What is Ghost Hotel?

A ghost hotel is a residential apartment building in which a large share of the units have been converted into short-term rental listings. Although the building is zoned and designed for long-term residents, it operates in practice like an unregulated hotel, with rolling suitcases in the lobby, lockboxes on every floor, and a guest population that turns over weekly. In Prague's Old Town, entire apartment blocks have gone this route, leaving a handful of permanent residents surrounded by tourists.

Ghost hotels emerge when property owners or arbitrage operators acquire multiple units in the same building and list them all on platforms. A single operator controlling an entire floor or building strips it of any genuine residential community.

Why It Matters When Choosing Where to Live

Living in a ghost hotel is one of the worst outcomes for a long-term renter or buyer. Common areas see constant tourist traffic, security drops because strangers come and go around the clock, and there is no stable neighbor community. Maintenance issues pile up because transient guests treat the property differently than permanent residents, and building management is often complicit or overwhelmed.

How BnBDetector Helps

BnBDetector flags buildings with unusually high concentrations of STR listings, the clearest signal of a ghost hotel. Spot the pattern before you sign a lease, not after your third sleepless weekend.