The Stanley Hotel

Colorado · United States · Hotel

The Stanley Hotel — Colorado · United States · Hotel

The hotel that inspired The Shining — in room 217 the housekeeper Elizabeth Wilson is said to linger after a 1911 explosion.

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado was built by Freelan Stanley, of the Stanley Steamer motor car. It is the hotel that gave Stephen King the idea for The Shining after a night in room 217.

Room 217 is tied to the housekeeper Elizabeth Wilson, who was thrown through the floor by a gas explosion in 1911 and yet survived. Her friendly ghost is said to still tidy guests' belongings.

Room 407 is associated with Lord Dunraven, and he was a real man with a real reputation. Dunraven was an Irish peer who came to Colorado in the 1870s, decided he wanted the whole of Estes Park as a private hunting estate, and set about acquiring it by having men file homestead claims on his behalf and sign the land over. The valley worked out what he was doing and he left.

He stands in the corner of room 407, near the bathroom door. Guests report him turning a light in the opposite corner on and off, repeatedly, while remaining where he is.

Elsewhere in the hotel, piano notes drift from the ballroom when no one is playing, and children's voices are heard in the upstairs halls.

The hotel is open, and both 217 and 407 can be booked.

FAQ

Where is The Stanley Hotel located?

The Stanley Hotel is in Colorado, United States.

More haunted places in Colorado

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Hustvedt / CC BY-SA 3.0 — Wikimedia Commons