The Haunting at Hilton Hawaiian Village
The Haunting at Hilton Hawaiian Village
One of the most haunted resorts in Hawaii.
People claim to see Pele here but did you know the story was actually printed in the newspaper in 1959?
One afternoon, a housekeeper at the Hawaiian Village Hotel, as it was called in those days, said that the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen suddenly appeared from nowhere. The tall, stately young woman had a beautiful, dark, Hawaiian complexion and a smiling, happy face with long, reddish-black hair. She wore a long red muumuu with blue and white print that extended to the ground, covering her feet. But what the housekeeper remembers most is that the woman seemed to shimmer, as if she were giving off a faint, otherworldly glow.
The woman asked the housekeeper for directions to a certain room. The housekeeping inspector, who just happened by noticed the woman and offered to show her to the room. The housekeeper, watching the two leave, suddenly noticed that the inspector was walking alone. The woman had suddenly disappeared.
The inspector hadn’t noticed. Continuing on her way, she approached the requested room and pointed it out to the woman, only when she turned around, the woman wasn’t there!
“I was talking to myself,” she said hauntingly, “It was unbelievable. The woman had disappeared into thin air!”
Many witnesses in this haunted hotel in Hawaii.
Over the years, similar stories have surfaced at what is now called the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Locals and visitors alike have reported sudden encounters with a woman who appears in the hotel’s hallways, or in other areas of this haunted resort in Hawaii. She's often described as beautiful, barefoot, often dressed in red, and sometimes glowing. She may ask for a directions or a ride, or simply smile and disappear.
Some believe these sightings are visitations from Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, who is said to take many forms; most often a regal woman in red or an old woman cloaked in mystery. Her appearances are often fleeting but powerful, leaving behind a sense of awe and reverence, or a quiet warning.
Whether it was truly Pele who walked through the halls of the Hilton Hawaiian Village that day, or something else entirely, those who have seen her never forget. In the heart of modern Honolulu, even now, the ancients still walk among us.
But there are modern hauntings as well.
Guests over the years have reported other unexplained sightings throughout the property, particularly in the rooms and halls of the resort’s towers. What makes these hauntings unique is that the apparitions seen aren’t always dressed in old-fashioned clothing like many expect. Instead, they often appear in modern attire, like everyday hotel guests. Some witnesses describe seeing a man passing by without a word, or even a child standing quietly at the end of a hall, only to vanish moments later.
A particularly chilling account comes from a guest staying at the resort. One evening, while the wife was in the bathroom, her husband sat at the small table with their toddler nearby. As he ate dinner, he looked into the mirror and clearly saw a woman walking across the room behind him. She looked like his wife with her hair tied back, but she had glasses on and was wearing a floral shirt and khaki shorts. He meant to speak to her, but their son interrupted. When he turned around moments later, the figure was gone. He realized the bathroom door had never opened. His wife had never come out.
These stories suggest more than a single spirit. They hint at a place that has absorbed fragments of energy—echoes of people who may have once passed through the hotel, now caught in time. Not all hauntings are relics of the distant past. Sometimes, the spirits that remain wear yesterday’s clothes… and walk among us.
Uncover the Secrets of Haunted Honolulu and Waikīkī
If tales like this leave you wondering who—or what—still walks among us, you’re not alone. From haunted resorts in Hawai‘i to mysterious encounters in the heart of Waikīkī, these stories reveal just a glimpse of the supernatural Hawaii that locals have spoken of for generations. Whether it’s the whispers of the night marchers, unexplained sightings in hotel corridors, or the lingering presence of ancient spirits, haunted Waikīkī holds its share of chilling secrets. Join one of our Waikīkī Night Marchers ghost tours and explore the haunted places in Honolulu that most visitors never see.
On our Honolulu ghost tours, discover the real stories behind of supernatural Hawai‘i,
…and the haunted places in Honolulu that continue to intrigue and unsettle. The spirits are waiting.