Stanley Hotel – Haunted Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado

The Stanley Hotel stands as a towering white monument against the Rocky Mountains. This sprawling resort has welcomed guests since 1909 and continues to draw visitors seeking both luxury and the supernatural.

Perched at an elevation of 7,522 feet, the hotel offers stunning mountain views by day. By night, it transforms into something far more mysterious and unsettling for those who dare to stay.

The Georgian-style building inspired Stephen King to write his masterpiece, “The Shining.” King stayed in room 217 during a particularly eerie September night in 1974. That single evening sparked one of horror’s most iconic novels.

Guests report unexplained piano music echoing through empty hallways at midnight. Children’s laughter rings out from vacant rooms on the fourth floor. The spirits here don’t seem interested in remaining quiet or hidden from view.

The hotel’s reputation has grown beyond its literary fame over decades. Paranormal investigators consider it one of America’s most actively haunted locations. Employees and visitors share countless stories of encounters they cannot explain away.

Historical Background

Freelan Oscar Stanley built this magnificent hotel in 1909 after tuberculosis brought him west. His doctor recommended the mountain air for his failing lungs. The fresh Colorado climate worked miracles, and Stanley lived to age 91.

Stanley made his fortune inventing the Stanley Steamer automobile with his twin brother Francis. He invested his wealth into creating a luxurious resort for wealthy East Coast travelers. The hotel cost $500,000 to construct, an astronomical sum at the time.

The building originally featured 48 guest rooms and every modern convenience available in 1909. Electricity, telephones, and running water made the Stanley exceptionally advanced for its era. Stanley even built his own hydroelectric plant to power the entire property independently.

Flora Stanley, Freelan’s wife, was an accomplished pianist who performed regularly in the hotel. She hosted elegant concerts in the Music Room for distinguished guests throughout the season. Her presence seemed to linger long after her death in 1939.

The hotel served as a sanctuary during Prohibition when wealthy guests sought mountain refuge. World War II brought challenges as tourism declined dramatically across the nation. The Stanley struggled financially through several decades before finding renewed fame through its haunted reputation.

Paranormal Activity Summary

Cold spots manifest throughout the building without any logical source or explanation. Guests report sudden temperature drops of 20 to 30 degrees in specific hallways. These icy pockets appear and disappear within seconds, defying all attempts at rational explanation.

Piano music drifts through the air when the Music Room stands completely empty. Staff members hear full concerts playing at 2 or 3 in the morning. Security cameras capture no one entering or leaving the room during these mysterious performances.

Doors slam violently throughout the fourth floor despite windows being closed and sealed. Guests watch doorknobs turn slowly from the inside of locked rooms. Some visitors report their luggage being unpacked and neatly arranged while they dine downstairs.

Children’s voices echo down corridors where no children are registered as guests. Staff hear giggling and running footsteps racing across the fourth-floor ballroom. The sounds always cease abruptly when anyone enters to investigate the commotion.

Shadow figures appear in mirrors and windows throughout the property at various times. These dark silhouettes move independently of any living person casting them. Guests photograph strange mists and orbs that weren’t visible to the naked eye.

Light bulbs explode without electrical surges or faulty wiring causing the incidents. Electronics malfunction in specific rooms, draining batteries in minutes rather than hours. Cell phones and cameras mysteriously stop working in certain areas of the building.

Ghost Stories & Reports

Flora Stanley remains the most frequently encountered spirit within her beloved hotel. Guests hear her playing the Steinway piano in the Music Room late at night. She appears as a translucent figure in Edwardian-era clothing, still entertaining invisible guests.

Witnesses describe Flora as elegant and peaceful, never threatening or frightening in her manifestations. She seems particularly active during the summer months when she hosted her concerts. Several guests have reported feeling a gentle, reassuring touch on their shoulders in the Music Room.

Freelan Oscar Stanley himself reportedly haunts the Billiard Room and main lobby areas. He appears as a distinguished gentleman in early 1900s formal attire. Guests spot him observing the hotel operations as if still ensuring everything meets his standards.

