LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Above all else, the Hotel Majestic is a survivor. Built in 1902 on the estate of California State Legislature member Milton Schmidt, the building officially became the Hotel Majestic after Senator Schmidt moved in 1904. The hotel managed to avoid damage from the 1906 Great Earthquake, the fires stopping only two blocks away from the hotel.

The ghost reputed to walk the hallways of the fourth floor is that of a young woman. Long-term residents of this Pacific Heights neighborhood believe it to be the Schmidt's daughter, who refused to leave the building after it was sold.

There are many personal stories regarding the haunted fourth floor. A reported common occurrence includes the bathtubs - many of which sport clawed, brass feet, mysteriously filling with water. There are also the sound of footsteps and keys clanging along the walls outside. Faucets are said to turn on and wake guests in the middle of the night. Many visitors report strange dreams or nightmares. Though many believe in the ghosts, skeptics point out that nearly all the phenomena can be explained away by old plumbing and changes in water pressure.

A motion picture production manager stayed in the Hotel Majestic and reportedly told one of the desk clerks that she felt her bed shaking in the night, thinking there was an earthquake. There wasn't, and her experience remains a mystery.

Another time, a clerk who was delivering pillows to room 408, adjacent to room 407 which is often considered the "most haunted" room, felt two hands on her shoulders pushing her back.

The hotel and many guests claim the haunting to be friendly, if cheeky and playful. The portrait of the young woman said to haunt the halls hangs downstairs in the lobby.

Surviving over a century, the Hotel Majestic has kept close to its original architecture, and the rooms reflect both turn of the century design as well as strong Victorian accents and an Edwardian styling. English and French antiques, old fashioned clawed-foot bathtubs, fireplaces, double sinks, bay windows, and Victorian furniture adorn rooms to help preserve the romantic and from-the-past atmosphere.