In Fairbanks—where winter nights feel endless and the Northern Lights can look unreal—the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel is a classic basecamp for aurora chasers… and, according to local lore, a place where an uninvited “large man” spirit still makes the rounds after dark. If you like your cozy hotel stay served with a side of did-that-bed-just-move?, this one’s a Fairbanks favorite to test your nerves.
Brief Hotel History
The hotel is widely described as a long-standing Fairbanks institution built by former Alaska Governor Walter J. Hickel, and it has evolved through multiple expansions and renovations over decades.
A Holland America Hotels fact sheet says the property was once known as the Travelers Inn, later purchased by Westmark in 1954, then expanded with a South Tower (1971), a major lobby update/additions (1997), and a North Tower (2004).
Industry listings also report a mid-1950s original build and a 2004 renovation timeframe (which aligns with the “North Tower” expansion noted above).
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Haunted hot spots and reported paranormal activity
Most haunting talk around the Westmark clusters around one room and one repeating “type” of encounter:
“The large man” / nighttime room disturbances (Room 227 / 277 lore)
Multiple haunted-travel sources claim the Westmark is associated with the spirit of a large man who shows up at night and makes himself known by things like:
pushing on the bed / jostling it
poking a guest’s shoulder
ruffling carpet fibers (as if someone dragged a finger through them)
You’ll see two room numbers repeated online—Room 227 and Room 277—depending on the source/community, so treat the specific number as folklore rather than a confirmed fact.
Most haunted rooms or areas to request
If you want to “lean in” at check-in, ask for:
Room 227 (legend) — most commonly cited in some haunted-hotel writeups and local discussion.
Room 277 (alternate legend) — frequently cited on haunted-location listing sites/forums.
Upper-floor rooms in the same wing as the legend room — if staff can’t place you in 227/277, proximity is your next-best request.
Recent guest reviews with paranormal mentions
On big travel sites, recent reviews tend to focus on comfort, location, and tour convenience—not ghosts.
For first-person paranormal-style mentions, the clearest recent material is in community threads and haunted-location forums rather than mainstream booking reviews, for example:
A Fairbanks local thread repeats the lore: “Room 227 Westmark hotel” and describes the alleged spirit’s bed-pushing/shoulder-poking behavior.
A 2025 haunted-location discussion post similarly repeats the “large man” story tied to Room 277 and nighttime disturbances.
Ghost rating: 6.5/10
Not because it lacks stories—because the haunting claims are highly concentrated in a single “room legend” and largely supported by folklore sources rather than broad, consistent mainstream guest reports.
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