You Will Hear a Little Girl Laughing on the Third Floor of This New York Hotel

Between midnight and the early hours of morning, the third floor of that historic inn goes completely still, and then you hear it. A soft giggle, light and quick, drifting down the hallway like it belongs to a child playing just out of sight.

Built in 1845 and soaked in more than a century of layered history, that place has earned its reputation as one of the most genuinely haunted locations in New York State.

Guests come from across the country and even from other parts of the world, drawn by stories of intelligent spirits, unexplained voices, and yes, a little girl who seems to love making herself known.

I lay awake in my room on the second floor, listening to the old building settle around me, wondering what I would do if I heard those giggles myself. Nothing really prepares you for the feeling of being inside a building that feels this alive with something you cannot explain.

The History Behind the Haunting

Few buildings carry their history the way the Shanley Hotel does. The structure dates back to 1845, and by the time James Shanley took ownership in 1906, the hotel had already witnessed decades of births, passing, celebrations, and sorrow.

The Shanley family themselves suffered immeasurable loss, with three of their children dying before their first birthdays. That kind of grief leaves a mark on a place.

The hotel changed hands and purposes many times over the following century. It served as a boarding house, a social gathering spot, and eventually fell into disrepair before being carefully restored by its current owners.

The restoration work has been ongoing, and guests frequently comment on how the painted floors and vintage details make the space feel genuinely transported back in time.

What makes the history here feel different from a typical historic inn is how personal it all is. The stories attached to this building are not vague legends.

They belong to real people who lived, worked, and passed away here. That specificity is part of what makes the Shanley so compelling.

The past does not feel distant. It feels close, like it is still unfolding just around the next corner.

Rosie and the Child Spirits of the Shanley

Of all the spirits said to roam the Shanley, Rosie is the one most guests seem to connect with. She was the three-year-old daughter of the hotel’s barber, and she tragically drowned after falling into a well on the property.

Her presence is described by visitors as playful and curious rather than frightening. Guests have reported hearing her giggle, sensing small movements in empty rooms, and even being called names by what seems to be a child spirit with a big personality.

One reviewer shared that a child spirit called them fat during an investigation, which sounds alarming until you realize they described it as one of the most incredible experiences of their life. The child spirits here have a reputation for being cheeky.

They are not menacing. They seem to enjoy the attention and the company.

The Shanley’s three children who passed in infancy are also believed to still be present, along with their mother Beatrice, whose grief reportedly keeps her wandering the hallways. The combination of these young presences gives the hotel a different emotional texture than most haunted locations.

It is sorrowful and sweet at the same time, which somehow makes it even harder to forget.

The Third Floor and Its Unsettling Reputation

The third floor of the Shanley Hotel has a reputation that even the current owners treat with real respect. There is one room up there that is referred to as a portal room, and it is not casually opened for guests.

The owner herself has described feeling deeply uncomfortable inside it, and visitors who have entered report an overwhelming sense of being watched or pressed upon by something they cannot identify.

Beyond the portal room, the third floor is also associated with Claire, a spirit believed to have taken her own life in the late 1800s. Her presence is described not as laughter but as screaming, a sound that reportedly reverberates through the upper levels of the building.

It is a sharp contrast to the playful energy of the child spirits, and that contrast is part of what makes the third floor feel so layered.

A male spirit connected to a passing on the central staircase is also said to move between the basement and the third floor most frequently. The upper level of this hotel is not simply spooky in the way a haunted house attraction might be.

It carries a weight that guests consistently describe as genuinely affecting, something that stays with you long after you have left.

Ghost Hunts and Overnight Investigations

The Shanley Hotel leans fully into its identity as a paranormal destination, and the experiences it offers are thoughtfully run. Overnight ghost hunts are available for guests who want to spend serious time exploring the building after dark.

The hosts, Kelly and Tracy, are consistently praised across reviews for being knowledgeable, welcoming, and genuinely passionate about what they do.

