Grande Colonial
Ghost Stories
At 3:00 a.m. on June 6, 2004, the 60th anniversary of D-Day, a guest in room 144 at the Grande Colonial Hotel in La Jolla, Calif., awoke feeling a bit odd. Suddenly, she heard heavy footsteps on the staircase outside of her room. Up and down, several people ran stomping on each step and a door was repeatedly slammed. This continued for a while. At last, the frightened guest opened the door and peered out but there was no one to be seen. She was certain she heard multiple heavy footsteps of men running up and down the uncarpeted stairs. She discovered the slamming door was not from a guest room but rather from a meeting room. She notified hotel staff and was assured no late-night meeting was taking place in the room. At her request, the guest was moved to another room so she could sleep a bit easier.
The meeting room in question was the Sun Room. Sixty years ago, the room was used as a temporary barracks for single servicemen during World War II. The area did not have carpet at the time. Hardwood floors still exist under the carpet today. The historic battle known as "D-Day" occurred on June 6, 1944. Perhaps what the guest heard was the spirit of those soldiers who were reliving the events of the 60th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion.
