eastern United States arrived. A prosperous German-Jewish immigrant merchant Abraham Staab built his three story brick mansion on the property in 1882. Abraham and his wife Julia entertained Santa Fe society in the grand residence. But when Mrs. Staab lost her child only a few weeks after it was born, legend says she withdrew from Santa Fe society, ad then in 1896 her obituary appeared in the newspaper.

Legend has it that Mrs. Staab loved her home so much that she never left it. She has been the subject of many ghost tours, an episode of Unsolved Mysteries and Weird Travels’ Haunted Hotels. (Their home, The Staab House, is the main building in the La Posada Complex.) Julia’s old bedroom, now the hotel’s Room 100, is called the Julia Staab Suite, and many hotel guests, hotel staff and local residents have seen her ghost and felt her presence. One hotel guest even saw her face reflected in the mirror while he was shaving!

For more information on the Spooky Special, please call 1-800-FOR-ROCK or visit www.rockresorts.com.