One couple reported seeing Stanley standing in the lobby at 3 AM in 2016. He smiled at them before vanishing into thin air without a sound. The front desk clerk confirmed no one matching his description was registered at the hotel.

Room 217 houses the spirit of Elizabeth Wilson, a housekeeper caught in an explosion. A gas leak caused a massive blast in 1911 that blew out the floor. Wilson survived but suffered serious injuries that troubled her throughout her remaining life.

Elizabeth’s ghost seems to continue her housekeeping duties from beyond the grave today. Guests report their clothes being neatly folded and put away while they sleep. She turns lights on and off, apparently disapproving of wastefulness and messiness.

Male guests in room 217 report feeling someone climb into bed beside them. They feel the mattress compress and covers pulling across their bodies. When they turn on lights, they find themselves completely alone in locked rooms.

The fourth floor harbors the spirits of numerous children who never checked out. Their presence creates both playful and unsettling encounters for modern guests and staff. Some believe these children died during an early 20th-century disease outbreak.

Guests hear children bouncing balls down the fourth-floor hallway at all hours of night. The distinct sound of a rubber ball hitting hardwood floors echoes repeatedly. Security finds no balls, children, or any explanation for the persistent nighttime noise.

A cowboy figure appears throughout the property, particularly in the basement and lower levels. He wears period clothing from the late 1800s, predating the hotel’s construction. Some speculate he died on the land before Stanley built his resort.

Most Haunted Spot

Room 217 stands as the epicenter of paranormal activity at the Stanley Hotel. This is where Stephen King experienced the nightmare that inspired “The Shining.” Elizabeth Wilson’s spirit remains most active here, interacting frequently with overnight guests.

Visitors request this specific room months in advance despite its haunted reputation, or perhaps because of it. The hotel charges premium rates for room 217 during peak paranormal tourism season. Guests report consistent unexplained phenomena including moved objects, phantom touches, and electrical disturbances.

The fourth-floor hallway generates intense feelings of being watched by unseen eyes. Staff members refuse to work alone in this area after dark whenever possible. The sensation of invisible children running past guests creates an unforgettable and unnerving experience.

The Billiard Room and Music Room tie for second place in documented paranormal occurrences. Both rooms feature regular manifestations of the Stanley family members who built the hotel. Visitors capture unexplained images and recordings here more frequently than anywhere else on property.

Can You Visit?

Yes, the Stanley Hotel operates as a fully functional luxury resort open year-round. Guests can book overnight accommodations ranging from standard rooms to premium suites. Room rates vary from $300 to over $1,000 per night depending on season.

The hotel offers several types of ghost tours for visitors not staying overnight. Night Spirit Tours run every evening, exploring the most haunted areas after dark. Daytime historical tours provide background on the building’s construction and famous residents.

Ghost Adventure Packages include overnight stays in the most haunted rooms available. These special bookings come with ghost hunting equipment rentals and expert guides. Prices start at $499 per person for the complete paranormal investigation experience.

Photography is enthusiastically encouraged throughout the property for both guests and tour participants. The hotel actually promotes supernatural photography and maintains a gallery of guest-captured evidence. Staff members help visitors identify the best locations for potentially capturing paranormal activity.

Tours run year-round with varying schedules depending on season and hotel occupancy levels. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially during October and the Halloween season. The property welcomes visitors daily from 9 AM until midnight for various tour options.

Best Time to Visit

October brings peak paranormal activity as spiritual energy intensifies during autumn months. The hotel hosts special Halloween events and extended ghost tours throughout the month. Many paranormal investigators report their most compelling evidence during late September through early November.

Late night hours between 2 AM and 4 AM produce the most consistent encounters. This timeframe aligns with traditional “witching hour” beliefs held by paranormal researchers worldwide. Guests staying overnight should remain alert during these early morning hours for potential activity.

