I traveled last week to Colorado, so I find it fitting to recount one of my previous trips to this Southwestern state, when I spent the night at a landmark in the Rocky Mountains called The Stanley Hotel.
The Shining plays non-stop on Channel 42 in this hotel as guests set up video cameras to record in their rooms while they roam the hallways snapping photos throughout the night. The Stanley Hotel, located in Estes Park, Colorado, would undoubtedly attract plenty of business due solely to its interior glitz and beautiful mountain-surrounded location. Some people actually do enter its doors just to stay in a nice hotel. Most, however, travel to this hotel to hunt ghosts.
Stephen King got the whole craze started when, one night somewhere in the 1970s, he and his wife Tabitha checked into Room 217. They then went out drinking and returned to discover that their suitcases had been unpacked and all of their belongings neatly put away. This unexplained incident in combination with the alcohol set King off. Throughout the night, he roamed the hotel, seeing visions of ghostly children playing in the hallways and all manner of other spooky sights. Such frightening events might compel most of us to scream and run. Stephen King, however, returned to his room, sat down and begin writing a number one bestselling novel called The Shining, which later became a blockbuster movie.
No novel arose from my visit, although it was quite more interesting than a night at the Holiday Inn. We rented two rooms – Room 401, widely accepted as the most haunted room in the hotel, and Room 217, where Stephen King freaked out and began writing The Shining. Oddly, 217 is not considered to be haunted. I chose to stay in this room, as I am a ghost scoffer and was not desirous of staying up all night looking and listening, photographing and videotaping, as were the folks in 401.
I soon discovered that if you stay in Stephen King’s room or any of the haunted rooms at this hotel, you are on the official Stanley Hotel Ghost Tour track. Many, many times throughout the day, tour guides in 1900’s period costumes lead large groups of people through the hotel. If your room is on this tour, these groups stand immediately outside your door and take photographs while the guide explains the significance of your room and the various hauntings reported to have occurred therein. At one point while staying in 217, I opened the door to discover approximately 20 people standing across the threshold, staring in at me.
Why is Everyone Looking at Me? Oh, Because I'm in Room 217
Before settling in for the night, we walked through the hotel and an adjacent building called the Manor House. I can report that we did hear tremendous rattling coming from some rooms in the hotel, and the front door at the Manor House did open by itself while we were standing right inside. At one point while my niece stood under a chandelier in this same building, it began shaking over her head, causing her to cry tears of fright. It was a very windy night, though, which explained, to my satisfaction, everything. Everything except for a small, windowless closet in a hallway in the hotel. Its door opened wide and closed, opened and closed over and over and over again. I eventually concluded that this supports one of my long-standing theories: the hotel is rigged to imitate ghostly activity.
As I slumbered in Room 217, the people with whom I had traveled to The Stanley Hotel set up a video camera in Room 401 to monitor hauntings. I have seen part of the video, and I have to admit, the lights did go out for approximately 15 seconds, come back on for many more seconds, go out and come back on repeatedly. These were not flickers. They were full on and offs. However, I can explain the lights logically, as this is an old hotel with wiring that is likely faulty. As much as most of its guests want to believe many of the sights, sounds and smells at The Stanley Hotel emanate from another dimension, I believe they come from the here and now of our world. Now, if I were to have seen a desk floating through the air or transparent people sitting on my bed in the middle of the night, perhaps I would re-think my position.
But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Just before I left the hotel, I unplugged a clock radio, as I needed an outlet for my computer. Then it occurred to me – if neither I nor the cleaning staff plugged it back in, the next occupants of the room would likely believe that a ghost was responsible for the plug on the floor. So I let it lay there. I guess I had a little fun with the ghosts at The Stanley Hotel, after all.
