Haunted hotel in top 10

The magazine for business people reviewed 10 of the most frightening luxury hotels or destinations around the world for its next issue, due out next week.

It concluded that Ludlow, especially the Feathers Hotel, should not be missed by ghost seekers.

It is alleged the wives of couples staying in room 211 will be harassed by a jealous woman spirit - one guest apparently had her hair pulled so hard she was dragged from her bed.

But her partner felt only a gentle hand stroking his face.

The general manager of The Feathers, Ian Taylor, said he wasn't surprised Ludlow or the hotel had made it on to the list.

"Most of the sightings have been in room 211," he said.

"We have paranormal groups here occasionally carrying out investigations. I haven't personally seen anything ghostly, but various people have.

"We took a picture of room 145 yesterday for our brochure and you can clearly see light orbs above the bed. We don't know what they are."

Haunting Breaks holiday company visits the hotel regularly.

According to its website, other sightings include a gentleman in Victorian dress accompanied by a dog walking through room 232 into room 233; and a gentleman spirit from the James I period who searches for someone by the name of Richard in the writing room.

When he found a parking space, he grabbed his brief case and was halfway across the pavement when he realised he had forgotten some papers.

He turned to retrieve them and saw the figure of a girl aged about 16 wearing a see-through blouse and a mini skirt walk straight through his car, glide on to the pavement and vanish.

Astounded and hardly believing what he had seen, he ran to the bar of the hotel to gasp out his story to the barman who said: "Good afternoon, sir, it's alright, I know what you've seen, a young girl walk through your car.

"Here's the brandy - on the house. You are the sixth person to have experienced her this year."

By Catherine Roche