Winter months from December through February offer fewer crowds but equally active spirits. The isolation and quiet of snowy nights seem to amplify supernatural manifestations. Cold weather guests report some of the most dramatic and undeniable paranormal experiences.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

Stephen King’s 1974 experience in room 217 remains the most famous encounter documented. He dreamed of his young son being chased through endless hotel corridors. That nightmare woke him in a cold sweat and inspired “The Shining” within hours.

A guest named Sarah Mitchell reported in 2018 that her suitcase unpacked itself overnight. She found her clothes neatly arranged in drawers she never opened herself. Mitchell photographed the organized dresser before calling the front desk in disbelief.

Hotel employee Rick Torres witnessed doors slamming in sequence down the fourth-floor hallway. Each door opened and closed violently in perfect rhythm moving toward him. Torres ran from the building and refused to work night shifts afterward.

Paranormal investigator Jason Hawes documented temperature fluctuations exceeding 40 degrees within single rooms. His team recorded unexplained voices responding directly to questions during investigations. Electronic Voice Phenomena captured at the Stanley includes clear intelligent responses to queries.

A honeymooning couple in room 217 photographed a misty figure standing beside their bed. The image clearly shows a woman in old-fashioned clothing they didn’t see visually. Their camera malfunctioned immediately after capturing the photograph and never worked properly again.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

Ghost Hunters featured the Stanley Hotel in a 2006 episode that boosted its fame. The TAPS team captured compelling audio evidence of disembodied voices responding to questions. Their investigation documented multiple instances of unexplained temperature changes and electromagnetic field fluctuations.

Ghost Adventures filmed at the Stanley in 2010 and returned for additional investigations. Zak Bagans and his crew experienced dramatic equipment malfunctions throughout their investigation. They recorded what many consider some of the most convincing evidence ever captured there.

The hotel now maintains its own paranormal investigation team available for guest consultations. Professional ghost hunters conduct weekly sweeps of the property documenting ongoing activity. Their research contributes to an ever-growing database of supernatural occurrences and patterns.

Multiple independent research teams have recorded Electronic Voice Phenomena throughout the building’s interior. These recordings include children’s voices, adult conversations, and music from eras long past. Audio analysis confirms these sounds don’t match any living guests or staff members.

Infrared cameras frequently capture unexplained energy masses moving through supposedly empty rooms. These anomalies appear as glowing orbs or mists moving with apparent intelligence and purpose. Thermal imaging reveals cold spots shaped like human figures standing in specific locations.

Local Legends & Myths

Local lore suggests the hotel sits atop ancient Native American sacred grounds. Tribal legends speak of spirits that inhabited these mountains long before European settlement. Some believe these indigenous spirits mingle with the hotel’s more recent ghostly residents.

Workers during the hotel’s construction reported strange occurrences and unexplained accidents throughout the building process. Several workers allegedly died during construction, though official records remain mysteriously incomplete. Their spirits supposedly remain trapped within the walls they helped build.

An underground tunnel system beneath the hotel supposedly harbors the darkest supernatural energy. These passages connected various buildings and allowed staff to move unseen during operations. Explorers report overwhelming feelings of dread and malevolence within the tunnel network.

Some guests claim the hotel acts as a portal between our world and realms beyond. They believe the high elevation and mountain location create unique spiritual conditions here. This theory explains why so many different entities manifest throughout the property.

Safety Warnings & Legal Restrictions

The fourth floor remains off-limits to unsupervised guests during certain hours for safety reasons. Liability concerns require hotel permission before conducting independent paranormal investigations anywhere on property. Violating these restrictions results in immediate removal and potential trespassing charges.

The underground tunnel system is strictly prohibited to all guests under any circumstances. These passages contain structural hazards including unstable floors and dangerous drop-offs in darkness. The hotel prosecutes unauthorized tunnel exploration to the fullest extent of Colorado law.

Guests should never explore alone during overnight stays if feeling uncomfortable or frightened. The hotel maintains 24-hour security and staff available to assist with any concerns. Medical conditions including heart problems should be disclosed before participating in intense ghost tours.