SA Spooked by Johannesburg Hotel Abandoned for 27 Years After Unpleasant Incidents
- One of Johannesburg’s most famous hotels was abandoned by its residents and owners for 27 years
- The prestigious building used to host some of the most famous people who hoped for a luxurious experience
- Social media users were spooked after hearing about some of the tragic events that took place at the hotel
One of Gauteng’s most famous hotels, which has hosted big names in the entertainment industry, has not had a guest in 27 years.

Source: TikTok
The building is one of the tallest in the country being 31 stories tall and has over 600 rooms.
SA spooked by Johannesburg hotel abandoned for 27 years
The Carlton Hotel situated in Johannesburg used to be the go-to place for any celebrity looking for a luxurious experience in South Africa. The 31-story building hosted big names such as Mick Jagger, Whitney Houston, Hillary Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, Henry Kissinger, François Mitterrand, and Nelson Mandela.
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The Carlton Hotel, which opened its doors in 1972, had over 600 rooms, a rooftop pool, and several high-end restaurants. Guests could shop at the Carlton Centre opposite and take a high-speed lift to the top of the Carlton for panoramic city views, or even skate at the Carlton Ice Rink.
Today, the building looks like the spooky Titanic ship, with interior designs falling apart. There are several reasons why the hotel closed down in 1998.
The Carlton Hotel was reported to have shut its doors as the surrounding central business district deteriorated as the crime rate increased which made the location less desirable. An article by Huck explained that a disturbing incident also occurred in 1997 where two hotel employees murdered one of their managers after he found them drinking on duty. The Carlton was closed within five months, having lost $4M that year alone, and its contents were gradually sold off.

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Many people speculated that the building was haunted by those who died in it. The building is now owned by Transnet who has left the building alone for almost three decades.
The creator of the post captioned their post:
“Something doesn't feel right about this Johannesburg hotel sitting empty since 1998.”
See the TikTok post below:

Source: TikTok
Mzansi amazed by abandoned hotel in Johannesburg
Social media users were spooked by the abandoned hotel in Gauteng:
@user8362352227364 commented:
“Johannesburg used to be an amazing beautiful city. Such a shame.”
@Mizmode🇿🇦🇦🇪 shared:
“It's giving American Horror Story-Hotel.”
@Battle said:
“It may be because 60 guests died because of food poisoning.”
@Lallie wrote:
“The decay of Johannesburg’s central business district and crime, which chased companies out of the area, caused the Carlton Hotel’s demise.”
@Thabane N commented:
“After 1994 the hotel started making losses because the rich white frequent visitors did not want to mingle with Africans, remember the hotel was for only white people.”
@Phoenix Flux said:
“So we have haunted & abandoned places in my country? All this time I thought I had to go to the US for scary aesthetics, well seems I won’t go far.”
3 More spooky stories by Briefly News
- South Africans were cautious on behalf of a Mzansi lady who revamped an abandoned house and shared her journey on TikTok.
- One lady spotted an old village granny roaming her yard at midnight and filmed her every move and shared the video online.
- A retired witch did a show and tell in front of a curious audience that filmed her confessions and trended on TikTok.
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Source: Briefly News