Overnight Stay Booking Required
Overnight Stay
Stay at the historic Beaux-Arts Willard, two blocks from the White House, in the building that has hosted nearly every U.S. president since Franklin Pierce.
- Duration:
- 12 hr
No photograph
on file
Est. 1901on file
HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
- 01Lingering cigar smoke in specific lobby locations
- 02Apparition matching descriptions of President Grant
- 03Sounds of footsteps and 19th-century-attired figures on upper floors
- 04Sensed presence of a sorrowful woman associated with Jane Pierce
Haunted Hotel / Inn
The Willard InterContinental
Beaux-Arts grand hotel two blocks from the White House with hospitality tracing to 1847; staff and guests have reported the lingering scent of cigar smoke linked to President Ulysses S. Grant in the lobby.
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004
Wheelchair Accessible
Research-Backed · 4 sources
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$$
Luxury historic hotel; rooms typically $400+ per night. Round Robin Bar and Peacock Alley are open to non-guests.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Fully accessible.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1901 · Hospitality use traces to 1816; named the Willard in 1847 · Current Beaux-Arts building designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, 1901 · Hosted nearly every U.S. president since Franklin Pierce · MLK Jr. completed his 'I Have a Dream' speech draft here in 1963 · Listed in the Historic Hotels of America program
The Willard's history begins in 1816 with a row of small buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House. In 1847 Henry Willard took over the lodging operation and combined the buildings into a single hotel, eventually known as Willard's Hotel. During the Civil War, the Willard served as an unofficial extension of the federal government — Julia Ward Howe wrote 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic' in her Willard room in 1861, and the same year an attempted peace conference was held in its parlors.
The original buildings were demolished in 1901 and replaced with the present 12-story Beaux-Arts hotel designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh. The new Willard quickly became one of Washington's most prominent hotels. Nearly every American president since Franklin Pierce has either visited or stayed at the Willard, and the building's Peacock Alley corridor became the central social space for political business. In August 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. completed the final draft of the 'I Have a Dream' speech in a Willard suite the night before the March on Washington.
The hotel fell into disrepair in the mid-20th century and closed in 1968. After a decade-long preservation campaign, it was restored and reopened in 1986 as the Willard InterContinental. It is a member of the Historic Hotels of America and is one of the most-cited historic buildings in downtown Washington.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willard_InterContinental_Washington
- https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-willard-hotel
- https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/the-willard-intercontinental-washington-dc/history.php
- https://travelhag.com/willard-hotel-ghosts-tea-christmas/
Lingering cigar smoke in specific lobby locationsApparition matching descriptions of President GrantSounds of footsteps and 19th-century-attired figures on upper floorsSensed presence of a sorrowful woman associated with Jane Pierce
The most-cited Willard ghost story concerns President Ulysses S. Grant. According to DC Ghosts, FrightFind, and other ghost-tour sources, Grant was a regular fixture in the Willard lobby during the 1870s, smoking cigars and drinking brandy. Tradition holds that the term 'lobbyist' originated in this lobby, with petitioners approaching him as he sat smoking — a claim historians treat as folklore rather than verified etymology. The Willard is a 100% smoke-free hotel today, so the occasional staff and guest reports of cigar smoke in specific corners of the lobby, particularly late at night, attract notice (DC Ghosts; FrightFind).
A second strand of lore involves Jane Pierce, wife of President Franklin Pierce. The Pierces' eleven-year-old son Bennie was killed in a January 1853 train accident en route to Washington for Franklin's inauguration. Jane Pierce, grieving deeply, spent her years as First Lady largely in seclusion. According to DC Ghosts, she stayed at the Willard during portions of her mourning period and is reported as a presence on the hotel's upper floors. The often-repeated ghost-tour claim that she 'died at the Willard four years later of melancholia' should be treated cautiously: historical record indicates Jane Pierce died at her sister's home in Andover, Massachusetts in 1863. The Willard connection during her DC years is well-supported, but the death-at-the-hotel framing is not.
Additional figures in 19th-century evening dress have been described by guests on the upper floors. The Willard has not historically promoted itself as a haunted property; the reports come primarily from ghost-tour and Washingtonian-folklore sources.
Notable Entities
Ulysses S. GrantJane Pierce
Plan Your Visit
2 ways to experience Dinner
Round Robin Bar / Peacock Alley
Cocktails in the lobby's storied Round Robin Bar or afternoon tea in Peacock Alley, the long marble hall associated with the 'lobbyist' coinage.
- Duration:
- 1.5 hr
Book a room at The Willard InterContinental
Stay the nightSome links on this page may earn HauntBound a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial picks are independent. Full disclosure
See current room rates and availability at The Willard InterContinental.
Check rates and bookRates come from booking partners, so a small property may not be listed. Book direct with The Willard InterContinental
Featured on these tours
Nightly Spirits Washington D.C.
This Washington tour includes The Willard InterContinental on its route.
Book this tourSources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Free Guide
Get the Haunted Trail Guide
Verified stops across all fifty states, rated for families. Free.
One email to confirm, then the guide link. Unsubscribe anytime.
Similar Destinations
Haunted Hotel / Inn
The Driskill
Austin, TX
Colonel Jesse Lincoln Driskill, a Tennessee-born cattle baron who supplied beef to the Confederate Army and later the Texas Rangers, opened The Driskill Hotel on December 20, 1886. Its first event, two weeks after opening, was the inaugural ball for Texas Governor Sul Ross. Driskill sold the hotel in 1888 after severe drought devastated his cattle herds and died in 1890. The hotel has hosted every Texas governor's inaugural ball since 1887.
$$$ All ages
Family: Moderate
Haunted Hotel / Inn
The Hay-Adams
Washington, DC
The Hay-Adams opened in 1928 on the site formerly occupied by the adjoining Henry Hobson Richardson-designed houses of John Hay (Lincoln's private secretary and later Secretary of State) and Henry Adams (historian and great-grandson of John Adams). Developer Harry Wardman demolished the two homes in 1927 and built the Italian Renaissance hotel as 'The Hay-Adams House' in their place. The hotel has hosted presidents, dignitaries, and the literary world ever since and remains one of the most prominent luxury hotels in Washington.
$$$$ All Ages
Family: High
Haunted Hotel / Inn
Palace Hotel
San Francisco, CA
The original Palace opened in 1875 as one of the largest luxury hotels in the world. It survived the 1906 earthquake itself but was destroyed in the subsequent fire; the present building reopened on the same site on December 19, 1909. Operated today by Marriott as a Luxury Collection property, the Palace is best known historically as the place where President Warren G. Harding died in office on August 2, 1923.
$$$$ All Ages
Family: High
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Willard InterContinental family-friendly?
Operating luxury hotel; family-friendly daytime visits to the historic lobby. Overall family fit: High.
How much does it cost to visit The Willard InterContinental?
Luxury historic hotel; rooms typically $400+ per night. Round Robin Bar and Peacock Alley are open to non-guests.
Do I need to book in advance?
No advance booking is required, but checking availability is recommended.
Is The Willard InterContinental wheelchair accessible?
Yes, The Willard InterContinental is wheelchair accessible. Terrain: Fully accessible..