Are Ghosts Good for Business?

Many people are aware of the relatively recent explosion in the interest and popularity of the paranormal. Paranormal programming abounds on the major cable television networks, and shows such as Ghost Hunters, Destination Truth, Ghost Adventures, Celebrity Ghost Stories, and others have been successful both at garnering ratings as well as increasing the public’s awareness of possibly paranormal phenomena.

The popularity of these shows has fostered the birth of many teams of ghost hunters and paranormal investigators--note that I consider the focus of these two types of groups to be different, though for the convenience of this article I will use the terms interchangeably.

About 6 years ago, when I first became involved with a team located in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire, there was only one or two groups in the area. Now, by last count there are at least 6 indigenous to the region. Beyond famous teams like T.A.P.S. and Steve Gonsalves group--New England Paranormal--that also advertise that they cover this region, there are multiple other groups in the area: Sights Unseen Paranormal, Quabbin Valley Paranormal, and E.C.T.O. Paranormal are the most reputable and experienced groups in my estimation.

This parallels the growth in the number of ghost hunters across the country. Previously, if you needed a team of “ghost busters,” they were difficult to find. That’s not the case anymore and multiple teams can easily be located in any region of the country. A recent client said to me "I was surprised how easy it was to find a group.

So given that this—generally free--service is available to clients in need, what are the specific impacts of possible paranormal activity on businesses?

Interestingly enough, the economics of a haunting seem to be positive if you—as a business owner—know how to approach it.

Consider a haunted hotel or bed and breakfast for example. Many owners of possibly haunted establishments have capitalized the on the interest of such phenomena to attract business. The number of people that would go out of their way to stay in a possibly haunted location—and I am one of those people—appear to far outnumber the people that would avoid patronizing such locations. Some of these locations have begun catering to ghost hunters in the form of hosting overnight investigations, sponsoring paranormal conferences and workshops, and have even successfully gotten their business featured on one of the many popular paranormal-based television programs currently on television.

The biggest positive economic impact appears to occur with hotels, inns, and bed and breakfasts, though restaurants also appear to benefit from such attention, museums, and other historic locations. Even previously abandoned properties--jails, mental hospitals, etc.--now feature tours and overnight stays geared toward those interested in paranormal activity.

So how does the business owner of a possibly haunted location capitalize on this popularity? Below are several simple steps one can follow.

1. Document possibly paranormal activity in a log and encourage patrons to do so as well.

2. Contact a local paranormal team and have them conduct one or more investigations. This may catch the attention of more "famous" ghost hunters and will increase visibility and the sites reputation.

3. Popularize the location as possibly haunted via the many Internet sites where haunted locations are listed, as well as invite reporters from the local newspaper to do a feature story on its "ghosts."

4. Develop paranormal-based activities, e.g. ghost tours, overnight ghost hunts, and other activities that cater to those with an interest in such phenomena.

5. Attempt to get your business featured on one of the popular paranormal-based television shows.

There are many ways to successfully capitalize on this interest, and this short article simply highlights a few. There are a plethora of other considerations of course, but for someone that owns a historic business that is experiencing possibly paranormal activity, realize that you may be missing out on some revenue if you aren’t capitalizing on your businesses reputation for being haunted.

Of course, if--as a business owner--you decide to fake a haunting, my guess is that you will certainly be able to fool a few people, and you will probably be able to find a team of ghost hunters that will capture potentially paranormal phenomena at the location. Heck, I can capture photographic anomalies and record strange voices in my backyard, but that doesn't mean it's haunted. I would hope that a competent team would be able to see through the ruse, but as a business owner, you are still potentially increasing your visibility even if you do decide to "hoax" it. I wouldn't recommend that business owners "manufacture" a haunting however. It's manipulative, duplicitous, and ultimately disrespectful to both the living and the dead.

Not every historic location is haunted--nor does every haunting occur in a historic location--and by hoaxing such things I believe a business owner would be disrespecting history as well. In general, most patrons don't appreciate false advertising.


Bobby Elgee; Sights Unseen Paranormal