The "Meat Man" Was Quiet

My husband, Gary and I stayed one night at Flagstaff’s haunted hotel, Hotel Monte Vista. Right in the center of historical Flagstaff and right off Route 66, sits a quaint little hotel with a rich history. We had no trouble finding the place because the hotel’s name stood high above the roof and was visible from several blocks away on Route 66. We had to cruise around a couple of times before we found the parking for the hotel which was on the east side in the back. Before grabbing our luggage, we went to the lobby to check in. It was partially modern but for the most part still had its old time charm. You can see where they were doing some remodeling on the place to improve the lounge, lobby and some of the rooms.

After checking in and getting our luggage, we found out that the elevator wasn’t working and our room was on the third floor. Gary and I asked for something on the second floor and we were handed the keys to room 220. The room was small with a tiny bathroom, king size bed, modern TV with cable, and a noisy but working heater. Thank goodness it worked because the temps were in the teens come the morning time. This room wasn’t Gary’s cup of tea but I didn’t mind it. Then I sat down with my computer to read Mike’s post on the place to see where all the ghostly activity was reported. That is when I found out that the room we were in was haunted by the “meat man”. He got his name because he always stayed in that room and was known to hang meat from the chandelier. He died in that room and was found three days afterwards. His spirit likes to turn the TV on and off, pull the sheets and blankets off the bed and toss them around the room, make a coughing sound and other loud noises. Oh boy, I couldn’t wait to see what he had in store for us. Right before we left the room to go to the bar, I told the “meat man” to bring it on.

We spent a couple of hours in the bar hearing about all the ghost stories that the locals and employees loved to talked about. Since the remodeling, they noticed more strange things happening. We hear this many times about places being remodeled and how the activity seems to increase during that time. After a couple of margaritas, this light weight was ready to go to the room.

When we got back to the room, nothing was changed. There was not linen disheveled and the TV was off. After we turned off the lights and tried to sleep, the heater came on and made a weird tapping sound. Other noises were heard throughout the night but nothing unusual. I shouldn’t say nothing because twice I heard what sounded like a very faint violin playing, a buzzing sound like an electronic razor right near my ear and once heard a child running in the hall. There were no kids staying there that night. The only one who was quiet was the “meat man”, unless he was playing the violin.

Because we only stayed one night and didn’t see much in the way of paranormal activity, I can’t judge if the place is haunted or not. I only have my word on what I heard and what the others told us about their experiences. I would need to come back with Mike and our other friends, and do an investigation to get tangible evidence. We need to spend more than one night and try to see if we have any luck with the “meat man” and others known to haunt the Hotel Monte Vista.