How fun! Growing up, I visited Estes Park every summer, probably for 12 years or more (though now it’s more like once every few years). We stay at the YMCA, which is a little ways out of town, but we would always visit town for shopping and dining. We almost always went to the Stanley Hotel at least once for a meal. Their food is SO good! I have never had the chance to stay there since we always stay in cabins at the Y, but I need to go back sometime and get the full experience. Glad you didn’t encounter anything too spooky!
.-= Emily @ Maiden Voyage´s last blog ..Guest Post: Two Days in Paris =-.
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Sabina Lohr Reply:
March 31st, 2010 at 21:59
Thanks, Emily! I ate in their bar, and it was a really good meal, actually. You should definitely go get the full experience.
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Nice! ghost hunting sounds interesting! well anything with ghosts interest me, but I don’t think I can stay at a haunted hotel. I noticed there’s an orb on the picture. it could be just the flash from the camera or something? haha. oh, the little boy looks so serious =) nice post!
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Sabina Lohr Reply:
March 31st, 2010 at 21:57
I never noticed that orb before! You mean in the center left at the top of the photo? Sharp eye! It could just be a flash from the camera, yes. Although I don’t believe I’ve ever had an orb in a photo before.
And please don’t be afraid to stay at a “haunted” hotel. They’re not really haunted.
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Love this story. Where do I get one of them Comment Love gadgets, or am I too young?
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Sabina Lohr Reply:
April 1st, 2010 at 22:26
Thanks for loving this story, Mike. But yes, you are far too young for Comment Luv.
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One of the things on my bucket list is to find a truly haunted hotel and attempt to sleep there. I don’t think I could have resisted leaving a few ‘could be ghostly’ tricks around the room either.
.-= Catia´s last blog ..The Inspiring, Surreal Gardens of Las Pozas =-.
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Sabina Lohr Reply:
April 1st, 2010 at 22:28
Catia – thanks for commenting! One of the great things about The Stanley is many of the rooms are haunted (supposedly) and many are not. So you can always request a non-haunted room, and you’ll probably get it because most of the guests want the haunted ones.
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Wicked story. Were you upset you didn’t get a haunting? You should try staying overnight in the Great Pyramid… legend has it that Napoleon did, and came out the following morning white as a sheet and never told anyone what he experienced!!!
.-= nick´s last blog ..Three Egypt travel secrets =-.
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Sabina Lohr Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 20:12
No, I didn’t want a haunting. It would be fun to spend the night in a pyramid. Cold and clammy, but fun.
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I am the Resident Paranormal Investigator at the Stanley Hotel. I enjoyed reading your blog. Being extremely skeptical myself, I always like hearing what other skeptical people have to say about our beautiful, haunted hotel.
I did want to clear up a couple of things. First of all, our tour guides do not wear 1900′s period costumes, so if you saw someone leading a tour dressed like that, you may want to re-think your belief in ghosts =)
We do not rig anything to imitate ghostly activity. However, there may be another rational explanation for your door experience. I would be happy to check it out for you if you will tell me which door it was.
As far as the lights in Room 401, my only question would be, how long ago were you here? Room 401 has been completely renovated in the past few months, including the electrical wiring. So although you were visiting a 100 year old hotel, you can rest assured that the wiring is brand new.
Thanks for witing about us, your review is greatly appreciated. Hope to see you again soon!
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Sabina Lohr Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 16:43
Hi Callea,
I’m glad you found my blog post!
I’ve actually spent two nights at your hotel – the first some time in January of 2008 and the second on the night of March 21, 2009. I do absolutely love the hotel. It is grand and beautiful, and I’d like to return.
I have now inserted at the bottom of the original post a photograph of a tour guide at The Stanley Hotel wearing what appears to me to be a 1900′s period costume, or at least a costume from some period other than our own. I am certain she was leading a tour, as I took several photos of her and watched as she lead people up the stairs and down the hall. I took this photo on March 22, 2009.
