Woman Reports Haunting in the Emily Morgan in Texas. A Paranormal Investigator Checks in With Two Doctors: ‘It Smells Like a Hospital’

Buildings with historic significance and dated architecture often become tourist spots, but a woman visiting the Alamo had no clue that The Emily Morgan Hotel, in San Antonio, Texas, is also infamous for its haunted reputation. She told paranormal investigator Liz Cooper (@literallylizzi) about her experience, and Liz decided to check in to look into it.

According to Liz on TikTok, one of her followers submitted a story about her stay at The Emily Morgan Hotel. At the time, she was unaware of the hotel’s grim reputation—despite it being acknowledged as one of the most haunted hotels in the United States.

Upon arrival, she noted that the building looked eerie because of the gargoyles that decorated its architecture—but there was nothing unusual. In fact, the staff had been accommodating and had even given her and her husband cookies.

Were they staying at a hotel or a hospital?

She was staying on the twelfth floor of the hotel. One night, she woke up at 2:45 a.m., then heard a noise from within the hallway. “It’s almost like an old hospital cart being pushed down on tiled flooring,” she recalled. She heard the sound go on, slow down, and then stop right outside of their door.

It’s too early for room service, and it’s definitely too late for anyone else to be checking in with a bellhop cart.

Then, she heard a faint whisper. She woke her husband up, and she wasn’t alone—he could also hear the strange noise. The bathroom light turned on while both of them were still in bed. Her husband got up to check the door just to be safe, so he slightly opened it to look out into the corridor.

She saw her husband go pale, and he told her, “There is a woman standing out there.” Her husband’s eyes weren’t playing tricks on him—she saw the woman in white under the fluorescent light. They both closed the door and opened it again—the woman in white was gone. There were no footsteps, and the elevator didn’t open either.

But then, a pungent, antiseptic-like scent hit them both. The air felt at least ten degrees colder. After a restless night, she told the front desk about her experience. She thought that they would laugh it off.

“You’re not the first guest to report something strange on that floor,” they told her. That’s when she learned that the hotel used to be the Medical Arts Building in 1924. It wouldn’t be repurposed and called The Emily Morgan Hotel until 1984.

Liz from TikTok investigates with two doctors

Liz did what any good paranormal investigator would—stay at the site and look for evidence. She went to The Emily Morgan with her parents, both of whom are doctors. Liz, compared to her follower, was already aware of the paranormal activity frequently encountered by the guests—the elevator stopping on random floors, strange noises, the sound of medical equipment, and sightings of apparitions.

A theory Liz posed is that perhaps The Emily Morgan is haunted because it’s right beside The Alamo—a battle site and graveyard where more than a thousand bodies are buried.

Before Liz even started her investigation, she managed to record a strange encounter at the elevator. During a coffee break, she pressed the button for the fourth floor. The elevator took her to the third floor instead, where the morgue used to be.

Liz began exploring the floors, and she asked both her parents about the smell of the 14th floor. It’s where many people report strange sightings, and coincidentally, it’s where the surgery overflow was located back in the day.

Her father, who is a surgeon, agreed and could smell the scent of antiseptic in the air.

When she brought her mother to the 14th floor, she confirmed, “It smells like a hospital.” Her mother was once a nurse before she pursued medicine and became a doctor. Prior to the last day, her mother was also unaware of the hotel’s history.

(featured images: Mike Direen, Emma Jane Seymour)

A conversation with a spirit

Liz also had a conversation with one of the spirits staying in the hotel. Through a REM pod, the ghost claimed to be a 15-year-old nurse from the 1950s. While a child nurse seems impossible, there was a notable shortage of nurses during that time period. The hospital may have outsourced a young, 15-year-old to fill the role as needed.

Throughout the conversation, the nurse spirit also confirmed to Liz that the hotel’s pool is made of recycled medical table material. This is a popular rumor, which the hotel hasn’t confirmed. But if a supposed spirit that’s been working there for decades says so, then maybe there’s more to it than what the living staff would like to admit.

(featured images: Mike Direen, Emma Jane Seymour)

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