Est. 1907 · National Register of Historic Places (1979) · Louisiana Maneuvers WWII Training Base · Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Stilwell Connection · Central Louisiana Landmark Hotel
Joseph Bentley, a timber baron who had made his fortune in central Louisiana's longleaf pine industry, commissioned architect George R. Mann to design a grand hotel for downtown Alexandria. The building, constructed in 1907 and opened in August 1908 at a cost of $700,000, rose from a stated personal motivation: Bentley had been refused dinner at another local hotel for not being properly dressed, and resolved to build a hotel of his own.
The Renaissance Revival building at 200 DeSoto Street became the preeminent hotel in central Louisiana. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 1979, under reference number 79001084.
The hotel's most documented historical chapter is its role in the Louisiana Maneuvers of 1940 and 1941, when the U.S. Army used the vast pine forests and farmland of central Louisiana for pre-war military training exercises involving hundreds of thousands of troops. Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton Jr., Omar Bradley, and Joseph Stilwell all used the Bentley as a base during the maneuvers. The exercises are credited with identifying future commanders and identifying weaknesses in American military doctrine before the country entered the war.
After decades of decline, the property was purchased by Michael Jenkins on October 11, 2012, for $3.4 million. Renovation preserved the building's historic character while converting the seven-story tower to condominiums and restoring the hotel's dining venues. The renovated hotel reopened with approximately 100 rooms.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley_Hotel
- https://999ktdy.com/hotel-bentley-one-of-louisianas-most-haunted-spots/
- https://beyondhaunted.com/louisiana/bentley-hotel
ApparitionsFootstepsElevator anomaliesPhantom cigar smokeDoors opening and closing without cause
The Hotel Bentley's founder, Joseph Bentley, died in 1938 — thirty years after the hotel opened — and is the figure most often associated with the building's paranormal tradition. Staff and guests have reported seeing him primarily on the third floor and in the Mirror Bar lounge, described as a man in period clothing consistent with the early twentieth century.
Two additional figures appear in the documented accounts. A woman who died in an elevator shaft — her identity not established in available sources — has been reported in and around the elevator areas. A man who fell from the grand staircase in 1985 has been reported near that location. Visitors also claim to have heard voices of Generals Patton and Bradley in conversations about military strategy, an account consistent with the building's documented history as a command center during the Louisiana Maneuvers.
The Syfy program Ghost Hunters investigated Alexandria as a city in 2011, with the Hotel Bentley as a central focus. During their investigation, the team documented footsteps in empty corridors, elevator anomalies, self-opening and closing doors, and the smell of cigar smoke with no identifiable source. The investigation aired as part of a city-wide Alexandria episode.
The Mirror Bar and the grand staircase are the locations most frequently cited in first-person visitor accounts. The hotel's paranormal reputation is reinforced by its role in the Louisiana History Museum's annual Halloween ghost scavenger hunt, which uses the Bentley as one of its anchor sites.
Notable Entities
Joseph Bentley (founder, died 1938)Woman who fell in elevator shaftMan who fell from grand staircase (1985)
Media Appearances
- Ghost Hunters (television, 2011)
