Name: Hotel Union Square - San Francisco, CA
Address: 432 Geary Street, San Francisco, California, 94108, United States

Hotel Categories: California West

If you stay at Hotel Union Square you’ll be lodging in a hotel with more than a century of San Francisco history: built for an exposition, home to a Prohibition-era speakeasy, and later refurbished as a boutique downtown hotel. On top of that, there’s an added layer of intrigue — many guests and paranormal aficionados believe parts of the hotel are haunted, especially Room 207, where a female apparition is said to linger and interact (in subtle, non-threatening ways) with guests.

Hotel History

The hotel opened in 1908 as the Golden West Hotel, constructed in part for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
During the Prohibition era, the basement housed a large speakeasy known as the Golden Bubble, approximately 10,000 sq ft, which catered to patrons despite alcohol prohibition.
In the 1950s it was renamed the Golden State Hotel; in the early 1980s, the building was purchased by a redevelopment/hospitality group and reopened in 1985 as Hotel Union Square after refurbishment.
The hotel has had various renovations and retains historical architectural features (such as Egyptian-style mosaics in the lobby) and a legacy tied to cultural figures and events of San Francisco.

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Haunted Hot Spots & Reported Paranormal Activity

Room 207: The most-cited haunted room in the hotel. According to legend, the famed writer Dashiell Hammett frequented the hotel with his partner/playwright Lillian Hellman, and Room 207 is said to have been a site of their stays. Some believe Hellman’s spirit remains there. Guest reports include the bathroom door opening and closing on its own, disembodied footsteps, cold spots, and the feeling of being watched.
The Speakeasy Basement (Golden Bubble): While less directly “haunted” in reported sightings, the former speakeasy area in the basement adds to the layered history and aura of the hotel, with original floors and wallpaper still visible, contributing to the sense of the past still present.
Additional Reports: Other guest and paranormal-interest accounts mention:
- Sudden drops in temperature or “cold spots” in corridors or rooms.
- Flickering lights, doors or drawers opening/closing by themselves.
- A more obscure ghost in another room (e.g., Room 514) thought to be a young woman named Florence Cushing who allegedly died by falling from a height (though this account has less substantiation).