Victoria's Empress hotel named one of the most haunted hotels in the world

One of Vancouver Island's most iconic hotels has cracked a global list of the world's most haunted destinations.

Victoria's Fairmont Empress, which opened in 1908, has been featured in Conde Nast Traveller's list of 44 most haunted hotels in the world.

The Empress is said to be haunted by the ghost of the hotel's architect, Francis Rattenbury, according to the major publication.

Rattenbury reportedly left his wife for a younger woman and fled to England. But then, while in the U.K. with his new wife, he was bludgeoned to death by her new lover, a 17-year-old that worked as her chauffer.

The architect's spirt is said to have returned to the Empress, where it has been spotted on the lobby staircase, according to Conde Nast and Victoria's Ghostly Walks Tours.

"We have hundreds of stories that we've gathered about the Empress hotel, and so many other places," said John Adams, a historian with Ghostly Walk Tours.

"I think it's wonderful. It corroborates the fact that we've been saying all along, that Victoria really is the most haunted city in these parts," he said.

Rattenbury is not the only spirit that's said to have taken up residence at the hotel.

According to Ghostly Walk Tours, several dozen ghost sightings have been reported at the hotel.

Adams says the hotel’s haunted reputation has drawn travellers to Victoria.