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Reported phenomena, as catalogued
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The 1882 'Belle of the Southwest' on the Las Vegas plaza, where Room 310 is held back for the ghost of former owner Byron T. Mills
230 Plaza St, Las Vegas, NM 87701
Research updated October 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Standard room rates; book directly at plazahotellvnm.com or call the hotel. Room 310 can be requested.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Restored 1882 building with elevator; some historic stairs and uneven thresholds
Equipment
Photos OK
1882 'Belle of the Southwest' — Most Luxurious Hotel in NM Territory · National Register of Historic Places (1974) · Owned by Las Vegas Mayor Byron T. Mills (d. 1947) · Anchor of the Old Town Plaza Historic District
The Plaza Hotel opened in 1882 facing the Old Town Plaza, the 1835 heart of Las Vegas and a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. Opening three years after the railroad reached town, it was promoted as "the Belle of the Southwest," the most luxurious lodging in New Mexico Territory, with elaborate Victorian rooms overlooking the plaza park.
The hotel changed hands across the following decades. Byron T. Mills, an attorney who also served as mayor of Las Vegas, owned the Plaza in the early 20th century and is the figure whose name still attaches to the building — both in the hotel's saloon, Byron T.'s, and in its best-known ghost story. Mills died in 1947.
The Plaza was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. After periods of decline common to old plaza hotels, it was restored and continues to operate as a full-service hotel with around 70 guest rooms, the Plaza Grill restaurant, and an events center. Nineteen of its rooms overlook the plaza park.
The building anchors the Las Vegas plaza historic district, a few minutes' walk from the railroad-era commercial blocks along Bridge Street. Its longevity, its plaza setting, and its place on the National Register make it one of the most-photographed buildings in northeastern New Mexico, and the Room 310 stories have been a regular feature of regional coverage and at least one televised paranormal investigation.
Sources
The Plaza Hotel's reputation rests on a single room. Room 310 is associated with Byron T. Mills, the attorney and Las Vegas mayor who owned the hotel and died in 1947. Guests and employees have reported the smell of cigar smoke in the room, drawers that open and close on their own, and the sensation of someone sitting down on the bed.
What makes the accounts unusual is their consistency about who experiences them: reports come overwhelmingly from women staying alone. Front-desk staff have spoken to local reporters about being cautious before assigning Room 310 to a solo woman traveler, while still letting guests request it.
Local paranormal investigator Cody Polston, who has written about the hotel, has questioned the standard version of the story, noting that Mills's actual office and rooms may not have been Room 310 itself. Polston also recorded one of the more frequently retold incidents: a heavy dresser found pushed in front of the room's door when the room had been empty.
The Plaza's ghost stories appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican as early as the 1990s and have been covered repeatedly since. The hotel was investigated for the television series Ghost Adventures, and Room 310 remains the room guests most often ask for by number.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
A working hotel on the Old Town Plaza with roughly 70 Victorian-styled rooms, the Plaza Grill restaurant, Plaza Sip & Savor, and the Tavern. The most-requested room is 310, associated with former owner Byron T. Mills; guests can ask to stay there.
The hotel's ground-floor restaurant, the Landmark Grill, serves daily; the adjoining Byron T.'s Saloon is named for Byron T. Mills, the former owner whose ghost is the subject of the Room 310 stories. Open to the public without a room reservation.
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