Is Berkley’s Claremont Hotel Haunted?

Do ghosts roam the halls of The Claremont Resort in Berkley, CA? Several people seem to think so, including two players with the San Antonio Spurs. Earlier this week, news broke about an eerie experience players Jeff Ayres and Tim Duncan had at the nearly 100-year hotel.

It all started when Ayres arrived at his room soon after checking in. The basketball pro was puzzled to find that his key didn’t work and that someone else appeared to be inside.

“I get to my door, and my key doesn’t work, but it sounds like there’s somebody in my room. Like I hear a little baby, not crying but making noise,” Ayres told Spur Nation. “It was the creepiest thing.”

Assuming the hotel had made a mistake, Ayres went back to the lobby and told the staff the room was already occupied. Puzzled, someone at the front desk called Ayres’ room, but nobody picked up. Though the hotel had no record of anyone checking into the player’s room, they moved Ayres elsewhere.

Some might say that Ayres was merely imagining things or heard a baby in another room. However, Spurs teammate Tim Duncan backs up the tale.

“I heard a baby in his room,” Duncan said. “There was somebody or something in his room, yeah. I definitely heard something.”

Haunting Tales

Like many old hotels, The Claremont Resort and Spa is allegedly home to a few ghosts. According to a thread on Trip Advisor, guests have been spooked by flickering lights, drawers that open and close, TVs that switch on and off, and feelings of dread. Some guests have also heard people moving around in nearby rooms only to learn later that the rooms were empty.

Smoke issuing from non-smoking rooms has also puzzled staff and guests. In 1901, a fire destroyed the lavish home that once sat on the hotel’s property. Is the mysterious smoke related to that long-ago blaze? Rumor has it a little girl (or in some tales, an old woman) died in a fire on the property and now roams the hotel, making her presence known. The fourth floor, particularly Room 422, is said to be the most active.

Ghost Babies

It seems The Claremont Resort isn’t the only hotel with a ghost baby, nor is it the only hotel to frighten NBA players in town for a game. The Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City is reportedly haunted by a maid named Effie said to have jumped to her death with a baby in her arms. NBA stars Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries were spooked by the hotel, and ESPN columnist Bill Simmons insists he heard a ghostly infant wail in the middle of the night.

Are the Claremont and Skirvin truly haunted or are people letting their imaginations run wild? Share your thoughts in the comments below!