Hotel Apache and Binion's Gambling Hall in Las Vegas proudly boasts of alleged paranormal encounters that guests and staff have had over the course of its existence.
Google MapsHotel Apache has a reputation for alleged paranormal encounters.
A woman says she accidentally booked “one of the most haunted hotels in Las Vegas,” Hotel Apache and Binion’s Gambling Hall. She was a good sport about the whole thing, even asking for the “worst room you got” upon finding out about the haunted lore.
One might think that a ghostly encounter would be terrifying. For some thrill-seekers, the scare is the point — and they’ll travel to the ends of the Earth to increase their chances of finding it.
A 2025 YouGov poll found that around 60 percent of Americans claim to have had at least one paranormal experience. While the number of people who say they’ve seen a ghost is smaller, it’s still significant. The same poll found that 16 percent of respondents claimed they’d encountered a ghost or spirit, while 17 percent alleged they’d witnessed an object move without explanation.
The majority of the time, these encounters are perceived by those who experience them as either neutral or, surprisingly, positive. That may be why a 2024 survey from Chapman University found that, even though many Americans believe in ghosts, only around 10 percent actually fear them.
In fact, some people are so unafraid of ghosts that they’ll stay in a hotel that’s rumored to be filled with them.
Rumors Of Ghosts At Hotel Apache
In a video with over 63,000 views, TikTok user Rebecca Paige Caplinger (@sidebarwithbec) details her stay at Hotel Apache and Binion’s Gambling Hall.
As shown in Caplinger’s video, the hotel is proud of its allegedly haunted status, even showing off a large display of apparent ghostly encounters near its entryway.
Thankfully, Caplinger is a fan of ghosts — so much so that she says she asked the hotel for “the worst room you got.”
“You know what? I got nothing else to lose. I want to spice up my life,” she says in the video.
Bob n Renee/Wikimedia CommonsA guest room at Hotel Apache.
Immediately, things felt off. Caplinger says parts of the room carried a sinister energy and that an “orb” was visible on her camera recording.
Caplinger then read of several incidents that allegedly occurred in her room, provided to her in a brochure upon check-in. One simply involved a man becoming dizzy and nauseous; another claimed that guests used a “spirit box” to contact “a woman who said she was choked in the bathtub.”
Caplinger detailed to All That’s Interesting how exactly she unintentionally booked the haunted hotel. She said she was in Las Vegas for a mix of business and pleasure and that she reserved her room through a third-party travel site that “didn’t mention anything about its haunted reputation.”
However, due to Caplinger’s interest in the paranormal, she didn’t mind.
“I went into the experience with an open mind. Before I started filming, I spoke positive intentions into the room and asked for protection, believing that if there were any spirits present, they might simply be looking for genuine interaction,” shared Caplinger, who said she grew up in a house that may have been haunted.
@sidebarwithbec/TikTokRebecca Paige Caplinger didn’t realize that she’d booked a room at a Las Vegas hotel infamous for its alleged hauntings.
She also shared one of the “strangest moments” that happened to her during her stay.
“I was checking the window and discovered that it had been unbolted, providing direct access to the roof. There was no way to lock it from inside the room. That immediately felt off, so I called hotel security, and they came up right away and re-bolted the window,” Caplinger said. “What stood out to me was that I felt strongly compelled to check the window in the first place. Once it was secured, the energy in the room seemed to shift dramatically.”
Of course, Caplinger is far from the only person who’s had a haunted hotel experience.
A Brief History Of Haunted Hotels
While haunted hotels have been around for a long time, the haunted hotel industry — i.e., tourists intentionally staying in hotels they believe to be haunted — is a relatively recent phenomenon.
Ghost tourism has existed in one form or another for hundreds of years. The Spiritualist movement of the mid-19th century resulted in curious onlookers paying to witness what they believed to be mediums communicating with the dead. Many in attendance came not to experience it as a religious revelation but as entertainment.
Public DomainThe Fox sisters of Rochester, New York, are credited with popularizing modern Spiritualism.
In the years since, the idea of a “haunted house” has become more recognized in popular culture. Legends surrounding destinations like the Winchester Mystery House and Ireland’s Loftus Hall became known far and wide, encouraging thrill-seekers across the globe to visit these haunted places and report back on their experiences.
Over time, this birthed a formal industry of “dark tourism.” In 1973, the first regular ghost tour was established in York, England. As movies like The Shining, Poltergeist, and The Exorcist became cultural touchstones, a growing number of people sought out haunted stays — and hotels were happy to accommodate them.
Soon, places like Hotel Apache were accepting guests not in spite of their apparent fear factor — but because of it.
What Makes Hotel Apache So Haunted?
So, why does the Hotel Apache claim that it’s haunted? Did anything spooky ever happen there?
As with many Las Vegas hotels, there are stories about shady goings-on throughout the building’s history — including multiple murder accusations related to its former owner, Benny Binion.
Employees have reported being mysteriously touched or nudged and seeing “figures.” Additionally, ghost hunters have recorded high readings on EMF meters and motion sensors, while mediums claim to have seen visions of former owners’ family members.
University of Nevada at Las Vegas Special Collections on the World Series of PokerLas Vegas casino mogul Benny Binion with his daughter, Becky, circa 1969.
In an email, Binion’s social media coordinator Taylor Echeita explained to All That’s Interesting, “Hotel Apache has been open since 1932, and over the years both guests and employees have shared stories of Haunted Encounters. However, there is no specific event or moment that can be identified as the origin of the hotel’s haunted reputation.”
Echeita further added, “Haunted Encounters occur throughout the entire hotel,” but noted that “we cannot guarantee any guest will have a supernatural experience.”
At the end of the day, Caplinger enjoyed her time at Hotel Apache and would “absolutely” return for another visit. “There’s so much about our world that we still don’t understand. The more open-minded and respectful we are, the more we can learn,” she told All That’s Interesting.
@sidebarwithbec Did you guys just see those ORBS… or am I actually losing it 👻 I swear I didn’t know I booked a haunted hotel on Fremont… but now I’m not so sure 😭 tell me WHY something just floated across my camera… VIVA LAS VEGAS I guess?? 🫠 Would you stay here or absolutely not… #lasvegas #fremontstreet #hauntedhotel #paranormalactivity #ghostsighting
After reading about the haunted Hotel Apache, wander through the halls of the only house in America to legally be declared haunted. Then, learn about some of the most frightening and real ghost stories from around the world.
