The Haunted Legacy of the Stanley Hotel

Perched in the mountain town of Estes Park, Colorado, the Stanley Hotel is a place of contradictions. Refined and eerie, historic and haunted. Known for its grand architecture, ties to Stephen King’s The Shining, and countless ghost stories, the hotel has become an iconic destination for both luxury travelers and paranormal enthusiasts.

It all began with Freelan Oscar Stanley, an inventor best known for the Stanley Steamer automobile. Diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1903, he came to Colorado in search of healing. The dry mountain air did wonders for his health, and in gratitude, he set out to build something lasting. The Stanley Hotel opened in 1909, equipped with modern marvels like electricity, telephones, indoor plumbing, and a fleet of steam-powered vehicles. It quickly became a glamorous escape for East Coast elites.

But the hotel’s elegance didn’t shield it from ominous undertones. Just weeks after its grand opening, Stanley was rendered unconscious by gasoline fumes — an eerie foreshadowing of the gas explosion in Room 217 years later. Though Stanley sold the hotel in the late 1920s, it remained a notable landmark. Over time, however, its sparkle faded. By the 1970s, the building was in decline and nearly abandoned… until one fateful night.

In 1974, author Stephen King and his wife Tabitha checked into the nearly empty hotel. They were the only guests and were given Room 217. That night, King had a nightmare of his young son being chased down the hotel’s halls by a possessed fire hose. By the time he stepped out onto the balcony for a cigarette, the bones of The Shining had formed. That bestselling novel and its later film adaptation would permanently put the Stanley Hotel on the map.

Since then, the Stanley has leaned into its ghostly reputation. Room 217 remains the most requested suite, known not only for King’s nightmare but also for an actual explosion in the 1920s that nearly killed a chambermaid named Elizabeth Wilson. After her death, guests began reporting strange events: bags packed by unseen hands, cold spots, and invisible forces keeping unmarried couples apart.

Other areas of the hotel are equally active. The fourth floor, once home to children and staff, is notorious for unexplained giggling, flickering lights, and footsteps in empty halls. Room 407 is linked to the angry spirit of a man named Lord Dunraven. In contrast, Room 428 is home to a ghost cowboy believed to be Rocky Mountain Jim — a real-life outlaw with a disfigured face who’s known to appear at the foot of women’s beds. And, despite no documented deaths of children at the hotel, visitors often leave candy in the hallway, only to find it mysteriously moved by morning.

Another ghost tied closely to the hotel’s identity is Flora Stanley herself. A gifted pianist, she performed often during the hotel’s early years. Today, piano music is still heard from the Music Room, long after it’s closed for the night. Guests have even claimed to see a ghostly woman playing the keys, especially if they’ve tried to touch the piano themselves and had the cover slam shut on their fingers.

The Concert Hall is home to one of the most tragic spirits: Lucy, a young girl believed to have died of exposure after being forced out of the abandoned building in the mid-1990s. Her ghost is one of the most active, frequently interacting with ghost hunters through flashlights, sound, and even photographs. One image, captured during a tour, shows a girl in a pink dress who hadn’t been seen by anyone present. Her room’s door is said to open and close on its own, and whispers have been heard in the hall.

The Stanley’s haunted legends don’t end there. Bartenders report glasses moving on their own and voices when no one is around. Staff speak of Gilbert, a kind janitor who still seems to walk the halls after death. There’s also Paul, a rule-enforcing former employee who tells guests to “get out” if they roam too late at night. The pet cemetery, a tunnel system beneath the hotel, and the recently added hedge maze — built in 2015 as a nod to Kubrick’s The Shining — add further layers to the hotel’s supernatural lore.

Perhaps most mysterious is the so-called “Vortex,” the grand staircase connecting the lobby to the second floor. Said to be a portal of spiritual energy, it’s a frequent site of cold spots, heavy air, and unsettling sensations. A photo once taken there captured the clear image of a ghostly girl. No children were on that tour, and the image went viral within ghost-hunting circles.

Despite all the myths, the real Stanley Hotel differs greatly from what’s seen in film. The Shining was not filmed at the hotel; it only inspired its author. Kubrick’s version replaced topiary animals with a hedge maze, added the Grady twins, and removed much of the emotional arc that defined King’s novel. King famously disliked the film for being cold and disconnected from his original vision. Nevertheless, all three versions — the book, the film, and the real-life hotel — continue to inspire, unsettle, and attract new audiences.

The Stanley is fully restored today and offers ghost tours and high-end accommodations. But talk to anyone who’s spent a night there, and they’ll tell you: the past is never truly past. Some guests check in and never really leave.

Have you stayed at the Stanley? Send me your story. Comment below!

Resources

Business Insider. “I Went on a Ghost Tour at the Stanley Hotel…”
[https://www.businessinsider.com/ghost-tour-stanley-hotel-inspired-the-shining-2021-10]

Denver Gazette. “The Spooky Story Behind Colorado’s Haunted Stanley Hotel.”
[https://denvergazette.com/outtherecolorado/features/the-spooky-story-behind-colorado-s-haunted-stanley-hotel/article_d32dd765-7d1a-5775-a886-2d1562f51dc8.html]

Golden, Brian. “The Saga of the Haunted 1906 Steinway Grand Piano and the Mystery of the Missing John Philip Sousa’s Signatures.”
[https://www.briangoldencomposer.com/news/2023/7/17/the-saga-of-the-haunted-1906-steinway-grand-piano-and-the-mystery-of-the-missing-john-philip-sousas-signatures]

King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.

LitCharts. “The Ghost of Room 217 (Mrs. Massey)” — The Shining Character Guide
[https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-shining/characters/the-ghost-of-room-217-mrs-massey]

Nightly Spirits. “Stanley Hotel Ghost Stories.”
[https://nightlyspirits.com/stanley-hotel-ghost-stories/]

Reddit Thread — Personal Experience in Room 217
[https://www.reddit.com/r/StanleyKubrick/comments/1auu800/my_wife_booked_room_217_at_the_stanley_for_my/]

Smithsonian Magazine. “Colorado’s Shining Hotel is Finally Getting a Hedge Maze.”
[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/colorados-shining-hotel-finally-getting-hedge-maze-180956693/]

Stanley Hotel Official Website — About Page
[https://www.stanleyhotel.com/about.html]

Stockton, Chrissy. “Dumb and Dumber Almost Got a Horror Spin-Off…” — Thought Catalog
[https://thoughtcatalog.com/chrissy-stockton/2025/04/dumb-and-dumber-almost-got-a-horror-spin-off-after-jim-carrey-fled-the-stanley-hotel-in-the-middle-of-the-night/]

TheTravel. “Creepy Facts About the Stanley Hotel.”
[https://www.thetravel.com/stanley-hotel-facts-ghost-creepy/]

US Ghost Adventures. “Hauntings of the Stanley Hotel.”
[https://usghostadventures.com/americas-most-haunted-hotels-and-inns/hauntings-of-the-stanley-hotel/]