El Cortez Hotel reputed hauntings

El Cortez, a landmark hotel and former radio tower site in downtown San Diego that opened in 1927, has long been the subject of local lore about ghost sightings and unexplained noises reported by guests and employees. The building was for many years one of San Diego's tallest structures and has appeared on local ghost-tour itineraries and in regional accounts of haunted sites. Reports typically describe sightings of a female apparition and other transient phenomena; these accounts are anecdotal and have been debated. The hotel's historic status and frequent publicity have kept the stories prominent in San Diego lore.