The Hotel Savoy was built in 1888 as a luxury hotel on the corner of Ninth and Central streets in Kansas City, Missouri by the owner of the Arbuckle Coffee Company.

Politicians including Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft; entertainers such as W.C. Fields and Will Rogers; cattlemen and grain merchants were among the train travelers who found overnight accommodations at The Hotel Savoy in the late 1800s.

In 1903, the hotel was remodeled with several additions including the west wing and The Savoy Grill dining room.

The Savoy Grill is the oldest restaurant in Kansas City, and previously served dishes such as prairie chicken and buffalo steak to diners that included Harry S. Truman and Warren Harding.

With the depression era of the 1930s, Hotel Savoy's success suffered and the business was in sad shape by the 1960s, with a portion being used to house transients.

A residential hotel in the 1970s, The Hotel Savoy and The Savoy Grill were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The hotel was renovated in 1985; and the six-floor red-brick edifice was turned into a luxurious Victorian-style Bed and Breakfast. It was during this remodeling phase that many interesting old letters and artifacts were found relating fascinating historical facts about The Hotel Savoy.

Employees and guests of the hotel have reported several hauntings including strange voices, shadows, doors opening and closing (especially around room 505), captured EVPs, pictures of orbs and apparitions, and even an apparition of a little girl in Victorian clothing on the fourth floor.

Stories circulating about the hauntings include that of Betsy Ward who is said to have lived in room 505 during the turn-of-the-century, possibly committing suicide in the bathtub (I wonder if this story started up before or after King's "The Shining"). Supposedly a 32 caliber pistol from that era was found in the wall of the apartment when it was being renovated. The shower curtain in room 505 has been reported to shut by itself, and the water in the bathtub turns on with no help from human hands. Larry Freeman, resident of the apartment in 1990, reported that this incident occurred on four different occasions.

The apartment building manager at that time also reported hearing jazz music playing from inside the apartment when he walked by, although Larry wasn't at home at the time...and he listened to rock and roll.

In 1987, Reid Shaylor worked and lived at the Savoy. He reported going to Mrs. Fred Lightner's apartment to lend her a requested cup of sugar one day. He heard her talking with someone; and, when he walked into her apartment saw her dead husband's ghost standing next to her wearing a 1930 double-breasted suit. Mrs. Lightner introduced them.

An elderly gray-haired man in a purple jacket has been glimpsed in the basement, and is blamed for the unexplained noises reported from that area of the Savoy.

I am looking forward to an overnight stay at Hotel Savoy. You know I'll be requested Room 505.

References and additional information:

https://www.savoygrill.net/history.html

https://www.prairieghosts.com/savoy.html

https://www.examiner.com/article/kansas-city-hotel-boasts-strange-spooky-past

https://www.hauntedhouses.com/states/mo/hotel_savoy.htm