In September 2015, The Spooky Boys did something pretty spooky: we explored the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton, Alberta. It was closed for the season, the wind was howling and spookiness was in the air. Some of us didn’t want to do it. But Scott (Ghost King and Leader) wanted to because I’m not afraid of ghosts.
A man who worked at a local gas station (you could just tell he knew about a lot of things) gave us a tip that one of the balcony doors on an upper floor might be unlocked. Spooky Boys were drawn to the adventure.
Into the belly of the Hotel
With the hotel closed, the whole place was dark and quiet. No lights, no guests, just us and a whole lot of creaky floors.
There was a definite chill in the air—and not just because it was Canada in September. The kind of chill that feels like it’s coming from inside the walls.
We wandered floor to floor, exploring the unknown. There was a single light on in one of the rooms. We didn’t know if it was a ghost or a hotel-keeper guy, so we avoided that room. We had to keep going towards our main goal – Sarah and room 510.
Who is the Lady in White?
The Prince of Wales is said to be home to several disembodied souls, but the most infamous is Sarah, also known as The Lady in White.
But the Sarah I am talking about today worked at the hotel in the late 1920s. Legend says she fell in love with a man who never loved her back. Heartbroken and consumed by despair, she leapt from the fourth-floor mezzanine, falling to her death in the lobby below. She died. Her ghost is seen gliding through the upper floors, often in a white dress, often near Room 510.
Some say she whispers. Others claim she cries. A few guests have reported waking up to see a pale figure at the foot of their bed, only for her to vanish when the lights are turned on.
Did the Spooky Boys meet Sarah?
We believe we met her.
As we neared the mezzanine, a suffocating chill filled the air. It wasn’t just cold—it was wrong. Like the feeling that you’re being watched when you’re doing something you’re really not supposed to do. The hairs on our arms rose. One of the team members claimed to even get confusingly aroused (but we won’t say who because they want anonymity).
“I feel a dark presence”, Scott (the Ghost King and leader) exclaimed as he looked inside the shower. He looked in and heard a faint whisper and something that may have resembled a woman in white. The camera didn’t capture the presence, but the feeling in the air sure did.
We all ran. Luckily, only by the grace of God, we made it out. The breeze of freedom felt cool against our forever changed faces.
More about Prince of Wales Hotel
The Lady in White isn’t the only ghost said to linger in Waterton’s grand hotel. Other paranormal reports include:
• A male spirit in old-fashioned bellhop clothing, seen walking the service halls.
• Phantom footsteps on empty floors, especially near the fourth-floor balcony.
• Lights flickering at 3:33 AM, even when the power is off for the season.
• Furniture shifting on its own in closed-off rooms.
• Disembodied voices whispering names or humming songs no one alive remembers.
Some believe the building’s sharp angles and position over a convergence of natural energy—overlooking the intersection of lake, valley, and mountain—make it a hotspot for spiritual residue.
Some of the Spooky Boys are wanting to go back and stay over night in Room 510. Others don’t want to.