‘A spirit in each room’: ScareBnBs rise in popularity as renters seek out the supernatural

Vacationers are increasingly looking for short-term rentals that may be haunted on online platforms like Airbnb and VRBO

Adrienne Parks and her husband, Bill Bowman, moved into their New Orleans Queen Anne-style Victorian house on Halloween in 2005. But it had a long history before them. Built as a single-family home in 1884, the 5,500 sq ft structure became a boarding house in the 20th century before falling into disrepair. In the 1980s, a couple purchased it and decided to restore the building to its original glory, ripping out sheet rock and tearing out the drop ceilings. Years later, the property found its way to Parks and Bowman.

Not long after moving in, Parks took a walking tour of her neighborhood, which happened to be led by one of the home’s previous owners. They made a stop at the house.