Since its erection in 1892, The Walper Hotel was the definition of luxury and Old World grandeur. It was the site of lavish balls, political rallies, and parties that lasted long into the night thanks to the new-fangled electrical lights installed by its forward-thinking owner, Abel Walper.

 

Notable guests include Eleanor Roosevelt, the Queen's Mother, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and even contemporary celebrities such as Sarah McLachlan, Madonna, Lady Gaga, David Copperfield, and Stephen King.

 

But The Walper Hotel is also marked by tragedy.

 

The entire building burned down in 1892.  Four hundred and seventeen people perished in that fire, making it the most catastrophic event to have ever occurred in Kitchener.

 

The hotel is also the site of unsolved murders, violent slayings, and gangland executions. The most famous American mobster of all, Al Capone, even stayed here during several liquor smuggling schemes.

 

Beneath its elegant Victorian trappings, lies a building infested with pain, betrayal, and anger.  It's no wonder the ghosts of Walper Hotel continue to roam the halls to this day.  

 

And as long as these spirits continue their stay, the rooms of The Walper Hotel will never truly be vacant....