Haunted hotel guide · San Antonio, Texas

The Haunted Crockett Hotel, San Antonio: Alamo Ghosts, the Fourth Floor and History

Built in 1909 by the Odd Fellows on ground that was part of the Alamo battlefield, the Crockett is the hotel closest to the 1836 battle in both history and distance.

By The Haunted Rooms Team · Updated November 2026 · How we rate hotels

2.8/5Haunted Rooms Score
1909Cornerstone laid
4th floorHotspot named by staff

Check availabilityMeet the ghosts

The Crockett Hotel stands on Bonham Street just east of the Alamo church, on land that sat beside and partly within the mission compound in 1836. Historic Hotels of America notes that Davy Crockett and his men defended the southeast palisade during the siege, and the hotel that carries his name has been welcoming guests on the battlefield’s edge for more than a century. It is one of the best-known haunted hotels in San Antonio, and one of the best-value hotels on Alamo Plaza.

The hotel does not sell its ghosts, but its staff do talk about them. In 2024 the assistant general manager told KSAT about strange happenings on the fourth floor and an elevator that moved between floors on its own. Guests and staff have long described a man in a dark blue jacket, like those worn by the Alamo’s defenders, along with footsteps, whispers, chanting and the sound of horses where there are none. In August 2025 the State of Texas bought the Crockett, together with the neighboring Menger, as part of the plan to restore the Alamo, and the hotel remains open.

Crockett Hotel at a glance

2.8/5
Haunted Rooms Score
Haunted reputation3
History4
Ghost hunter access1
$ · Under $150Pet friendly
  • Address 320 Bonham St, San Antonio, TX 78205, directly behind the Alamo church
  • Opened Land bought by the Odd Fellows in 1907, cornerstone laid April 26, 1909, seven-story west wing added in 1927
  • Most haunted spots The fourth floor, the elevators, the lobby and front doors, the bar and the pool area
  • Best-known ghosts A man in a dark blue military-style jacket, unseen Alamo defenders heard chanting and marching, and, by legend, Davy Crockett himself
  • Booking the haunted room There is no haunted room package. Ask for a fourth-floor room when you book and again at check-in; it is a request, not a guarantee.
  • Good to know 138 rooms, outdoor pool, Crockett Tavern and a coffee bar. Valet parking only ($59 a night). Pets allowed: $125 per stay, up to two pets of 25 lb. Check-in 4 pm, minimum age 21.

Check availability

The ghosts of The Crockett Hotel

The man in the dark blue jacket

The Crockett’s best-known ghost is a man in a dark blue jacket, cut like the coats worn by soldiers at the Alamo. Guests and staff have described him crossing the lobby and the area around the patio outside the offices, then disappearing.

No one claims to know who he is. Some guests call him an Alamo defender; others think the figure is a kind of replay of the battle rather than a ghost who notices the living. Either way, he is the sighting most often tied to this hotel.

The fourth floor

When KSAT visited in 2024, assistant general manager Patricia Santiago Larios said that ghost hunters had come to the hotel and that strange things happen on the fourth floor. It is the one area of the hotel the staff themselves single out.

The fourth floor matters historically too. When the Odd Fellows opened the building, guests stayed on the first four floors and the lodge used the top two, so the fourth was the top floor of the original hotel.

The elevator that picks its own floors

Larios also told KSAT about a ride she and other staff took when “the elevator directed itself to the next floor up and then the next floor down all by itself,” with nobody pressing a button.

Guests tell the same story: elevators going up and down empty, stopping on floors no one chose and opening their doors to empty landings. A co-host of The Unrefined Podcast, writing on Visit San Antonio’s blog in 2023, said the writers found the elevator had a “mischievous spirit” and noticed activity on the third floor.

The lobby doors, footsteps and whispers

The front doors to the lobby are said to open and close by themselves. Elsewhere, guests describe faint whispers in empty corridors, sudden cold spots, curtains moving in closed rooms and heavy footsteps in the middle of the night.

Older stories put some of the activity in the bar, with items said to slide off the bar top. Today the hotel’s bar is Crockett Tavern, which opened in 2022, so if you want to test the story, the patio overlooking Alamo Plaza is the place to sit.

Chanting and hoofbeats

Some of the strangest reports at the Crockett are sounds rather than sights: chanting that seems to come from nowhere, the sound of horses’ hooves trotting past, and the tramp of marching feet in the hallways.

Guests who hear them tend to connect them to 1836. Historic Hotels of America records that hundreds of troops gathered on the ground where the hotel’s pool now sits, and the pool area at dusk is another spot where tour guides say a blue mist or a woman in blue has been seen.

Davy Crockett himself

Of course, many guests hope the hotel’s namesake is still around. News 4 San Antonio reported in 2023 that some people claim to have seen the figure of Davy Crockett himself, and a San Antonio student recorded a local rumor for the University of Southern California’s folklore archive that Crockett’s ghost knocks on guests’ doors at 3:14 in the morning.

Even Crockett’s death is a mystery. The traditional story has him dying in the fight near the palisade; the Texas State Historical Association notes that many historians count him among the handful of defenders executed after the battle, and the question is still argued over today.

