Savoy Hotel Mussoorie: Haunted?

Snow capped mountains, the famous winterline, colonial era architecture, heritage hotels, water streams, cobbled streets, and luscious pine and deodar trees – Mussoorie is everything that you dream of. Most people know Mussoorie as either close to nature or a place that breathes luxury. But, there exists a side of the town that questions the beautiful landscapes and the heritage experience with its bone chilling tales and experiences.

This is the story of Savoy Hotel Mussoorie, a luxurious heritage retreat with a grey past and a haunting present. What stems from an infamous murder mystery stands today as a local folklore and some unbelievable common experiences, which makes it one of the most talked about haunted hotel in Mussoorie legends.

The Savoy Hotel Mussoorie was constructed in 1902 by Cecil D. Lincoln, an Irish barrister from Lucknow, India. For building this hotel, he arranged for the demolition of a school and on top of the remains, the hotel Savoy was established. It was grand, luxurious, elite, and exclusive – a true, authentic reflection of the English architecture.

People could see it as the crown jewel of British settlements in Mussorie that only accommodated elites, diplomats, and dignitaries. With a striking architecture, luxury Edwardian furnishings instilled in every corner, Victorian elements enhancing the interiors, picturesque views of the Himalaya, and a chilling atmosphere in the scorching heat, the Savoy was the favourite destination of the British.

The English gothic tone that the expansive verandahs, arched doorways, and timber-framed structures echo at the hotel created a very distinctive imagery. The antique chandeliers, ornate mouldings, and rich wood interiors were enough to evoke an emotion of something otherworldly in this hotel. At night, these elements came together to add a haunting feeling to the gothic structure. And thus began the eerie reputation of Savoy as a haunted hotel in Mussoorie.

What probably began as a gothic-inspired feeling soon turned into a reality-backed haunted tale for the Savoy Hotel Mussoorie. It starts with a murder mystery that the hotel has never been able to escape.

In 1911, a British spiritualist, Frances Garnett Orme, checked into this hotel with her companion Eva Mountstephen. Frances Garnett Orme and her consociate were deeply rooted in the paranormal business. The two ladies spent hours, days, and weeks in their rooms with only one aim to conquer – explore the unknown, unheard, and uncharted.

What they probably did in the hotel room is unknown. But what happened in that room is now a story that slides as whispers through the halls. One night during their much-reminiscing stay, Eva Mountstephen had to leave Frances alone to travel to Lucknow for some essential work. It was then that everything changed.

49 year old Frances never lived to see the next day. She was found dead, locked up in her room with her body stuffed with rigor mortis. The doors and the windows were locked from inside, there were no signs of forced entry, and there was no suspicious evidence. Orme was poisoned – by whom, why, and when, no one knew. And then the investigation started.

A mysterious murder took place in a high-profile British hotel, and the word spread like fire in a forest. There were a lot of questions and very limited answers. In the state where Frances Garnett Orme was found, the murder only started getting more unanswerable with every investigation step.

The prime suspect was Eva, Frances’ companion who left the hotel on the same day, the same spiritualist who predicted her death 6 months ago, and the person who would benefit from Frances’ death prior to her marriage to a physician sometime later. Eva Mountstephen was the main party member who could largely benefit from the famously suspicious death in the Savoy Hotel Mussoorie.

Frances regularly depended on a sodium bicarbonate-based medicine that Eva was well aware of. The most common conspiracy theory and the line of investigation believed was that Eva simply tampered with the medicine that Frances regularly took, which cost her her life. But every theory’s culmination relied on the autopsy.

The autopsy began, the police started investigating, and the proceedings of Frances Garnett Orme’s began. One tangent was the investigation of Frances’ murder, and the other was the legal battle of her will that Eva contested, and Frances’ brother Hunter challenged on behalf of their family. The case reached a dead end when there was not enough evidence to conclude that Eva or any other party was responsible for the murder, and the Allahabad High Court declared it a homicide.

But this was just too soon for the Savoy Hotel Mussoorie Frances’ Murder Mystery case to slide away. The doctor who was conducting the autopsy and investigating the murder suspiciously died after a month, under suspicious circumstances. While the case of Frances’ death always remained a mystery, she is living through undying stories of her ghost passing through the corridors of the Savoy Hotel Mussoorie.

The spine-chilling tale of Frances Garnett Orme and her doctor’s murder became the foundation of the Hotel Savoy Mussoorie haunted story, inspiring writers and feeding ghostly folklore for more than a century. These folklores live strongly through numerous unending experiences of many guests staying at the Savoy Hotel Mussoorie.

Each guest who claims to come across Frances’ spirit describes the same unsettling sight over and over again – a pale woman drifting through corridors. She fades into the mist every time someone thinks too profoundly of noticing her presence. Some guests have spotted her on staircases, while others have seen her on the roof. The Savoy Hotel Mussoorie guests have always heard some whispers, suspicious activities, and random things falling and creating a distraction from sights, doors creaking open, and footsteps echoing in empty hallways.

Most accounts suggest one explanation – Garnett Orme is seeking redemption. Her murderer lived a life unacquitted and unpunished. She is roaming through the corridors just in search of that one soul who was responsible for her untimely death. Another explanation can be that Frances ended up letting some spirits lose from her paranormal activities, who killed her and are still roaming around.

All these stories are why some locals feel that a few wings of the hotel are largely avoided, even by the hotel staff.

Savoy Hotel Mussoorie, today, is famously known for its heritage luxury property, big fat Indian weddings, exclusive catering and food experience, gothic architecture, and colonial charm. Associated with the Welcomhotel By ITC Hotels, it is an epitome of world-standard hospitality and one of the most iconic Mussoorie hotels, offering a picturesque view of the Mall Road covered with mist and Old Mussoorie charm.

But for the locals and those who believe, it is nothing but a haunted hotel in Mussoorie. For them, the past simply refuses to sleep, and its remains linger through the hallways. While sceptics argue that these are just the old wooden floors squeaking and the heavy Himalayan winds whispering and opening up the doors, believers stand strong on the spiritual imprint that they cannot erase from their hearts.

Whether luxury, hospitality, mystery, or haunting tale attracts you to the Savoy Hotel Mussoorie, it is only true that this claimed haunted hotel in Mussoorie continues to interest and feed curiosities.

Disclaimer:
This content is for educational and awareness purposes only. Information may be interpretative, culturally influenced, or drawn from multiple sources. The Unknown India does not claim absolute accuracy in all cases.