Guests have access to equipment like EMF meters, spirit boxes, and phonics apps during investigations. Many visitors report capturing what they believe to be disembodied voices and having what feel like real-time conversations with intelligent spirits.

The hotel is described by experienced paranormal investigators as one of the most active locations they have visited anywhere on the East Coast.

What sets the Shanley apart from novelty ghost experiences is the sense that the hosts take the history and the spirits seriously. There is no theatrical fog machine or jump-scare setup here.

The investigation feels grounded, and guests frequently mention that the staff’s calm expertise helped them feel safe enough to really engage with the experience. First-timers and seasoned investigators alike tend to leave with stories they did not expect to have.

That consistency is genuinely impressive for any travel destination.

What Staying the Night Actually Feels Like

Spending the night at the Shanley is not like checking into a regular hotel, and that is entirely the point. Guests are required to sign a waiver before staying, which tells you something about how seriously the hotel takes the frequency of paranormal experiences here.

No one under 16 is permitted to stay overnight. The rooms are clean, well-maintained, and genuinely charming in their vintage style.

The Roosevelt Room comes up frequently in reviews as a favorite. Guests describe it as comfortable and quiet, which might sound surprising given the reputation of the building.

Multiple visitors mention sleeping surprisingly well, which adds its own layer of strangeness to the experience. The painted floors throughout the hotel are a detail that guests consistently notice and love.

Breakfast is included with overnight stays, and the overall vibe is described as warm and homey rather than theatrical. The hosts clearly care about making guests feel at ease, which matters enormously when you are spending the night in a building this charged with history.

Free parking and pet-friendly policies make the logistics easy. The experience itself, however, is anything but ordinary.

You will likely spend the next morning swapping stories over breakfast with people who look just as wide-eyed as you feel.

The Spirits That Make This Place Feel Intelligent

One thing that comes up again and again in guest accounts of the Shanley is the word intelligent. Not just strange sounds or flickering lights, but responses that seem to react to specific questions, comments, and even jokes.

Visitors describe having full conversations through scan radios and phonics apps with spirits that seem to understand what is being asked of them.

That quality of interaction is what keeps people coming back. Several guests have visited five times or more, each time reporting new encounters that feel distinct from previous visits.

The spirits here are described as having real personalities. Some are funny.

Some are blunt. A few are unsettling.

But almost none of them are described as mindless or random.

The Shanley has been featured on television programs including Ghost Lab and Ghost Hunters, which brought outside investigation teams with professional equipment to the property. The hotel’s owners have posted evidence from these investigations and from visiting teams on their social media platforms, building a documented record of activity over time.

For people who are genuinely curious about the paranormal rather than just looking for a thrill, this level of ongoing documentation makes the Shanley feel like something more than a tourist attraction. It feels like an ongoing conversation with history itself.

Why the Shanley Hotel Is Worth the Trip

Napanoch is a small, quiet town in the Hudson Valley region of New York, and the Shanley Hotel sits right on Main Street like it has always belonged there. The drive up from the city takes roughly two hours, and based on what guests consistently say, it is worth every minute.

The area itself is beautiful in a low-key, uncrowded way that feels like a genuine escape.

The hotel draws visitors from Canada, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Australia, Denmark, and beyond, which says a lot about the reach of its reputation. It has become a meaningful piece of paranormal tourism for the region, bringing attention and visitors to a community that benefits from the interest.

The owners have invested significantly in restoring the building over the past several years, and the results are visible.

Beyond the ghost hunting, there is a gift shop, event space, and a genuinely welcoming atmosphere that makes the hotel feel like a destination rather than just a stop. Whether you are a true believer, a curious skeptic, or someone who simply loves historic and unusual places, the Shanley offers something you are unlikely to find anywhere else.

Come open-minded and leave with a story you will probably still be telling years from now.

Address: 56 Main St, Napanoch, New York 12458