Greenville's twelve-story downtown landmark opened in 1925, stood vacant for a decade after 1987, and since its restoration has drawn consistent reports of an elderly man materializing in guest rooms and a figure in a black coat staring from the third floor.
120 S Main St, Greenville, SC 29601
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$$
Hotel guest rates vary seasonally. The lobby and dining areas are accessible to non-guests during operating hours.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Downtown hotel with elevator access; ADA-compliant facilities throughout.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1925 · Designed by architect William Lee Stoddart, specialist in American hotel architecture · Named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, South Carolina statesman for whom the poinsettia is named · Tallest building in Greenville at opening in 1925 · Closed 1987; vacant for over a decade; restored and reopened as Westin Poinsett 1999 · Recognized by South Carolina tourism authority as one of the state's haunted destinations
The Poinsett Hotel takes its name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the South Carolina statesman and botanist for whom the poinsettia plant is named. The hotel was built in 1924–1925 on the site of the Mansion House Hotel, a previous Greenville lodging establishment, and was designed by New York architect William Lee Stoddart, who specialized in hotel architecture across the American South and East Coast.
The twelve-story structure was the tallest building in Greenville at its opening and became the social center of downtown, hosting politicians, business leaders, and notable guests throughout its early decades of operation. Among the hotel's historically documented guests were notable figures of the 1930s and 1940s as the property served as a gathering point for Greenville's civic life.
The hotel closed in 1987 as the downtown Greenville economy shifted and the building fell into disrepair. It stood vacant for more than a decade, accumulating deterioration and the rumors that accompany long-abandoned urban buildings. The Westin Hotel chain acquired and undertook a full restoration, reopening the property in 1999 as the Westin Poinsett — a Marriott Bonvoy property and a centerpiece of Greenville's downtown revival.
Since reopening, the hotel has been listed among South Carolina's most haunted lodgings by both local media and the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Greenville's local outlet GVL Today documented the hotel's ghost history in detail, noting that ghost-hunting interest has been consistent since the 1999 reopening.
Sources
The ghost reports at the Westin Poinsett cluster around two distinct figures. The first is an elderly man seen inside guest rooms: guests describe him as solid and real in appearance, typically standing near a bed or window, who disappears when the guest turns away or approaches. The reports have come from multiple guests across the hotel's post-restoration years and are consistent enough to have been documented by GVL Today in detail.
The second figure is associated specifically with the third floor: a figure in a black coat or dark clothing seen standing at a window from the street or courtyard below, staring outward, in situations where hotel staff have confirmed the room is unoccupied. The third-floor window observation is a recurring type of hotel ghost report and has been noted in Greenville-area coverage of the hotel's paranormal reputation.
Neither figure has been identified with a specific historical occupant or employee of the hotel. The decade of vacancy between 1987 and 1999 features in local discussion of the haunting, with the suggestion that the prolonged abandonment of the building created conditions for accumulated reports after reopening. The South Carolina tourism board's inclusion of the Poinsett among the state's haunted inns gives it official recognition as a paranormal destination, though the board frames the site within heritage tourism rather than any claim of verified supernatural activity.
Media Appearances
The Poinsett Club Room and lobby of the Westin Poinsett preserve the hotel's 1920s architectural character. The building's history — including its closure and decade of vacancy — is part of Greenville's downtown narrative. Ghost lore is informal; staff and guests have described unexplained encounters since the hotel's 1999 reopening.
Staying overnight in the hotel is the primary way to engage with the paranormal tradition of the Westin Poinsett. Guest rooms on the lower floors, including the third floor associated with the black-coated figure reports, are bookable through standard hotel reservation. The hotel does not market ghost-hunt packages; reports come from regular guests.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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