The Cecil Hotel

Los Angeles, California

The Cecil Hotel has long been associated with suicides, murders, and unexplained happenings. So much so that it even inspired a season of “American Horror Story: Hotel”. These numerous acts of malevolence have seen the hotel nicknamed “The Suicide” by its residents. According to the website RoomSpook, a site that allows you to check for any unwanted “events” that may have occurred in a particular hotel, a total of 17 suicides have occurred at the location to date. 

A former hotel manager, Amy Price, called the hotel “the most dangerous place in Los Angeles”, claiming that in the time she was employed, there had been one to three 911 calls every day, and about 80 deaths

History

Opened in 1924, the 19-floor, 700-room hotel was built as a stop for traveling businessmen and families on vacation, however, not long after its opening the country was caught in the grip of the Great Depression.

Forced to adapt, the Cecil Hotel, which was re-established as a budget stop, began to experience a new wave of clientele. Now situated in the heart of the country’s largest homeless population (Skid Row), the hotel would become a hub for nefarious activity as it now housed many drug dealers, sex workers, and squatting homeless. 

Home of the night stalker

The Cecil Hotel has also had its own list of “high-profile” clientele over the years. In the latter part of 1985 a transient named, Richard Ramirez set up camp at the hotel and over the course of just a few weeks committed a series of 13 murders for which he would later be famously dubbed, the “Night Stalker”. 

 In 1991 Jack Unterweger, after having been released on parole the year prior for a 1974 murder conviction, was now calling the hotel home while working as a journalist. Hired by an Austrian magazine to write a story about crime in Los Angeles and the differences between American and European views on prostitution. During his stay, Unterweger beat, sexually assaulted, and strangled to death three prostitutes using their own bras.

Elizabeth Short, aka the “Black Dhalia” was rumored to have been spotted drinking alone at the Cecil’s bar just days before her murder, however, the rumor was just that, a rumor. It appears that in 2015 an overzealous researcher, Hadley Meares, failed to fact-check the claim before including it in his article for KCET.

A New Look, Same Problems

In 2008 new owners undertook an effort to refurbish certain parts of the hotel renaming it the “Stay on Main” in 2011, though they kept the original signage and advertisements on its exterior. Now the hotel features separate reception areas, although utilizing shared facilities. Designating Floors 4, 6, and 7 for a youth hostel with the above floors for hotel rooms, and long-term residents housed on the 1st and 2nd floors. Due to the confusing remodel, many who booked a Stay on Main never realized that they were actually staying at the famous Cecil Hotel.

The Cecil Goes Viral

In 2013 Canadian student, Elisa Lam mysteriously disappeared during her stay at the Cecil Hotel. Nineteen days after her disappearance, maintenance workers found Elisa’s naked body in the water supply tower atop the hotel roof, after many residents had complained of low water pressure, discoloration, and a foul taste. 

Soon after the gruesome discovery,  leaked security footage of Elisa acting extremely paranoid and erratic went viral prompting thousands to speculate if it was in fact an act of murder that caused the young woman’s death. 

After speaking with Elisa’s sister and friends, police learned that she had been diagnosed with extreme bipolar disorder and had a history of not taking her medications. Her death was later ruled accidental as it was thought that Elsa believed her life was in danger as the result of a psychotic hallucination, and climbed into the tank herself, unable to climb out after the water level dropped

A Second Chance

2017 saw the hotel deemed a Historic-Cultural Monument as it sat closed for renovation. Simon Baron Development planned to completely redevelop the interior “hodgepodge” of the hotel promising to preserve its historically important components, only to have work cease indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

As of December 2021, the Cecil Hotel has reopened as an affordable housing facility, providing accommodations for 600 low-income residents.