GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Biltmore Greensboro Hotel has a long history, including some residents that may have never checked out.
Lee Day is a vault of information about The Biltmore Greensboro Hotel in downtown Greensboro.
He is the assistant general manager of the hotel and has been working there since 2015. Even after a brief departure from the hotel, he felt a lure pulling him back.
“But I think there is another thing here that keeps drawing people back. It's probably not just us, but I know for me myself, I have had other jobs during that time period between 2015 and now, and I always end up coming back permanently to here,” Day said.
The hotel’s walls hold an exuberant amount of history, with stories of the Cone brothers, textile giants of the South, a brothel, post office, apartment complex and more.
The hotel, which was originally named the Greenwich Inn after it switched from the Greenwich Apartments, had no correlation to the Biltmore Estates in Asheville. It was renamed to The Biltmore Greensboro Hotel in 1992, after, it is said, Gloria Vanderbilt had stayed at the residence while in Greensboro for her line of jeans with the Cone brothers.
With all of this history, Day decided to start researching the past of the hotel and some of the more well-known ghosts, who allegedly roam the halls.
“There’s a book of the history of the information of the property, and when I was told to update it or update the book, I discovered that there were holes and pieces that were all from the timeline of history,” Day said.
He has looked through historical records, including property documents, guest logs, newspapers and more.
Day said one of the more well-known ghosts goes by the name of Phillip, and he died on June 11, 1932.
“What is interesting about that is that, according to local lore, he died here in our alleyway after being pushed out of the third floor window with the piano wire around his neck,” he said.
Through thousands of hours of research, Day said he found telegram stating Phillip J. Mullen died in New York, not in the alleyway near the hotel where legend says he was found.
“I have heard plenty of word-of-mouth, but I'm all about proof. I am. What can you prove? What is there versus word of mouth versus what is there proof in history of,” Day said.
Guests have claimed to smell cigar smoke and leather shoes, which tend to lead back to Phillip’s room, he said.
“It's possible to make those connections if you're just theorizing. Substantial proof of that, on the other hand, is a little bit more difficult to obtain,” Day said.
That same year, Day said another one of the alleged ghosts, Lydia, was killed. Through his research, Day did not find actual documents of a Lydia, a name they received through a psychic.
“The funny fact about the name Lydia is during that time period, somewhere around 30 to 40% of women in the Greensboro area had a first or middle name of Lydia,” said Day.
Instead, he found documents of a woman named Lila, who was a nurse for Miss Ava Taylor, the owner of the apartments.
Lydia was said to be a prostitute who met her end when she was pushed down the stairs.
“She was supposed to be a very beautiful woman with auburn hair who was always in a pink bathrobe,” said Day.
Her room, 223, is pink, as she is said to have a fascination with the color, with people leaving pink toys and items to keep her happy.
Day reads off the bag of goodies for Lydia, with one guest writing, “Lydia, we thought you would enjoy this pink haired little one.”
According to Day, guests are said to have felt the warmth of someone in the bed with them, or the smell of a floral perfume.
If you are mean to Lydia, you may even feel a nudge on the staircase, Day said.
Other ghosts or paranormal activity that have been reported in the hotel is the sound of a baby crying once a year in the stairwell, with a guest claiming to even capture the screaming on camera.
There is also the spirit of a small child, who has multiple stories attached to him, one of which involved him in a moonshine boiler explosion in the basement of the hotel, during prohibition, and is the only ghost said to travel the hotel.
“I have heard the little boy running and giggling in the hallways,” said Day.
The hotel does not claim to be haunted and no longer allows paranormal investigations on the property.
Day is writing a book on the history of the property and the people who live within. He plans to release more details about the publication of the book in the future.
“Come and join us, but hopefully you will not become one of the permanent residents,” said Day.