Hotel Ottumwa

So we had a party in the hotel and me and my cousin went to the 6th floor to hangout for the rest of the party when I was on the 6th floor I wanted to go back down to the 1st floor so I was walking in the hallway alone all I can hear is heavy breathing so I ran back to my cousins and told them to follow me down cause I got scared so then once we went down we stayed in the lobby for 30 some minutes then we went back up and then I told my cousin to search up the name to see who died there in the hotel and once we searched it up (I don't want to say the name cause Im scared to) so then once we searched it up my kid self came out and said the name out loud then after I felt like sum was watching me and next to me so I started to scream and ran to the elevator with my cousins and then after that the whole time we was there I felt like some one was watching me and I was paranoid and felt light headed

March 2025

First of all 1 day before checking into hotel ottumwa, a family friend told us that the hotel was haunted “joking” around, mind you she is above her 60s. She told me and my family stuff like a ghost is the ballroom. We didn’t think anything of it until we read a story saying that there was a ballroom in the basement that a ghost haunts. At that point we were petrified. We also heard a women at the front desk talking to costumers about paranormal stuff happing in the hotel.
Then on day 1 Me and my family stayed in hotel Ottumwa we walked into the hotel and me and my cousin instantly felt like someone was watching us. then after 5 minutes of getting our stuff off the truck and into the hotel bedroom we just got showered and went to bed after a long drive of going from texas to iowa, But when me and my cousin went to bed she sat on the bed to go to sleep and the second she sat down the headboard of the bed instantly detached from the bed and fell on the ground. She jumped quickly and got scared.
On day 2 is when I was terrified. I woke up to get showered and go out with my family to eat. Btw there is a mirror that faces the corner of the closet that doesn’t have any doors. While I was brushing my teeth while staring into the mirror I saw in the corner of my eye someone’s face in the corner of the closet staring at me. I instantly got a little startled and turned around to look at the corner of the closet, but when i looked nothing was there just a roll of toilet paper on the floor. then for the rest of the day we were gone until 10 at night when we got home. When we got home I showered then brushed me teeth before going to sleep. I looked at the same corner again to see nothing. I thought it was just my imagination. Then I went to sleep feeling like someone was watching me.
On day 3 I woke up showered then brushed my teeth like always, then I see in the corner of my eye I saw the same face again in the corner of the closet. This time I stared at it I for a good 5 seconds before looking away to go to go turn and see if the face was there, which it wasn't. But before looking away I saw some facial features like an old man’s beard and short old hair. Then for the remainder of the day me and my family went to eat lunch then we went to go see the American gothic house then we spent a hour at a family friends. Then we went back to the hotel around 6pm. But my Tia and Tio who left me and cousin alone at the hotel so that way my Tia and Tio can go have a dinner date. While me and my cousin were alone in the hotel I was on my phone while my cousin was cleaning the hotel. While I was on my phone i remember hearing breathing sounds. Then my Tia and Tio got back maybe an hour later. While everyone was home me and my cousin went down once to a little gift shop/ snack area inside the hotel right next to the lobby desk. Nothing odd happened besides the elevator stopping randomly for maybe 30 seconds then continuing. Then me and my cousin went down go to get snacks again. When going down I accidentally pressed the second floor button the elevator stopped and opened. Upon the elevator door opening we saw the second floor. I don’t really know how to explain it. It just look abandoned and scary the time that we were there in the second floor I felt like someone was watching me but worse than the time I first walked into the hotel. It felt like someone had gotten murdered there or something. To my right was nothing but windows, to my left was nothing but just a row of door that looked really fancy. When I first saw the row of door my first thought was “ that looks that leads to some type of ballroom” I know that might sound and you are probably thinking right now “no way that is his first thought” conceding that there is a story of a ghost in the ballroom in the basement. But that was generally my thought in my head. Then after looking at the second floor for 30 seconds the elevator closed and went to the first floor. When going down that is when me and my cousin heard an employee talking or a customer about paranormal stuff happening in the hotel. But when me and cousin were on the first floor we saw a staircase leading up to the second floor. Being the dumb kids we are we went up the staircase even though we both felt like someone was watching us when we first saw the second floor. We went up and got a closer look at the second floor it was scary nothing but just a open space with nothing. We immediately went up to the 5th floor we’re me and my family were staying and we told them all about the stuff we heard in the lobby and the stuff we felt in the second floor. We immediately searched up if Hotel Ottumwa was Haunted. We saw many stories about Hotel Ottumwa about a old head that looks shadowy that watches you when no one else is around. And then about a ballroom in the basement and about a ghost that haunts the ballroom. And then about hearing breathing out of no where. After reading all of those stories and seeing the top10 most haunted hotels in Iowa and seeing Hotel Ottumwa in number 6 I ended up her writing my experience in Hotel Ottumwa.

July 2023

Well I'm not sure if I've had any experiences but everytime I go into a part the hotel that I've never been in before I always get acreepy feeling. Now I'm from Ottumwa and one of my dads favorite restaurants is located inside of the hotel which is the Second Street Cafe and here a couple of weeks ago I had that same feeling going into the restaurant and I've never really had that feeling in there before

June 2021

When I worked the front desk at Hotel Ottumwa I was asked to go to the basement for various reasons. One of these occasions I swear I seen a man in a full suit standing in the dark corner near the maintenance room! I acted like I didn’t see him and bolted back upstairs with goosebumps all over my body and the feeling I was being chased up the stairs !

October 2018

I worked at hotel Ottumwa 3rd shift laundry, so I was pretty much in the basement all night. The basement is an old ball room, Well I was down there folding linens and towels when in tne corner of my eye I saw someone walk past me and I could feel the breeze as it went by, i ignored it and about 10minutes later it happend again and the clip board that was on the table near me literally was thrown across the room. I ran up stairs to where the front desk attendant was, my face must have said it all, she said you must have met our ghostly guest! Then there was one day I was on the 3rd floor cleaning a room when I hear whistling, i go to look and nobody was there, i go about my business and hear it again just as I was finishing up and anout to leave the room, the door slams in my face.. I've had many experiences there but id be typing forever to tell them all..

September 2018