The most haunted rooms and places to look

  • Fourth-floor rooms: The floor staff named to KSAT and the top floor of the original 1909 hotel. Specific rooms cannot be booked online, so note the request on your reservation and ask again at the front desk.
  • Rooms in the 1927 west wing: The seven-story wing designed by Henry T. Phelps sits nearest Alamo Plaza. Upper floors here are the best bet for a view toward the Alamo and the Menger.
  • Room 209 and the seventh floor: Some ghost tour companies say Room 209 has the most intense activity and that a figure they call Captain Butler patrols the seventh floor. We could not find any staff or press account behind either claim, so treat them as tour-guide lore.
  • Poolside rooms: If you would rather be near the courtyard pool, where the blue mist story is set and where troops are said to have gathered in 1836, ask for a room overlooking it.

History of The Crockett Hotel

The hotel’s land has been part of San Antonio’s story since the Spanish era. Mission San Antonio de Valero, later known as the Alamo, was founded in 1718 and moved to its present site in 1724. Historic Hotels of America places the Crockett’s lot just east of the mission, between two branches of the Acequia Madre irrigation ditch, on land granted to Juan Bautista de la Zerda in 1793. Later, Honoré Grenet’s store stood on part of the site.

In the winter of 1836, Santa Anna’s army reached Béxar and began a 13-day siege of the Alamo. The final assault came at about 5 am on March 6, 1836 and was over within ninety minutes. Between 189 and about 257 defenders died, among them William Travis, Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett, whose volunteers held the southeast palisade. Historians estimate the Mexican army lost about 600 men killed and wounded. The defenders’ bodies were burned on pyres nearby.

The local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows bought the land on January 30, 1907, planning a combined lodge and hotel. The cornerstone was laid on April 26, 1909, during the order’s 90th anniversary celebrations, and the six-story Classical Revival building opened with hotel rooms on the first four floors and the lodge on the top two. In 1927 a seven-story west wing designed by Henry T. Phelps enlarged the hotel toward Alamo Plaza. The Odd Fellows’ Grand Lodge Museum of Texas moved into the building in 1961, and a 60-room wing was added for HemisFair ’68.

In 1977 the hotel became a contributing building in the Alamo Plaza Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is also a San Antonio historic landmark. The Odd Fellows sold it in 1978. In 1982 San Antonio native John Blocker bought it and restored it, uncovering original brickwork, windows and storefronts, restoring the lobby and adding an atrium. 1859 Historic Hotels, owner of the Menger, bought the Crockett in 1999, and a 2007 renovation refreshed all 138 guest rooms and suites. The hotel celebrated its centennial in 2009 and joined Historic Hotels of America in 2010.

In June 2022 Crockett Tavern opened inside the hotel, with Texas food, a patio over Alamo Plaza and a Davy Crockett sculpture. Then, in August 2025, the Texas General Land Office, working with investment firm Rockbridge and the Alamo Trust, bought both the Crockett and the Menger from 1859 Historic Hotels. The purchase is part of the Alamo Plan, a $550 million project to restore the mission footprint and build a new Alamo visitor center and museum. No renovation plans for the hotel had been announced at the time of the sale.

Tips for a haunted stay

  • Ask for the fourth floor when you book, add it as a note on the reservation, and ask again at check-in. The front desk can only offer what is available that night.
  • Parking is valet only at $59 a night. If you are driving, the self-park garage at the Shops at Rivercenter is usually cheaper and a short walk away.
  • Alamo Plaza is under construction for the Alamo Plan, so walking routes and entrances can change. Check the Alamo’s website before you go, and visit early in the morning for the quietest plaza.
  • Have a drink on the Crockett Tavern patio at dusk, then walk the loop of Alamo Plaza’s haunted hotels: the Menger next door, the Emily Morgan and Hotel Gibbs.
  • Small dogs are welcome: the fee is $125 per pet per stay, $50 for a second pet, with a limit of two pets of 25 lb each.
  • Want more than stories? Book a real investigation on one of our Texas ghost hunts.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the Crockett Hotel haunted?

It has a long ghost reputation. Staff told KSAT in 2024 about activity on the fourth floor and an elevator that moved on its own, and guests have reported a man in a dark blue jacket, footsteps, whispers and chanting for years. These are reports, not proof, but few hotels sit closer to the Alamo battlefield.

What is the most haunted room at the Crockett Hotel?

Staff point to the fourth floor rather than a single room. Some ghost tour companies name Room 209 and the seventh floor, but we found no staff or press source for those claims.

Is the Crockett Hotel built on the Alamo battlefield?

Yes, on part of it. The hotel stands just east of the Alamo church on land beside and partly within the 1836 compound, close to the southeast palisade Davy Crockett’s men defended.

Who owns the Crockett Hotel now?

In August 2025 the Texas General Land Office, with Rockbridge and the Alamo Trust, bought the Crockett and the Menger from 1859 Historic Hotels as part of the Alamo Plan. The hotel continues to operate.

Is the Crockett Hotel pet friendly?

Yes. It charges $125 per pet per stay, plus $50 for a second pet, with a maximum of two pets weighing up to 25 lb each. Pets cannot be left alone in the room.

Which is more haunted, the Crockett or the Menger?

The Menger has the bigger reputation and far more recorded stories, but the Crockett sits on more of the actual battlefield. They are next door to each other, so you can easily visit both.

Sources

Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.

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About the authors

The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.

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