HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Built in 1927 as one of Michigan's most luxurious Upper Peninsula hotels, the Ojibway is reported to host Beatrice — wife of a former owner — who rearranges guests' belongings and unpacks their suitcases during the night.
240 W. Portage Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
Research updated August 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Standard hotel room rates. Book through the Wyndham/Ramada system or third-party booking sites.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Full-service hotel with elevator access. Standard hotel accessibility.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1927 · 1927 Construction — One of Upper Peninsula's Luxury Hotel Landmarks · Continuous Hotel Operation Through Twentieth Century · Current Ramada/Wyndham Affiliation
Hotel Ojibway opened in 1927 on W. Portage Avenue in Sault Ste. Marie, positioned as a luxury property serving travelers arriving via the Soo Locks corridor and the Great Lakes shipping trade. The address at the waterfront edge of downtown made it a natural gathering point for business travelers, government officials, and tourists visiting the locks.
The hotel operated through the mid-twentieth century as one of the premier accommodations in the Upper Peninsula, a distinction that put it in a small category of Michigan properties outside of Detroit and the resort towns of the lower peninsula. Over the decades, ownership changed multiple times; the property is now affiliated with the Ramada brand under the Wyndham hospitality system and continues to operate as the Hotel Ojibway.
The building's 1927 construction gives it one of the longer continuous operating histories among Sault Ste. Marie commercial properties. The lobby and public areas retain features characteristic of late-1920s hotel design, and the building's Portage Avenue position remains central to downtown Sault Ste. Marie.
Sources
Hotel Ojibway's best-documented paranormal presence is Beatrice, identified in official tourism literature as the wife of a former hotel owner. Her reported behavior is distinctive: she rearranges belongings in guest rooms and unpacks suitcases that guests have left closed. These accounts have been collected from multiple guests over time and appear in both the Sault Ste. Marie Convention and Visitors Bureau's documented haunted-locations list and in Promote Michigan's coverage of Upper Peninsula haunted hotels.
The specificity of the behavior — unpacking rather than the more common object-displacement accounts — and the consistent identification of Beatrice as a named figure tied to the hotel's ownership history give the account more structure than the typical hotel haunting claim. No further biographical detail about Beatrice — full name, years of residence, cause of death — has surfaced in the sources found so far.
A second figure, less frequently documented but appearing in multiple accounts, is a tall man in formal evening attire and a top hat seen in the hotel lobby. The figure is not associated with a specific identity in the published accounts and appears in areas accessible to guests — the lobby and ground-floor public spaces — rather than in rooms.
The Promote Michigan documentation notes the hotel specifically in the context of haunted overnight stays in the UP, indicating the property's reputation is recognized beyond local tourism channels.
Notable Entities
Book a guest room in this 1927 historic hotel to experience the environment associated with Beatrice, the reported presence who rearranges guests' belongings and unpacks suitcases. The lobby, where a tall figure in formal attire has been reported, is accessible to hotel guests throughout the night.
The Hotel Ojibway's 1927 lobby retains historic character and is accessible for drop-in visits. The lobby is the primary area where a tall figure in formal attire and top hat has been reported by guests and staff.
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