The History of the Historic Griffin Hotel
132 W Solomon Street, Griffin, Georgia
If the brick walls of the Historic Griffin Hotel could talk, they would have more than a century of stories to share. These stories include railroad travelers and businessmen, elegant ballroom dinners, underground fight nights, and enough ghost tales to keep paranormal investigators busy for years!
Today, the building at 132 W Solomon Street in downtown Griffin, Georgia, is back to life as the Historic Griffin Hotel. It welcomes guests with modern comforts and historic charm, yet its past is layered in historic firsts, historic events and historic memories. It began as a grand hotel, Griffin Hotel in the early 1900s, and later became the famously haunted Sinister Suites attraction, and has always been one of the most talked about buildings in Griffin.
This is its story.
Early 1900s Origins: A Grand Hotel for a Growing City
The Griffin Hotel, now the Historic Griffin Hotel, was built around 1910. It was designed by noted Atlanta architect Haralson Bleckley, who also created the plans for Griffin City Hall. Bleckley designed a brick, U shaped hotel that quickly became one of the landmark structures in what is now the Griffin Commercial Historic District. This district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its late nineteenth and early twentieth century architecture. During its early decades, Hotel Griffin was considered the best place to stay when traveling through Griffin. It sat along important older travel routes that existed before the interstate system. Because of that, it became a natural stopover for business travelers and tourists. The Chamber of Commerce once kept its offices inside the hotel.
A local Tuesday Luncheon Club met regularly in the hotel’s dining room and ballroom. The hotel served as both a lodging house and a social hub for the city’s business and civic leaders. With its central location, formal dining spaces, and comfortable guest rooms, Hotel Griffin anchored downtown activity and reflected the city’s growth in the early 1900s.
Decline and Closure in the 1970s
Like many historic hotels in smaller Southern cities, Hotel Griffin began to decline as new highways led travelers away from downtowns and toward roadside motels. By the late 1970s, the hotel had closed its doors to traditional overnight guests. For many years, the building remained quiet. It was still impressive, but it also became a source of whispers, rumors, and ghost stories.
Sinister Suites: A Haunted Hotel is Born
During the 2000s and 2010s, the old Hotel Griffin found a new identity as a seasonal haunted attraction known as Sinister Suites Haunted Hotel. Promoters took advantage of the building’s atmosphere and history by creating a walk through haunted experience.
The hotel, built in 1910 had long closed as a traditional inn, became known as a hotel of horror in downtown Griffin. The attraction was spread over five floors and around 40,000 square feet of space. This included themed guest rooms and a repurposed penthouse suite.
Every October, visitors paid to walk through dark corridors, pass eerie hotel rooms, and experience theatrical scares inside a setting that still carried its original century old architectural details. Because the hotel had not been rebuilt into artificial sets, guests felt like they were inside a real haunted building. According to local history, the Sinister Suites attraction eventually closed, but the legend of a haunted hotel in Griffin has continued.
Ghost Stories, Folklore and Paranormal Lore
The ghost stories tied to 132 W Solomon Street are a major part of its modern identity. Over the years, locals and paranormal groups have passed along various tales connected to the building.
Children on the Fourth Floor
Visitors and staff have occasionally reported seeing what appear to be young children on the fourth floor even when no children were present. People describe short footsteps, quick movements at the end of hallways, or the feeling of being watched.
The Ballroom That Never Fully Became Silent
The hotel once hosted dances and formal gatherings in its ballroom. Today, some people claim they have heard faint clinks of glasses, distant music, or soft laughter coming from this area even though no events are taking place.
Vanishing and Reappearing Objects
Various accounts mention objects that disappear and reappear unexpectedly. Doors sometimes seem to shut on their own. Personal items appear in different places than where guests left them.
The Basement Pit and the Bear Wrestling Legend
One of the wildest stories comes from the basement. Beneath the hotel is a pit that was reportedly used for underground fights. Some versions of the story claim that men even wrestled bears there. This legend fits the building’s rougher chapters and adds a dramatic layer to its folklore.
The Tunnel from a Former Brothel
Local legend also tells of a tunnel connecting the hotel’s basement to a former brothel nearby. This secret passage was supposedly used for discreet movement between the two locations. Although unproven, this story is repeated often in Griffin’s oral history.
Paranormal Investigations
Several paranormal investigation groups are said to have spent nights in the hotel. Reports suggest that some groups never made it through the full investigation. They left early because of unexplained sounds, equipment issues, or uneasy feelings.
Restoration and Return: The Historic Griffin Hotel Today
After years of limited use and seasonal horror shows, the building was completely renovated, restored and has reopened as the Historic Griffin Hotel. It has returned to its original purpose with modern, updated amenities, but gives respect to its original architecture.
The hotel now features 54 Guest Rooms including Suites with kitchenettes. Guests enjoy amenities such as The Lobby Beer & Wine Bar, a Fitness Center, a Business Center, and the Grand Ballroom.
On the outside, the Hotel maintains its classic brick facade that helped it become part of the Griffin Commercial Historic District. Inside, guests find modern comfort combined with historic features – original hardwood floors, soaring ceilings and original wood trim, all adding to its character.
The Grand Ballroom, once the center of elegant social gatherings and later the subject of ghost stories, once again hosts weddings, banquets, and events. New memories are being made in a space that already holds more than a century of history.
A Living Landmark in Downtown Griffin
Staying at or visiting the Historic Griffin Hotel means more than simply booking a night’s stay. You are inside a building designed by a significant Georgia architect more than one hundred years ago. You are in a structure recognized as part of a nationally listed historic district. You are walking the same hallways that once hosted traveling families, business leaders, generations of locals, and according to some, a few lingering spirits.
From its opening in 1910, through its decline, its rebirth as Sinister Suites Haunted Hotel, and its restoration as the Historic Griffin Hotel, the building at 132 W Solomon Street remains one of the most fascinating locations in Griffin, Georgia. Whether you visit for the history, the architecture, the event spaces, or the ghost stories, there is no question that this hotel has a long past. It is also very clear that it is still writing its future.
