The Hacienda Hotel Has Hidden Rooms And Tunnels That Spirits Still Roam In New Port Richey

New Port Richey — Is the Hacienda Hotel haunted? Absolutley. This hotel was built in 1928 and recently refurbished after years of abandonment, the hotel boasts a legendary past. You can't have prohibition era brothels, hidden tunnels, a "mafia", bootlegging and years of abandonment and not have those walls hold on to something.

Long-term residents reside among the visitors of this charming local icon, which, has a very colorful past. It's said there are a few children spirits, a couple ladies of the evening, a "host" who likes things kept neat, and even a dancing ghost still call the Hacienda home.

The Hacienda Hotel, then and nowPhoto byDowntown New Port Richey

Many guests and employees have reported seeing a small girl wandering the halls; a tuberculosis patient around ten years old. Another reported spirit is of human shape that materialized while loud metal music was playing. It would start and stop dancing in sync with the music, and it would also raise a hand in response to staff members.

Another reported encounter with the spirits of the Hacienda was an old Christmas tree needed to be disposed of, and was. When the crews came back to the hotel the next day, there was an entirely new "Christmas tree" in it's place, made from odds and ends from the ongoing construction. It's safe to say, they want their tree back.

The Hacienda HotelPhoto byFox 13 Tampa

There are secret rooms and tunnels in the hotel, via a secret stairwell in the basement. These were rooms where the gentlemen would enjoy gambling, drinking, and ladies of the evening during the prohibition era. These rooms are totally shut off from the rest of the hotel. Legend has it you can still smell the smoke of cigars and ladies perfume. The tunnels under the hotel that lead to the river are no longer accessible, but they were in palce to get alcohol in and out of the hotel back then.

In the 1920s, "hollow tiles" were a prominent architectural technique, and this technique was used to build the Hacienda Hotel. For a Spanish aesthetic, the hollow tiles are painted and covered in plaster. The Florida legislature set aside $1 million in 2014 for the Hacienda's restoration.

A dark hallway from the previously abandoned hotelPhoto byAbandonedReclamation

Attributions:

Renovated Hacienda Hotel in New Port Richey accepts reservations. (2024, February 25). FOX 13 Tampa Bay. https://www.fox13news.com/video/1116693

Gamez, D. (2021, November 19). The Hacienda on FOX13. https://haciendahotelnpr.com/index.php/news/item/15-the-hacienda-on-fox13

Arvelo, B. (2023, October 3). Historic Hacienda Hotel in the heart of New Port Richey. https://haciendahotelnpr.com/