{"id":27603,"date":"2016-10-25T15:49:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T15:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/?p=27603"},"modified":"2026-09-17T00:43:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T00:43:44","slug":"survive-worlds-haunted-hostel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostelworld.com\/blog\/survive-worlds-haunted-hostel\/","title":{"rendered":"Could you survive the world\u2019s most haunted hostel?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever wanted to say, \u201cremember that time we slept in a haunted jail?\u201d Well it\u2019s your (un)lucky day as HI Ottawa Jail Hostel<\/a>\u00a0in Canada is a half-converted hostel complete with ghostly screams, reported sleep paralysis, and unwanted visitors standing at the end of your bed.
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?\u00a0@luyao_bai<\/a><\/em><\/h6>\n

The Ottawa County Jail in Canada, now the world’s most haunted hostel, was established in the 1860s as a prison that was designed to provide safe housing and reformation to the criminals in the area. However men, women and even children were maltreated and even hanged in the prison, and it\u2019s now considered to be one of the most haunted buildings in Canada. So if you\u2019re up for a spooky game of \u2018murder in the dark\u2019 this Halloween, then grab your balls because Ottawa Jail is a hostel you\u2019ll never forget\u2026.
\n\"fotorcreated,most<\/p>\n

A ghost at the end of the bed\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you spend a night at HI-Ottawa Jail Hostel<\/a> you will literally be staying in one of the old prison cells, redesigned as part of the hostel.\u00a0We dare you to lock yourself up in a single private room for \u00a325\/\u20ac28\/41 CAD, or upgrade to a double for \u00a350\/$56\/81 CAD. If you can\u2019t handle the terror, book a dorm bed for \u00a319\/\u20ac21\/31 CAD and hang out in the common area. At all times.\u00a0?
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\nBut that\u2019s only if you can sleep through a visit from the hostel\u2019s most sighted ghostly guest \u2013 Patrick James Whelan<\/a>. It is believed that Patrick appears at the end of guest\u2019s beds clutching a bible. Hung in 1869 in front of 5,000 spectators Patrick is thought to still lurk around the hostel due to an unceremonious burial in the yard – a burial he did not wish for. Yikes, sounds like this lad has some unsettled beef!
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?\u00a0@sharkitectral<\/a> and @martiuk17<\/a><\/em><\/h6>\n

Sleep paralysis\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Assistant Manager Jeff Delgado recounts a particularly memorable experience when a woman had checked herself into the old Warden\u2019s office for the night. They became suspicious when she didn\u2019t check out on time the following day, and when he went to check on the woman, she was still in bed in what appeared to be sleep paralysis.
\nJeff says: \u201cThe front desk agent shook the woman and she woke up very frightened and hysterical. According to her, there was a small girl that appeared to her in her sleep in the office surroundings, and wrapped her arms around her so that she would not be able to wake up. The girl was also supposedly trying to whisper something in her ear, from which the guest could only make out the word \u2018help\u2019.<\/em>
\n\u201cAlthough the story might seem outlandish, the guest was unaware that the particular room she was staying in was indeed the old Warden’s office. She was also able to describe in detail the surroundings of an office and the physical description of the little girl.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Heavy footsteps in dark corridors <\/strong><\/h3>\n

No, we don\u2019t mean little creaks from the wind. We\u2019re talking about the scary ass footsteps made by restless spirits. What\u2019s that? You forgot your earplugs? Be prepared to wake up to a whisper in your ear or mini footsteps next to your bed.
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The echoes of ghostly screams <\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that? Just the howling of the wind?\u201d<\/em> Nope – It\u2019s the echoes of ghostly screams. Guests commonly claim to hear these chilling sounds, most often from the lounge area in the hostel. This is because this exact lounge area is where women and children were commonly placed while serving time. If this isn\u2019t the perfect room to scare the bejeezus out of yourself and your friends with movie, then we don\u2019t know what is!
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More about the hostel\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n