Resorts Casino Hotel

Atlantic City's first casino hotel was used as "Camp Boardwalk" during WWII, serving as a base of operations and wartime hospital. The Ocean Tower is particularly active with supernatural phenomena.

The Resorts Casino Hotel occupies one of Atlantic City's most historically significant buildings. Originally the Haddon House, opened in 1869 by Quaker hoteliers Samuel and Susanna Hunt, the property was rebuilt as Haddon Hall in 1896 and expanded through the 1920s. In 1903, it merged with the adjacent Chalfonte Hotel to form the massive Chalfonte-Haddon Hall complex—and this is when the first ghost reports surfaced.

The property's darkest chapter came during World War II. In 1942, the U.S. Military commandeered Atlantic City's hotels as part of "Camp Boardwalk," and Chalfonte-Haddon Hall became Thomas England General Hospital—at the time, the largest hospital in the world. From 1943 to 1946, over 61,000 wounded servicemen were treated here, many suffering from amputations, neurological injuries, and neurosurgical trauma. The hospital maintained 3,650 beds across the complex. In a grim configuration necessitated by the makeshift facility, the morgue was located on the 12th floor rather than the basement. Hundreds of soldiers died within these walls from wounds and infection.

The Ocean Tower, built in 1927 and standing 260 feet tall, is the epicenter of paranormal activity. Resorts spokeswoman Courtney Birmingham has acknowledged the reports: "A few people have mentioned that in some of the hotel rooms, particularly in the Ocean Tower, people have had some experiences." One chilling account from Room 646 describes a couple who felt a presence throughout their stay, hearing unexplained bumping sounds and watching their door shake violently as if someone was determined to force their way in—though the hallway was always empty. "The sixth floor hallway just felt so creepy, like someone died there," the guest reported.

Multiple witnesses have reported seeing apparitions of WWII soldiers in uniform wandering the halls, still seemingly preparing for battle. In the South Tower, a couple claimed to see multiple apparitions entering their room, including the figure of an older veteran and a young boy who approached the husband's bedside. Employees report an ominous feeling in the Ocean Tower, and guests on upper floors hear mysterious howling sounds moving through corridors—despite the building's steel and brick construction that should block any wind.

Among the most distinctive spirits is a figure in Charlie Chaplin's "Little Tramp" costume, spotted in the darkest corners of the casino, silently flipping his top hat at passersby. Most visitors only catch the motion of the hat before the apparition vanishes. A ghostly bride and groom are occasionally seen on the second floor, walking arm-in-arm through solid walls. Early morning visitors sometimes encounter the "Cat Lady," a woman dressed in black who appears on the Boardwalk seemingly feeding the stray cats that gather near the casino at dawn. Near the valet parking area, witnesses have reported luminescent nurses pushing phantom children in wheelchairs and carriages—perhaps echoes of the hospital's pediatric patients—who vanish in a puff of pale light.

Today, Resorts Casino Hotel ranks among the Top 5 Most Haunted Casinos in the World. The property features prominently on Atlantic City's popular ghost tours, where guides pause outside its grand facade to share tales of footsteps, flickering lights, and shadowy figures in 19th-century attire glimpsed in upper windows. As Birmingham noted: "Resorts has a lot of history in Atlantic City. We believe this adds to the charm of the property and creates an atmosphere unlike any other."