The Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, California, is not famous because of its near 100-year history or its beautiful Beaux-Arts lobby, but rather because it has been the scene of tragedies and deaths many times over. It was popularly called America's Hotel Death, according to Esquire.

The most infamous hotel associated with murders is the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles (later rebranded as Stay on Main). Located in the Downtown area, it has a dark history involving multiple suicides, unexplained deaths, and associations with notorious serial killers. The "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez reportedly stayed there during his killing spree in the 1980s, and Jack Unterweger later stayed there as well. The most publicized recent event was the 2013 death of Elisa Lam, whose body was found in a water tank on the roof after viral elevator footage sparked international intrigue. Another historically significant "murder hotel" is the H.H. Holmes Hotel in Chicago, often called the "Murder Castle," which was specifically designed by the serial killer with trap doors and gas chambers during the 1893 World's Fair. In pop culture, the Stanley Hotel in Colorado is famous for inspiring Stephen King's The Shining, though it is more known for paranormal sightings than actual historical murders.