Haunted History
Is Hotel del Coronado Haunted? Inside Room 3327
The Kate Morgan ghost story, the phenomena reported for 130+ years, and how to book the most-requested room in the Victorian building.
Quick Facts
- Ghost: Kate Morgan (1865–1892)
- Check-in: Nov 24, 1892
- Found: Nov 29, 1892
- Original room: 302
- Today: Room 3327, Victorian building
- Peak activity: October
The Legend of Kate Morgan
On the day before Thanksgiving 1892, a slender, well-dressed young woman stepped off the train at the Coronado depot and checked into the four-year-old Hotel del Coronado alone. She signed the register as "Lottie A. Bernard of Detroit" and asked for a room facing the ocean. Staff later remembered her as visibly unwell, often pale, and waiting — she told the desk her brother would be joining her for the holiday. He never came.
On the morning of November 29, an electrician found her body on the exterior staircase leading down to the beach. She had a single gunshot wound to the head and a revolver beside her. The coroner ruled it suicide. Newspapers across the country picked up the story, and within days her real identity was established: Kate Morgan, 24, the estranged wife of a traveling card sharp named Tom Morgan. Researchers have spent more than a century arguing over whether her death was truly self-inflicted — the caliber of the weapon next to her did not match the bullet recovered from her skull, a detail that has fueled murder theories ever since.
Interactive Timeline: Kate Morgan & Room 3327
Tap any date to walk through the legend — from Kate's arrival in 1892 to the modern-day reports inside Room 3327.
1865
Kate Farmer is born
Born in Iowa, Kate is raised in a comfortable middle-class household before eloping in her teens with Tom Morgan, a charming traveling card sharp.
Phenomena Reported in Room 3327
Guests staying in Kate's former room — originally 302, today numbered 3327 in the historic Victorian building — have reported the same handful of experiences for generations:
- Television turning itself on and off, often to the same channel
- Lights flickering or dimming with no electrical fault on record
- Curtains shifting while the windows are closed and the AC is off
- A sudden, localized cold spot near the foot of the bed
- Footsteps in the hall outside the door when no one is there
- The faint sound of a woman crying late at night
- Items on the dresser rearranged or moved between rooms
- Rare full sightings of a dark-haired woman in a long Victorian dress, sometimes glimpsed in the mirror
Staff in the gift shop directly below the room — where, in the 1980s, Kate's belongings were briefly displayed — also describe merchandise toppling from shelves on otherwise quiet afternoons.
How to Book Room 3327 (or Stay in the Victorian Building)
Room 3327 is a standard room in The Victorian — there's no surcharge and no special booking process. It books out first in October, so plan well ahead if you want a Halloween-week stay. If 3327 is taken, any room on the third floor of the Victorian building puts you in the heart of the haunted wing.
Compare live rates and request the room by number in the special-requests field at checkout:
Compare Victorian Building Rates →San Diego Ghost Tours That Include The Del
The Del's seasonal Halloween programming is the most authentic way to hear Kate's story on-site, but if you're visiting outside October — or want a guided night out across multiple haunted landmarks — these San Diego ghost tours are the best year-round options. All are bookable through our travel partner GetYourGuide with free cancellation on most tours.
Haunted San Diego Ghost & Graveyard Bus Tour
2-hour after-dark bus tour visiting San Diego's most active haunts — Hotel del Coronado, the Whaley House, and El Campo Santo cemetery — with a paranormal-trained guide.
Check availability →
San Diego Ghosts & Gravestones Trolley Tour
Frightseeing aboard the Trolley of the Doomed with costumed 'ghost host' storytellers — includes stops in Old Town and the Gaslamp's most haunted blocks.
Check availability →
Gaslamp Quarter Haunted Walking Tour
Lantern-lit 90-minute walk through downtown San Diego's most paranormally active hotels, saloons, and brothels — a great evening pairing with a Del overnight.
Check availability →Affiliate disclosure: we earn a small commission when you book through these links — at no extra cost to you.
Plan Your Haunted Visit
- You don't need to be a guest to feel the atmosphere — the Victorian lobby, the beach staircase, and the gift shop are all open to the public. See our day-visit guide.
- October weekends sell out months ahead. Book by July for Halloween week.
- The third-floor Victorian hallway photographs best in late-afternoon side light.
- Combine with a Coronado day on the way over — take the Coronado Ferry for the most scenic arrival.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hotel del Coronado haunted?
Hotel del Coronado is widely considered one of America's most famously haunted hotels. The legend centers on Kate Morgan, a young woman who checked in alone on Thanksgiving 1892 and was found dead on the exterior staircase five days later. Guests and staff have reported unexplained phenomena — flickering lights, cold spots, televisions turning on by themselves, footsteps, and shadowy figures — for more than a century, most often in and around her former room.
Who was Kate Morgan?
Kate Morgan was a 24-year-old guest who arrived at The Del on November 24, 1892, registering as 'Lottie A. Bernard of Detroit.' She told staff she was waiting for her brother (some accounts say her estranged husband, Tom Morgan, a card sharp) to join her for the holiday. He never arrived. On November 29 she was found on the hotel's beach-side exterior steps with a gunshot wound to the head. The official ruling was suicide; subsequent researchers and at least one book have argued the case has the hallmarks of an unsolved murder.
Which room is haunted at Hotel del Coronado?
Kate Morgan's original room was 302 in the historic Victorian building. Building renovations and renumbering moved her stay to what is today known as Room 3327 (sometimes also referenced as 3502 in older accounts). It remains the most-requested room at the hotel and is the focal point of nearly every reported sighting. The Del does not market it as a 'haunted room,' but it is bookable like any other Victorian-building room — request it by number when comparing rates.
What phenomena have been reported in Room 3327?
Decades of guest logs and staff interviews describe a consistent set of experiences: the TV switching on and off, the curtains moving with the windows shut, lights flickering, items rearranged on the dresser, a breeze with no source, the sound of a woman quietly crying, and the distinct feeling of being watched. A handful of guests have reported seeing the apparition of a slender, dark-haired woman in a long Victorian dress, occasionally reflected in a mirror or standing at the foot of the bed.
Are there other haunted areas of the hotel?
Yes. Activity is also reported in the adjacent hallway on the third floor of the Victorian building, in the gift shop directly below Kate's room (where merchandise reportedly falls from shelves), and on the staircase to the beach where her body was found. The Crown Room and parts of the original lobby have generated occasional reports as well, though nothing on the scale of Room 3327.
Does Hotel del Coronado offer ghost tours?
The Del does not run a daily ghost tour, but the hotel hosts seasonal paranormal-themed programming — most notably around Halloween — including history-and-hauntings walks led by the in-house historian, evening lantern tours, and storytelling sessions in the Babcock & Story Bar. Several independent San Diego ghost-tour operators also include The Del on their itineraries year-round.
Can I stay in the haunted room?
Yes. Room 3327 is a standard Victorian-building room and can be booked through any major rate channel — there is no surcharge and no special process. It books up first during October, so reserve well in advance if you want to stay there during the Halloween season.