I believe you when you say you don’t rig the hotel. I just don’t believe in ghosts and always search for another explanation. I am almost certain the door that was opening wide and fully shutting over and over again was located on the fourth floor which, as far as I’ve heard, is considered to be the most haunted floor. It was not a room door but a type of closet door. It was shorter, I think, than a regular door and was located at the very end of one of the hallways very near a window. I and a few other people looked inside and saw only darkness. There was nothing stored there. I think it did have the back of a staircase running through it, though. I wish I had a photo.
The lights going on and off in Room 401 occurred during the January 2008 visit. I wasn’t implying that it’s a rundown old hotel. Again, I really do love your hotel but am skeptical of ghosts, and I search for explanations.
Thanks again for commenting, and please let me know about the little room on the fourth floor, if you know which one I’m talking about!
Sabina
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Callea Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 17:49
Oh! I didn’t realize your visit was awhile ago. The tour guides did wear costumes on the weekends last year. The picture you posted was one of our tour guides at the time, Dawn, and definitely NOT a ghost!
I am pretty sure I know which door you are talking about. There is a little known back staircase from the 2nd to the 4th floors. The door movement could have been caused by an air current if one of the fire escape doors at the end of the one of the halls below was open.
And, I know you weren’t thinking of us as a rundown hotel. In fact the electrical update just took place in December of 2009, so the lights flickering during your visit in 2008 could have been caused by older wiring, although, I will say we didn’t really get a lot of complaints about that, so what your group caught on camera is odd.
I have witnessed and experienced some interesting things at the hotel. Something is definitely going on there. You are wise, however, to remain skeptical until you have your own experience. I always say a skeptic is just a believer who hasn’t seen a ghost yet.
Stay skeptical, but keep your mind open. You never know what may be waiting around the next corner, especially at the Stanley Hotel!
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Sabina Lohr Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 18:00
This is great, Callea! Thanks for letting me know all this! I’m especially glad you know about that door. I’ve never seen anything like that occur, anywhere. I hope to visit again soon!
That is so freaky! I want to go.
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Sabina Lohr Reply:
April 2nd, 2010 at 20:11
It is a really cool place. Everyone just loves it.
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.-= Satish Gandham´s last blog ..SWIFT is now wordpress MU compatible =-.
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Sabina Lohr Reply:
April 3rd, 2010 at 07:54
Satish, hello!
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Exciting stuff! I like The Shining. I once drove past this hotel and didn’t realize until afterwards which hotel it was.
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Sabina Lohr Reply:
April 4th, 2010 at 20:55
I love that movie too. And the hotel is really worth seeing, even if you only spend a short time walking through.
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I love that movie too. And the hotel is really worth seeing, even if you only spend a short time walking through.
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Sabina Lohr Reply:
April 25th, 2010 at 18:49
That was my favorite movie for years. Except I like the layout of the hotel in the movie better than the real hotel, unfortunately. Still, the real Stanley is gorgeous.
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Travel Writing – The Stanley Hotel in Estes, Park, Colorado ……
I found your entry interesting do I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog
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A haunted hotel room sounds interesting but like you said, unless you see a table floating or a transparent person sitting on the bed, it is quite difficult to believe
Shamis @ Gawaya Travel Blog recently posted..Strange Items Left Behind At Hotel Rooms
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Sabina Reply:
July 9th, 2011 at 23:55
Definitely. And I’ve never seen a transparent person or a floating table
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I don’t believe in haunting houses or hotels but it’s interesting to read about it. Thanks for sharing.
Noticias Tecnologia recently posted..Chica Con Tatuaje De R2D2
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Sabina Reply:
July 9th, 2011 at 23:55
Thanks. It is kind of fun, even if you don’t believe it.
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that sounds very fun i have been there but not for a night i really like the little doll house model of the house i am going to tryand stay
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Sabina Reply:
July 9th, 2011 at 23:57
Hi, Hailey. If you stay, it might be hard to sleep because of all the people in the hallways. But it can be fun.
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