Entry No. 6 — the Seattle file — filed under: haunted
Hotel Sorrento
Open since 1909, the Sorrento is Seattle's oldest hotel still serving its original purpose, a brick Italianate landmark on First Hill with marble baths and original detailing across its 76 rooms. The hotel is long associated with the ghost of Alice B. Toklas, the partner of Gertrude Stein who once lived on First Hill, with room 408 cited as the most active. Guests there have reported humming heard in the bathroom and the sense of an unseen weight settling on the bed. Cocktails are served downstairs in the wood-paneled Fireside Room piano lounge.
The story
Standing at 900 Madison Street since 1909, the Sorrento holds the title of Seattle's oldest hotel still serving its original purpose. While the rest of First Hill flattened and glassed over around it, this 76-room Italianate brick fortress kept its original mahogany woodwork, marble baths, and century-old floor plans intact.
The Sorrento’s real draw for late-night wanderers isn't just the architecture—it’s room 408. Local lore firmly ties the 4th floor to the ghost of Alice B. Toklas, the avant-garde writer and lifelong companion of Gertrude Stein who spent her early life on First Hill. Guests who book 408 report the same recurring anomalies: a soft, disembodied humming originating from the marble bathroom walls, and the tactile sensation of an unseen weight sinking into the edge of the mattress while they lie in bed.
If sleeping under spectral observation isn't on your itinerary, you don't need a room key to experience the building's atmosphere. Downstairs, the Fireside Room functions as an anchor of dark wood-paneled calm, serving cocktails around the piano long after the surrounding neighborhood shuts down.
What it's like
Pull up to the brick courtyard on First Hill and step straight through the heavy doors into mahogany paneling and soft lighting. If you're coming for drinks, head into the Fireside Room piano lounge on the main floor. For dinner, Stella serves coastal Italian dishes inside the hotel. If you want a peek at room 408, take the elevator up to the fourth floor and walk the quiet, carpeted hall—just keep your voice down so you don't disturb the guests (or Alice).
The move: Book a nightcap in the Fireside Room and request a peek toward room 408, then trade ghost stories over the piano.
- 📍 First Hill, Seattle
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 900 Madison Street, Seattle, WA 98104
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Founders Club — After a nightcap in the Sorrento's Fireside Room, head 0.3 miles to the Fairmont Olympic to find the hidden bookcase entrance to Founders Club.
- Needle & Thread — Trade one hidden lounge for another by heading up Capitol Hill to call upstairs from the rotary phone at Tavern Law.
- Mayflower Park Hotel — Compare Seattle's oldest continuously operating hotel with downtown's oldest continuously operated hotel, built in 1927.
- Bill Speidel's Underground Tour — Match the 1909 history above ground at the Sorrento with a descent beneath Pioneer Square to see the subterranean city created after the 1889 fire.
Good to know
Which room at Hotel Sorrento is reported to be haunted?
Room 408 is known as the epicenter of the hotel's strange occurrences, where guests frequently report hearing unexplained humming in the bathroom and feeling a heavy weight press into the bed.
Why is Alice B. Toklas linked to the hotel?
Toklas, the author and partner of Gertrude Stein, grew up nearby on First Hill before moving to Paris. Local ghost tradition holds that her spirit returned to haunt the Sorrento after her death.
Can non-guests drop in for drinks or food?
Yes. You can visit the wood-paneled Fireside Room for cocktails and piano music, or dine at Stella, the hotel's coastal Italian restaurant.
When did Hotel Sorrento open?
The hotel opened in 1909, making it the oldest continuously operating hotel in Seattle.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · historylink.org · Wikipedia · ghostcitytours.com
last checked: 2026-06-24